Elche – Levante
These two Valencian rivals last met in May, when Levante sealed promotion with a 3-1 victory. Now, on Friday evening at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero, this duel will be repeated, but the omens are completely different. After two draws at the start of the season, Elche are unbeaten in the Primera División for the first time in 49 years after two matchdays, while Levante UD are still without points after defeats to Alavés and Barcelona. The recent record clearly favors the visitors, who have won three of the last five encounters. Elche has had a solid start to the season, with the respectable draw at Atlético Madrid, where Rafa Mir scored an early equalizer, underlining the team’s compactness. Young Rodrigo Mendoza has shone in the first few games and is already attracting international attention. Levante showed great spirit against Barcelona, even leading 2-1 thanks to goals from Iván Romero and José Luis Morales, but conceded three goals in the second half. The signing of Mathew Ryan as an experienced goalkeeper could give the team more defensive stability.
- Venue: Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero, Elche
- Date and time: 08/29/2025, 7:30 p.m.
- Competition: Primera División (Matchday 3)
Elche CF Form & Record Check
Elche’s return to Primera División could hardly have gone better. The 1-1 draw against Real Betis at the start of the league season already showed the compactness with which coach Eder Sarabia has formed his team. Particularly noteworthy was the recent 1-1 draw at Atlético Madrid. After falling behind early to a goal from Sørloth, Elche showed morale and equalized through Rafa Mir, who was set up by Álvaro Rodríguez. Their performance at the Metropolitano was certainly courageous, even if they did sit back a little in the second half and Dituro was booked for time-wasting in the closing minutes. Interestingly, they have scored in all of their games so far, which suggests that their attacking play is working. The two draws leave them in 12th place in the table with two points, although the mid-table is extremely tight. Both Real Sociedad above them and Celta Vigo below them also have two points. Young Rodrigo Mendoza is particularly noteworthy. The 19-year-old is already being compared to Pedri and has attracted the attention of European scouts. His contract renewal with a €20 million release clause shows how much Elche believes in his potential. On the downside, Yago Santiago is out with a long-term injury and is not expected to return until December. The goalkeeping position has been strengthened with the short-term signing of Iñaki Peña on loan from FC Barcelona. The Alicante-born player deliberately wanted to return to his home region and work under Sarabia, whom he knows from his time at Barcelona.
Coach Eder Sarabia is likely to field his tried-and-tested 3-4-1-2 system. Dituro could start between the posts, while John Donald, Affengruber, and Bigas form the back three. Álvaro Núñez and Valera are likely to provide width on the wings. Aguado and Febas could occupy the central midfield, with Mendoza in the number 10 position behind them. The young playmaker has already impressed in the first two games of the season and is considered one of the club’s great young prospects. I expect Álvaro Rodríguez and Rafa Mir to form the attacking duo. The personnel situation remains problematic: Yago Santiago is still out with a cruciate ligament rupture, and Adam Boayar is also unavailable due to injury. These absences noticeably limit Sarabia’s tactical options, even though new signing Iñaki Peña has strengthened the goalkeeping position.
Levante Form & Record Check
Levante UD’s return to the Primera División has been bumpy so far. After two matchdays, Julián Calero’s team has no points and is in 18th place in the table with a goal difference of minus two. The season opener at Deportivo Alavés was lost 1-2, even though Toljan scored the goal for the Valencians. Interestingly, despite the 3-2 defeat, the team put in a remarkable offensive performance against Barcelona. Romero gave Levante an early lead before Morales made it 2-0 from the penalty spot. Barcelona’s comeback after the break was also due to the visitors’ defensive problems. Elgezabal’s own goal in the 90th minute was particularly bitter, giving the Catalans a late victory. Despite the defeat, Levante showed courage and attacking spirit against the defending champions. There is a positive pattern emerging in attack: the team around Morales and Romero has scored in all of its games so far. The team is converting its chances, but defensively it does not yet look stable enough for the top flight. The signing of experienced goalkeeper Ryan could improve the situation between the posts.
Coach Julián Calero is likely to stick with his tried-and-tested 5-4-1 formation after the narrow 1-2 defeat in Vitoria. The goalkeeper question will be interesting: although Pablo Campos has been the first choice so far, new signing Mathew Ryan is an experienced keeper who has already gained LaLiga experience with Valencia and Real Sociedad. In defense, Calero could stick with the same back five, with Toljan looking set to start on the right after his goal against Alavés. The midfield around Pablo Martínez and Oriol Rey should provide the necessary stability, while José Luis Morales, the most experienced player in attack, will carry the main burden. It remains to be seen whether Carlos Álvarez is fully focused after the speculation surrounding Benfica.
H2H Elche CF – Levante Head-to-head comparison & statistics
These two teams have faced each other five times in the past two years, with Levante showing remarkable dominance. The record speaks for itself: three wins for Levante, two draws, while Elche is still waiting for its first win against its neighbors. The most recent encounter in May 2024 ended in a clear 3-1 win for Levante in Elche. Interestingly, most of the matches have been low-scoring, with four of the five encounters seeing fewer than 1.5 goals in the first half. It is striking that Levante has scored in 80% of its games against Elche, while the hosts have rarely kept a clean sheet. Even the low-scoring draw in September 2023, which ended goalless, was more of an exception in this series. The statistics also show that Levante has never lost a second half against Elche. This suggests that they often have the necessary punch to decide games in their favor in the closing stages.
The tip “Both teams to score: Yes” is based on a remarkable constant: both Elche and Levante have scored in each of their last five encounters, which speaks for a certain offensive stability for both teams. Interestingly, there are no defensive peculiarities that could interrupt this trend, even though Elche has to cope with two absences in Yago Santiago and Boayar, but these are not key defensive players. The “Over 2.5 goals” tip is an exciting one: Elche’s games have consistently produced more than 1.5 goals recently, while Levante’s constant goal threat adds extra excitement. One might think that recent results such as Elche’s 1-1 draw with Atlético or their 4-0 gala performance in the preseason support this assessment. The riskier bet “Levante wins the second half” may seem daring, but it is justified by Levante’s strong record of three wins in their last five games and the fact that Elche has been vulnerable in the second half recently. While the betting market sees Elche as a moderate favorite at 2.2, there could be interesting value in the side markets, as the offensive orientation of both teams suggests a higher-scoring game than the odds suggest.
