In the thick of the La Liga midfield, a struggling Sevilla faces bottom-of-the-table Levante at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán on Sunday in a match that is worth much more than just three points on matchday 18. Matías Almeyda’s team is tenth with 20 points, two points behind Elche and level on points with Getafe. A win would consolidate their position in mid-table, while Luís Castro’s Levante, bottom with 10 points and one point behind Oviedo, desperately needs points. The betting markets see Sevilla as clear favorites in their home game. However, the form curves could hardly be more different. Sevilla has only one win from its last five league games, including a 2-0 defeat at Real Madrid after Marcão’s sending off, while Levante is even winless with four defeats in its last five games, but salvaged a 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad thanks to Dela’s late penalty. This contrast is not only reflected in the table, but also in the head-to-head record, which favors Sevilla, who are unbeaten in their last five meetings and won 3-2 away in April 2022. Off the pitch, Sevilla continues to make headlines, with Ramos considering a possible takeover, speculation about winter reinforcements such as Lingard, and transfer rumors surrounding regular players, while Almeyda has to plan without Azpilicueta, Vargas, and the suspended Marcão. Levante, meanwhile, will be without Elgezabal, Brugué, and attacking option Etta Eyong, so Castro is likely to once again rely on a compact formation and quick counterattacks.
- Venue: Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville
- Date and time: January 4, 2026, 2:00 p.m.
- Competition: La Liga (matchday 18)
Betting on a Sevilla win forms the backbone of our tips, because a team with Alexis Sánchez as an experienced key player, who is back in the EA FC headlines, has enough firepower at home, as the 4-0 win against Oviedo showed, to punish a Levante team that continues to be virtually invisible in attack.
Sevilla form & record check
Sevilla go into matchday 18 in tenth place with 20 points, their slightly negative goal difference reflecting their inconsistent league form. In their last five La Liga appearances, they have only managed one win and one draw, leaving the Andalusians two points behind Elche and practically level with Getafe, which feels more like a steady mid-table rhythm than the upswing Matías Almeyda might have hoped for. The last three league games underscore this picture: a controlled draw in Valencia was followed by a strong 4-0 home win against Oviedo, the most convincing performance in weeks and also the only game without conceding a goal in the last five, before the 2-0 defeat at Real Madrid, in which Sevilla remained competitive until Marcão’s red card and only a late penalty decided the game. This vulnerability was even more evident in the Copa del Rey, where a narrow 2-1 away win at Extremadura 1924 was enough to see them through the round of 64, but a 1-0 defeat at Alaves in the round of 32 meant they were out of the competition. Statistics show that Sevilla have scored at least two goals in 80% of their last five games, but have also conceded goals in 80% of those games, often after the break, which points to a fragile defense in the second half. Personnel problems explain at least part of the inconsistency, with Azpilicueta and Vargas out, Ejuke and Akor Adams away with their national teams, and Marcão’s suspension in the league after his red card in Madrid forcing additional changes in defense. At the same time, Juanlu is being courted by clubs such as Everton and Bayer Leverkusen, while links to Lingard suggest that Sevilla still feel they are missing a reliable additional source of creativity in their squad. Overall, Sevilla’s form seems more patchy than stable. The four-goal rout of Oviedo shows what this team is capable of in attack, but their cup exit at Alaves and harmless defeat at Real Madrid show how quickly their level can slip, which is why they remain closer to Elche and Getafe than the real contenders for the top spots in the middle of the table.
Sevilla are likely to stick with a 5-3-2 formation, so our predicted line-up sees Vlachodimos in goal in front of a back three of Carmona, Gudelj and Marcão, while Juanlu and Suazo provide width as attacking full-backs. In midfield, Agoumé, Mendy, and Sow would form a compact triangle, with Romero playing alongside Alexis up front, although the Chilean often drops back between the lines to act as a link player. This is a predicted lineup, not a confirmation. With Azpilicueta out with a hip problem, Carmona is almost certain to start on the right side of defense, while the absence of Vargas due to a thigh injury and Ejuke and Akor Adams due to international duty leaves Almeyda without natural wingers and without a classic number nine, which is why Peque and Januzaj appear to be the most important offensive alternatives off the bench.
Levante form & record check
Levante travels to Sevilla under visible pressure at this stage of La Liga. Luís Castro’s team is in 20th place in the table with 10 points, just one point behind Oviedo, and comes into the game on the back of a recent league run of one draw followed by four defeats. Confidence is correspondingly fragile and the margin for error is minimal with the season halfway through. Across all competitions, their record in the last five games is one win, one draw, and three defeats. The 2-0 home defeat to Athletic Club highlighted their difficulties in moving the ball forward cleanly under high pressure, the 2-0 defeat at Osasuna looked similarly lackluster, and the 1-0 in the Copa del Rey at Cultural Leonesa felt like a step backwards in terms of intensity, while even the 1-0 win at Cieza in the previous Copa round seemed more laborious than convincing. In the league, the 1-1 home draw against Real Sociedad, thanks to Dela’s penalty in stoppage time, was at least a small sign of resilience. It is noteworthy that all five of Levante’s last games have had fewer than 2.5 goals, a clear indication of limited offensive power and encounters that rarely really open up. Statistically, the picture continues, with Levante failing to score in the first half of any of their last five games and conceding goals much more frequently early on than after the break, when they usually stabilize somewhat. The absences of Elgezabal, Brugué, Eyong, and Koyalipou may be contributing to both defensive stability and variability in attack being limited.
Levante are expected to stick with their usual 4-2-3-1 formation, with Ryan in goal, a back four of Toljan, Dela, Moreno, and Sánchez, and Vencedor and Arriaga as double sixes. In front of them, García, Martínez, and Álvarez are expected to support striker Romero up front. This is a possible starting lineup and not yet an official confirmation. Injuries and absences determine the options around this core, with defender Elgezabal and winger Brugué missing, as well as strikers Etta Eyong and Koyalipou unavailable, meaning a natural defender, a winger, and two attackers are out, reducing the depth of the squad on both sides. It is quite possible that Morales, Losada, and Espí will be the most important offensive options from the bench if Luís Castro wants to freshen up the front line during the game. Tactically, this prediction points to a compact block, with Vencedor and Arriaga covering the center backs, Martínez given the freedom to occupy the spaces between the lines, while García and Álvarez are likely to start wide and fullbacks Toljan and Sánchez carefully time their runs forward. Olasagasti could come on if Castro needs more passing quality and control in midfield as the game progresses.
Sevilla – Levante Head-to-head & statistics
In the last five head-to-head matches between Sevilla and Levante, the numbers clearly favor the Andalusians. Sevilla celebrated four wins and one draw, with a total score of 11:6 and a win rate of 80%, with three wins on Levante’s home turf and two at their own stadium, so their dominance was evident at both venues. Looking at the chronological sequence, the two teams met twice in 2022, twice in 2021, and once in 2020. Sevilla remained unbeaten during this period, winning 1-0 and 5-3 at home and recording a 1-1 draw and narrow 1-0 and 3-2 victories away, suggesting that Sevilla often controlled the game better, even in close matches. It is striking that the last three matches were all tied at halftime, but Sevilla always found the decisive gear after the break. The Andalusians scored in all five games in the second half, while Levante conceded goals after the break every time, suggesting Sevilla’s advantages in terms of physicality and adjustments over the course of the 90 minutes. Although there was a phase of three consecutive encounters that remained below 3.5 total goals, the last two games in 2021 and 2022 opened up significantly and ended 5-3 and 3-2 for Sevilla. With Matías Almeyda and Luís Castro on the sidelines and changed squads, this encounter could now take on a different dynamic.
