In a Sunday La Liga match, Real Madrid (1 win, 0 losses, 0 draws) visits Levante (0-0-1). The match is scheduled to kick off at 4 p.m. ET and will be held at Ciutat de Valencia, Spain. Below, we preview the Real Madrid at Levante odds and lines, and make our best La Liga bets, picks and predictions.
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Levante drew in a heartbreaker against Cadiz in the season opener last weekend as it allowed a goal in the 7th minutes of stoppage time after opening the scoring in the first half. That draw had Levante barely in the league’s top 10 at the start of the second weekend of action.
As for Real Madrid, F Karim Benzema and company dominated Alaves during the opening weekend. Benzema netted 2 goals with Madrid ending the game up 4-1. They were at the top of the table with Sevilla through one week.
Finishing second in the league last season, Madrid enters as the heavy favorite over Levante, who ended just seven points outside of the relegation zone in 2020-21.
Real Madrid at Levante: Odds, picks and predictions
Odds via Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:50 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Real Madrid -165 (bet $165 to win $100) | Levante +400 (bet $100 to win $400) | Draw +330
- Over/Under: 2.5 (O: -170 | U: +140)
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Prediction
Real Madrid 3, Levante 1
Money line (ML)
BET on REAL MADRID (-165) as it’s just the superior side. La Liga is relatively top-heavy, and Real is one of the teams that’s perennially at the top of the table.
Madrid looked dominant in its first showing, and the opposite can be said of Levante. It scored but also allowed a goal late. Last season, it finished with more losses than draws or wins.
I expect Levante to be overwhelmed against a major club that has far more attacking prowess than it was met with last week.
Over/Under (O/U)
BET on OVER 2.5 (-170) as Levante got 1 on the board last week while Madrid showed very few flaws. Madrid scored 4 with Benzema having 2 of them. M Eden Hazard is expected to play against Levante.
Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić are other big-time mids Madrid will be able to line the field with. All capable of producing goals, it’s just not smart to bet against Madrid’s scoring prowess.
It was tied for the second-most goals in La Liga action last season. Levante also averaged over a goal per game.
Combine those two facts, and the Over appears to be the best bet on the total.
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