Espanyol vs Levante — Tips & Analysis

Levante +0.5: Espanyol open the season without both of their first choice forwards. Javi Puado is out with a knee problem until November and Kike Garcia is not due back until December. That takes the two main goal scorers out of a side who already found goals hard to come by. Espanyol won 2, tied 5 and lost 7 of their last 14 games. In their six home games they scored less than a goal a game, so even a modest away team can stay in this. Levante had the better season by some way. They won 7, tied 3 and lost 4 of their last 14 and they score more than a goal a game. They are happy to sit deep, keep the game slow and take the one chance that comes. The last two meetings between these clubs finished 0-0 and 1-1. Both squads have gone 85 days without a competitive game, and first weekend football is usually scrappy. A 0-1 Levante win looks the most likely score, and that is the sort of afternoon we are betting on. The honest worry is the road. Levante won 1, tied 2 and lost 4 of their away games last season and let in just over 2 goals a game in them. Roger Brugue is suspended as well. We still make Levante the better team and we want them here.