Levante host Atletico Madrid at the Estadi Ciutat de València on 31 October 2026 in a La Liga fixture that pits a side fighting to stay clear of the bottom half against the division's second placed team. Sitting 14th with 10 points from 10 games, Levante need a positive result to put some distance between themselves and the bottom three, whereas Atletico occupy second with 25 points, trailing only Barcelona. The visitors arrive having won seven straight league games, a start that matches their best in 13 seasons, while Levante have managed just two home victories this campaign and have not beaten Atletico at this ground in a decade.
Luís Castro took charge of Levante on 20 December 2025, replacing Álvaro del Moral and Vicente Iborra, leaving him with almost no direct record against Simeone. Simeone has been at Atletico since December 2011 and Castro's proactive approach will test a defensive structure that has been functional enough to produce seven consecutive wins. Whether Castro can impose his press on a side this organised in transition is the question that matters most here.
Levante come into this on a run of L D D W L across their last five La Liga outings. The most recent, a 1-2 home defeat to Real Sociedad on 25 October 2026, summed up their campaign neatly: the goals conceded came from defensive transitions they simply could not recover from. Atletico, by contrast, have gone W W W W W across the same period, including a 1-0 win over Espanyol and a victory against Deportivo around 24 October 2026.
Levante will be without Roger Brugué, who picked up an injury against Real Sociedad, as well as Enzo Bardeli out with a hamstring problem and Adrian de la Fuente remaining a doubt. Those three absences weaken both the forward line and midfield balance at the worst possible time. Atletico have their own concerns, with Johnny Cardoso doubtful due to a thigh problem and Koke ruled out with a longer-term injury. Without Koke, Atletico lose the player who sets their midfield press and controls positional discipline between the lines.
Levante under Castro typically set up in a 4-4-2 or similar shape and their high press creates space in behind that teams with quick forwards have been able to exploit consistently this season. Without Brugué, the goal scoring burden falls on Iván Romero and Ratkov, who need to combine effectively against a backline that does not push particularly high, leaving them limited room to run in behind. Bardeli's absence further limits midfield control, which Levante can ill afford here and Mandi will effectively run the defensive line alone with Álvarez likely to test him repeatedly.
Atletico operate in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 shape and their clean sheet record and set piece efficiency make them hard to break down. Julián Álvarez is in strong scoring form and will look to exploit space behind Levante's high line, while Álex Baena tends to arrive late in the box from midfield and has the ability to find pockets between the lines. Grimaldo's delivery from the left, given Levante's weakened shape, could be a consistent source of danger if he finds Álvarez or Baena in the area and the Álvarez versus Mandi duel is likely where the match is decided.
Castro's side need to disrupt Atletico's rhythm early, probably by pushing their midfield line high and squeezing Atletico's build-up but Simeone's teams are exceptionally good at sitting deep, forcing opponents wide and breaking quickly through Álvarez once the press is bypassed. Levante's vulnerability on the counter is precisely what Atletico are built to exploit.
Atletico have remained unbeaten at Levante's stadium for around ten years and though recent meetings have been tighter, including a 0-0 draw in January 2026, that decade without a win at this ground is difficult to ignore.
Atletico score regularly from set pieces and with Mandi effectively running the defensive line alone, Levante must stay organised on corners and free kicks. Jan Oblak's numbers across the season confirm he is not easy to beat, while Levante's set piece threat is limited without Bardeli's runs from deep.
We're predicting a 1-2 win for Atletico Madrid. Brugué's absence removes Levante's leading scorer and Bardeli's hamstring injury alongside de la Fuente's doubt thin the midfield considerably, making it hard for Levante to sustain pressure or protect transitions against a side this organised. The visitors are missing Koke and have Cardoso doubtful but retain enough quality through Álvarez, Baena and Grimaldo and given a decade of dominance at this venue and the size of the gap in current form, another Levante defeat feels like the likeliest outcome.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
