Levante vs Racing Santander: Can Either Side Find the Basics They Are Missing?

There are matches that arrive at the right time for one team and the wrong time for the other. This is not one of those matches. Levante and Racing Santander both come into Sunday's fixture in bad shape. Neither has earned the right to feel good about themselves. The only question is which side has the desire to impose something on the game.

Levante: Goals Are There. Everything Else Is Not.

Levante have scored nine goals in their last five La Liga matches. They have also conceded ten. Their clean sheet percentage across that sample sits at zero. Not one clean sheet in five attempts. That is not a defensive style. That is a defensive problem.

The thing is, you can see what Levante want to do going forward. They put three past Athletic Club and drew three apiece with Sevilla. There is something in this side offensively. But the basics at the back have been unacceptable. Every single one of their last five La Liga matches has seen both teams score. Every single one. You cannot build anything on that. End of.

Their form reads: lost, won, drew, drew, lost. One win in five. They were beaten by Real Sociedad most recently, conceding twice at home. Before that they could not hold a lead against Deportivo La Coruña and settled for a draw. The attitude when protecting a result has to be questioned. Levante are entertaining. They are not reliable.

Racing Santander: The Numbers Are Alarming

Listen, seventeen goals conceded in five La Liga matches is not a run of bad luck. That is a structural failure. Racing Santander have shipped seventeen goals while scoring six. They have no clean sheets. They lost to Barcelona, conceding seven. They lost to Celta Vigo without scoring. They lost to Osasuna without scoring.

Their only win in this sample came against Espanyol, a 2-1 result. They drew 2-2 with Valencia. Outside of those two matches they have been overrun. Completely overrun. The standards have not been there and the accountability appears to be missing as well.

Racing's form string reads: won, lost, drew, lost, lost. Three defeats in five La Liga matches. The goals against column does not lie. When you are conceding at that rate you are not competing properly. It is that simple.

What Happens When These Two Meet

Levante score goals and concede goals. Racing Santander cannot stop conceding goals. You do not need a laptop to tell you this fixture has the look of an open game. Levante are at home, which matters. They won 3-1 against Athletic Club and that performance showed what they can do when the attitude is right in front of their own supporters.

Racing will arrive with very little defensive confidence. Seventeen goals conceded in five matches tells you everything about how exposed they have been. Levante, for all their inconsistency, are capable of punishing that. They have the forward intent. Whether they can keep the back door shut long enough to make it count is the one doubt worth holding onto.

The thing is, Racing have shown they can score. The 2-2 draw with Valencia and the win against Espanyol prove there is something there going forward. Both teams scoring is entirely plausible given the defensive records in front of us.

The Verdict

Levante at home. Racing coming in having conceded seventeen goals in five La Liga matches. Levante need the three points and have the home crowd. Racing do not defend well enough to keep this tight. Back Levante to win. Not with a four-team accumulator. Just Levante. On their own. That is your selection.