Álvaro Arbeloa is set to make his La Liga debut on the touchline of his former club when Real Madrid clash with Levante on Saturday morning.
The new boss immediately took over Los Blancos following the dismissal of Xabi Alonso and began his reign with a humiliating 3–2 defeat to Albacete in the Copa del Rey round of 16. The loss came off the back of the team’s Spanish Super Cup failure against bitter rivals Barcelona.
In desperate need of a win to both get back on track and keep the La Liga title race alive, Real Madrid will make their long-awaited return to the Bernabéu, where they will host 19th-place Levante. The newly promoted side presents the perfect opportunity for the hosts to get back to winning ways.
Luis Castro’s men will feel emboldened by their opponents’ recent struggles, though, and now have the blueprint from Albacete on how to get past the Spanish giants even with a vastly inferior squad.
Here is Sports Illustrated’s guide to the La Liga clash.
What Time Does Real Madrid vs. Levante Kick Off?
- Location: Madrid, Spain
- Stadium: Bernabéu
- Date: Saturday, Jan. 17
- Kick-off Time: 8 a.m. ET / 5 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. GMT
Real Madrid vs. Levante Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
- Real Madrid: 3 wins
- Levante: 1 win
- Draws: 1
Current Form (All Competitions)
|
Real Madrid |
Levante |
|---|---|
|
Albacete 3–2 Real Madrid – 1/14/26 |
Levante 1–1 Espanyol – 1/11/26 |
|
Barcelona 3–2 Real Madrid – 1/11/26 |
Sevilla 0–3 Levante – 1/4/26 |
|
Atlético Madrid 1–2 Real Madrid – 1/8/26 |
Levante 1–1 Real Sociedad – 12/20/25 |
|
Real Madrid 5–1 Real Betis – 1/4/26 |
Cultural Leonesa 1–0 Levante – 12/17/25 |
|
Real Madrid 2–0 Sevilla – 12/20/25 |
Osasuna 2–0 Levante – 12/8/25 |
How to Watch Real Madrid vs. Levante on TV, Live Stream
|
Country |
TV Channel/Live Stream |
|---|---|
|
United States |
ESPN Select, ESPN App, ESPN Deportes, fuboTV |
|
United Kingdom |
LALIGATV |
|
Canada |
TSN+ |
|
Mexico |
Sky Sports Mexico, Sky+ |
Real Madrid Team News
Real Madrid’s mainstays will be back in the XI on Saturday after sitting out of the club’s Copa del Rey defeat. Jude Bellingham, Thibaut Courtois, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Álvaro Carreras are all expected to get the nod against Levante.
Elsewhere, Arbeloa has a few key decisions to make. Dani Carvajal made his return from injury against Albacete, but the Spaniard only played 13 minutes. After nearly three months on the sidelines, the right back might be safer coming off the bench until he works his way back up to full match fitness.
Question marks also surround Kylian Mbappé’s status. The France international returned to training with the team and was called-up for the La Liga clash, but the club could feel compelled to air on the side of caution, given its Champions League bout with Monaco coming on Tuesday.
Rodrygo, Antonio Rüdiger, Ferland Mendy, Éder Militão and Trent Alexander- Arnold all remain out due to injury.
Real Madrid predicted lineup vs. Levante (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Huijsen, Carreras; Tchouaméni, Camavinga; Güler, Bellingham, Vinicius Junior; García.
Levante Team News
Levante will be shorthanded at the back on Saturday without Diego Pampín. The fullback, who started both of the team’s matches in 2026, will not make the trip to the Bernabéu due to a leg injury, leaving the door open for Manu Sánchez to get the nod on the left flank.
Pampín joins Unai Elgezabal, Roger Brugué and Víctor García in the infirmary. Oriol Rey is also set to miss out against Real Madrid due to physical discomfort.
The good news for Castro is that Etta Eyong is back from representing Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations. The striker, who leads the team in scoring this season, is in line to make his first start since Dec. 8.
Levante Predicted Lineup vs. Real Madrid
Levante predicted lineup vs. Real Madrid (4-4-2): Ryan; Toljan, De la Fuente, Moreno, Sánchez; Álvarez, Arriaga, Martínez, Losada; Eyong, Romero.
Real Madrid vs. Levante Score Prediction
The return of so many key players for Los Blancos make Arbeloa’s men the favorites to walk away with three points at the weekend. The club will be more eager than ever to bounce back from their last two defeats, and Levante are standing in their way.
The 19th-place side has just three wins in 18 La Liga fixtures this season, and playing at the Bernabéu presents too large of a challenge to overcome for the newly promoted side, even against a floundering Real Madrid.
Prediction: Real Madrid 3–1 Levante
