Levante will need to push ahead in search of a goal if they wish to take anything from the match, though it hasn’t been an exceptionally promising first half from the hosts going forward. Perhaps the introduction of De Frutos on the wing or a change in full-back will give them some much-needed burst as they attack the Real Madrid flanks. For their part, the visitors seem quite comfortable, though they have a wealth of options to choose from should they need to dominate possession further, with both Odegaard and Isco ready for their chance.
Zinedine Zidane can be pleased with his side’s first-half performance, as Real Madrid head into the tunnel up 1-0 thanks to a Vinicius curling effort following a corner-kick. The visitors looked comfortable even before the lead, despite a somewhat close possession statistic. Levante’s sole effort of any danger was sent crashing off the bar by Vukcevic, also from a corner. There has been a lack of cutting edge all around in the match but Madrid certainly look poised to add to their total in the second half should Levante not change things.
45' + 2' HALF-TIME: LEVANTE 0-1 REAL MADRID.
45' The fourth official indicates one minute will be added to the first half for stoppages.
44' A Levante corner is taken short and then centred to Miramon, only for the left-back to send his shot high and wide unconvincingly.
42' Asensio looks to turn the corner and sprint down the right touchline, but Clerc is forced to bring him down and give away a free-kick near the midfield line. The full-back avoids a card, but it’s a cynical challenge.
40' Real Madrid are unbeaten in their last 14 LaLiga games (W12 D2), their best streak since February 2020, when their defeat to Levante ended a run of 15 games without a loss in the competition.
38' Nacho and Valverde link up well down the right, but the final pass into space for Asensio is poor as Ruben Vezo is able to get to the ball first and win back possession.
36' JUST OVER! Casemiro receives a pass from Asensio and lifts a delightful cross to the far post for Benzema, who lifts it up and over the crossbar from an acute angle.
35' Modric floats a corner into the penalty area, but a coming-together in the middle of the penalty area leaves Madrid a man down to attack the aerial ball - allowing Levante to clear.
33' Straight after the chance, Real Madrid storm down towards the other end and win a corner of their own, but it comes to nothing as Varane nods it wide of the target.
31' OFF THE CROSSBAR! The second delivery is much better as it’s aimed to the far post for Vukcevic. The midfielder beats Nacho for strength on his way up, but sends his effort clattering off the frame of the goal!
29' Campana takes a Levante corner, but it clatters off the first man and comes back to him. A second effort is hoisted in, only to be repelled and sent out for another set-piece.
27' Levante are enjoying a spell of possession in Real Madrid’s half, but they aren’t looking likely to penetrate. After a quick bit of ball movement, a pass is chipped over for Marti, but he’s unable to beat Mendy to it as the left-back shields it out of play.
25' After nine consecutive defeats against Real Madrid between February 2012 and March 2016 in LaLiga, Levante have only lost two of their last six matches against them in the competition (W2 D2).
23' A great attack down the left comes to nothing as Vinicius’ final ball across the face of goal went unmet. A tackle high up the pitch from Nacho looks promising, but the follow-through only sends it into the arms of the goalkeeper.
21' Modric’s corner sails over the waiting heads in the penalty area to the far side for Vinicius, who collects it and fires back into the penalty area - only for the keeper to collect.
19' It’s been an ideal opening 20 minutes for Real Madrid, who have controlled the flow of the match and found the breakthrough. The goal will definitely force the hosts to come forward in search of an equaliser at some point, which should leave gaps at the back and open up the match.
17' Levante look to hit immediately with a ball played over the top for Morales, but the striker finds himself in an offside position, which the linesman notices immediately.
14' Courtois is forced to play the ball to the edge of his penalty area with his feet after receiving a pass and finding little in the way of options. A weak pass through the heart of midfield allows Levante a chance to pounce, but the Madrid defence collapses on it well.
12' A promising Real Madrid attack is brought to an abrupt halt by the referee, who deems that Benzema used his arm to control a bouncing pass on the edge of the Levante area, allowing the hosts to clear their lines from a free-kick.
10' Real Madrid are in control of the match as they search for a way through the bodies camped within Levante’s 18-yard box. Both Nacho and Mendy are pushed high up the pitch as auxiliary wingers, though it’s come to little in the opening 10 minutes.
7' A delightful ball is played through the defence by Modric for Asensio, but the forward is unable to get his shot at goal from a tight angle, giving Fernandez a goal-kick.
3' An early corner is won by Modric, who opts to take it himself. It’s a poor effort though from the midfielder, who fails to beat the first man in the first set-piece of the match.
1' Real Madrid get the match underway from the kick-off!
Levante make four alterations from their 1-0 loss against Sevilla three days ago. Tono and Son are dropped to the bench as Miramon and Clerc are tasked with playing in the full-back roles. Malsa is in for Radoja in midfield and in attack, Melero is dropped for Marti; who partners captain Morales.
Real Madrid make four changes from their 1-0 win over Real Valladolid last time out. The full-backs are both changed as Nacho and Mendy replace Alvaro Odriozola and Marcelo respectively, while Jovic and Isco make way for Asensio and Vinicius in attack.
REAL MADRID SUBS: Andriy Lunin, Rodrygo, Marcelo, Diego Altube, Victor Chust, Luka Jovic, Lucas Vazquez, Isco, Martin Odegaard.
REAL MADRID XI (4-3-3): Thibaut Courtois; Nacho, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Ferland Mendy; Federico Valverde, Casemiro, Luka Modric; Marco Asensio, Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior.
LEVANTE SUBS: Dani Gomez, Son, Coke, Jorge De Frutos, Koke Vegas, Gonzalo Melero, Rober Pier, Tono, Nemanja Radoja, Daniel Cardenas, Oscar Duarte.
LEVANTE XI (4-4-2): Aitor Fernandez; Jorge Miramon, Ruben Vezo, Sergio Postigo, Carlos Clerc; Jose Campana, Nikola Vukcevic, Mickael Malsa, Enis Bardhi; Roger, Jose Luis Morales.
With 15 minutes to go before kick-off, let's look at how the two sides will line up, starting with Levante!
Real Madrid seem to have found their rhythm after a slow opening to the campaign, beating Betis and Valladolid after a first-day draw with Real Sociedad. A win for Los Blancos in this match would extend their LaLiga unbeaten run to 15 and take them top of the table with a match in hand over their nearest rivals.
Levante haven’t started their fourth consecutive LaLiga season particularly well, losing twice in three matches which leaves them in the relegation zone. Coming off the back of a last-second loss to Sevilla in their previous match, the hosts will be looking to buoy their confidence and mirror their performance in this fixture last year, when they beat Madrid 1-0.
Hello and welcome to our LIVE commentary of the LaLiga fixture between Levante and Real Madrid!