Alvaro Arbeloa certainly didn’t imagine his start would be this difficult. Taking over a team of superstars and immediately crashing out of a domestic cup is the stuff of nightmares for any coach, let alone a club legend. Still, the squad remains incredibly talented, even if injuries have decimated the backline. With Trent Alexander-Arnold and Eder Militao sidelined, the defense has looked vulnerable, conceding three goals in each of their last two outings. It is hard to say how the Bernabéu crowd will react if they don’t see an immediate improvement. Can Arbeloa really turn things around with such a thin defensive rotation? That’s a bold question everyone is asking right now.

Statistically, the numbers still suggest that Real Madrid should dominate this encounter. At home, they have been a juggernaut, scoring an average of 2.33 goals per match and winning eight out of nine league games. Their ability to create chances is reflected in the 20.11 shots they average when playing in front of their own fans. Even with the current chaos, it is likely that players like Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham will find enough space to exploit a Levante defense that has struggled for most of the season. Get the Best LaLiga Predictions and you will see that while the mood is low, the firepower available to the hosts remains unmatched in most of European football.

Levante arrives in Madrid in 19th place, but don’t let that ranking fool you into thinking they are easy prey. Since Luis Castro took the reins in late December, the Frogs have shown a bit more backbone. They are currently on a three-game unbeaten streak, including a gritty draw against Espanyol and a surprising 3-0 victory over Sevilla. It seems Castro has found a way to make them more competitive. They average 1.3 goals on their travels, which isn’t world-class but might be enough to bother a Real Madrid defense that keeps leaking goals. Could they pull off another historic Bernabéu upset like they did back in 2021? It’s a long shot, but they’ll certainly try to catch Madrid napping.

The visitors generally struggle with discipline, committing 12.4 fouls per match on average. When you combine that with Real Madrid’s technical flair, it often leads to a high card count. History shows that these teams have a habit of producing high-scoring affairs, with recent meetings ending in 6-0 and 4-1 victories for Los Blancos. However, the current psychological state of the home side adds a layer of uncertainty. If they score early, the floodgates might open. If they struggle to break Levante down, the tension in the stadium will become palpable. Even so, the talent gap is massive, and anything less than a convincing home win would be seen as a total disaster for Arbeloa’s new project.