Levante take on the visitors Albacete in the second leg of Spanish LaLiga2 promotional playoffs semifinals. The match will be played on Wednesday, June 7th at Estadi Ciutat de València (Valencia).
Levante reached their peak in the past decade when they achieved their best-ever 6th place finish in La Liga. They even made it to the quarter-finals of the Europa League in the following cycle. However, this team has been relegated to the Segunda Division several times. The same thing happened a year ago when multiple coaching changes didn't yield positive results, and they ended up in the 19th position, leading to relegation to the Spanish second division. There, once again, a change in the coaching staff took place, and overall, there was some improvement under Calleja. However, Levante's performance was far from ideal, and even in May, they couldn't score in two consecutive matches, earning only 1 point. This ultimately resulted in them finishing 3rd, despite winning their last two matches. Interestingly, they lost out to Las Palmas on additional criteria, both teams finishing with 70 points. It's worth noting that their head-to-head meetings ended in draws, 1-1 and 0-0. Could the value of a home conceded goal be reflected here? Nevertheless, as the playoffs are underway, the favorite is confirming their status, having secured a determined 3-1 victory away.
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In the 1990s, Albacete had a decent form and even made appearances in La Liga at the beginning of the new century. However, this modest team has mostly been bouncing between the second and third divisions lately. Moreover, just a year ago, they experienced another promotion, albeit barely: they only finished 3rd in their group, but managed to make it through the playoffs and win. As a newcomer to the Segunda Division, they pleasantly surprised their fans and experts alike. Instead of fighting for survival as predicted, the team had a good season, which was crowned by an unbeaten streak at the end, consisting of 4 wins and 3 draws in their last 7 matches. As a result, they secured 6th place with a comfortable lead over their pursuers - Andorra and Oviedo, who were 8 points behind. It seemed like they had enough time to prepare for the playoff matches. However, despite opening the scoring in the 18th minute, they ended up losing 1-3.
Prior to this season, the teams last faced each other in the Copa del Rey back in 2014, and the matches ended in draws. After a long break, Levante won a shootout against Albacete away from home within the framework of the regular Segunda Division tournament, but the home match ended in a goalless draw. It seems that even the visitors don't believe in a happy ending in this clash. The Frogs are much stronger, playing at home with a significant advantage. We believe they will win the return leg as well.
Prediction for the match: Levante to win.
