Fortress Orriols: Levante's Last Chance Saloon Is Their Own Ground
Levante are in serious trouble near the bottom of La Liga, but their home form and seven remaining Ciutat de Valencia fixtures could be their lifeline.
Levante are staring down the barrel. Seven points off safety and four straight defeats in, the Granotes desperately need something to cling onto — and right now, that something is the Ciutat de Valencia.
How Bad Has It Got?
Four consecutive losses have left Levante second-bottom on 18 points, and here’s the really worrying bit: one more defeat and they’ll match their worst run of the entire season. Back in November, five straight losses got Julián Calero the sack. Luís Castro will be very aware of that little bit of history.
- Position: 19th (penultimate)
- Points: 18
- Gap to safety: 7 points
- Matches remaining: 13
- Points still available: 39
So it’s not over. Not by a long chalk. But the margins are getting razor thin.
Home Is Where the Hope Is
Seven of those remaining 13 games are at home in Orriols, and that’s where Levante have to make their stand. The maths are actually quite straightforward — if they win all seven home games, they’d be knocking on the door of 40 points, which would almost certainly be enough to stay up in La Liga. Obviously, winning seven on the spin is easier said than done, but you’ve got to start somewhere, haven’t you?
The Ciutat de Valencia crowd can be a proper weapon when things are going well. Getting them onside, keeping the atmosphere electric — that’s the job now. This is the sort of situation where home advantage either counts for everything or absolutely nothing, and Levante need it to count.
March: A Glimmer of Light
February was a nightmare, but the fixture list for March looks a bit more manageable, if we’re being honest:
- Home vs Deportivo Alavés — fellow relegation battlers
- Home vs Girona — also struggling in the lower half
- Away vs Rayo Vallecano — tricky trip to Madrid
- Home vs Real Oviedo — currently bottom of the division
None of those are gimmes — nothing in the top flight ever is — but compared to what Levante have just been through, it’s a schedule that at least gives Castro’s side a fighting chance to pick up some proper points and drag themselves back into contention.
The Bottom Line
Levante’s survival is very much in their own hands, which is both reassuring and terrifying at the same time. The fans, the ground, the home fixtures — that’s their trump card. Use it or lose it, basically.