Levante vs Mallorca: High-Stakes La Liga Showdown

Relegation six-pointers do not come much sharper than this. On 17 May 2026, Estadio Ciudad de Valencia stages a high‑stakes La Liga showdown as 19th‑placed Levante host 18th‑placed Mallorca in Round 37. Both sides sit on 39 points, both currently in the relegation places, and both know this is effectively a survival play-off with just two games left.

With only goal difference separating them (Levante -15, Mallorca -11), the margins are brutally fine. A home win would drag Levante above Mallorca and potentially out of the bottom three depending on other results; an away victory would give Mallorca a decisive edge and leave Levante needing a final‑day miracle.

Form, momentum and home/away split

In the league, Levante’s overall record (10 wins, 9 draws, 17 defeats, 44 scored, 59 conceded) is almost a mirror of Mallorca’s (10‑9‑17, 44 scored, 55 conceded). The differences lie in how they arrive at this fixture.

Levante’s recent form reads “WWLDW” – three wins from their last five in the league. That late surge has kept them alive and hints at a side belatedly finding solutions. At home, they have been competitive: 6 wins, 5 draws, 7 defeats from 18, scoring 24 and conceding 28. They average 1.3 goals for and 1.6 against per home game, and have kept 4 clean sheets at Estadio Ciudad de Valencia. They have failed to score in 5 of those 18 home matches, so they usually offer some attacking threat in front of their own crowd.

Mallorca’s trajectory is more troubling. Their league form line “LDWLD” shows just one win in five, and their away record is a major concern: 2 wins, 3 draws, 13 defeats from 18, with only 16 goals scored and 34 conceded. They average just 0.9 goals for and 1.9 against away from Palma, and have failed to score in 6 of their 18 away games. Only 2 clean sheets on the road underline how fragile they have been when travelling.

Across all phases this season, Mallorca’s biggest away win has been 1-3, but they have also suffered repeated 3-0 away defeats. Levante, by contrast, have shown they can be explosive at home with a best home win of 4-2, though their heaviest home loss (1-4) shows how exposed they can be when the balance tips.

Tactical shapes and likely game plans

The data suggests a clash of similar base systems. Levante’s most-used formations are 4‑2‑3‑1 (11 matches) and 4‑4‑2 (10), with some use of 4‑1‑4‑1 (8). That points to a side comfortable alternating between a double‑pivot with a No.10 and a more orthodox two‑striker setup depending on opponent and game state. At home, with survival on the line, a 4‑2‑3‑1 morphing into a 4‑4‑2 in possession feels likely: two holding midfielders to protect a defence that concedes 1.6 per home match, plus width and a central creator to feed the front line.

Mallorca are even more wedded to 4‑2‑3‑1, using it in 20 matches. They have also tried 4‑3‑1‑2 (7) and 5‑3‑2 (4), giving them flexibility to add a third central midfielder or an extra centre‑back. Given their away frailties, a more conservative variant – possibly 4‑2‑3‑1 with a deeper No.10 or even a back five phase out of possession – is plausible. However, with the table so tight, they cannot simply sit in for a point; they need to carry enough attacking threat to exploit Levante’s defensive issues.

Both teams are combative. Levante’s yellow cards are spread fairly evenly across the match, peaking late (76‑90 minutes: 16 yellows). Mallorca’s bookings spike just after half-time (46‑60 minutes: 17 yellows). With so much at stake, discipline will be crucial; both sides also have red cards in multiple time ranges this season, so a dismissal is a real risk.

Key players and penalty dynamics

The standout individual in this fixture is Mallorca’s centre‑forward Vedat Muriqi. In the league this season he has 22 goals and 1 assist in 35 appearances, with a strong overall rating of 7.09. He has taken 86 shots, 47 on target, and is a classic focal point: 194cm tall, 92kg, winning 219 of 425 duels. He draws a huge number of fouls (61), making him central both in open play and at set pieces.

From the spot, Muriqi has scored 5 penalties but also missed 2, so his record is productive but not flawless. Mallorca as a team have converted all 5 penalties they have been awarded in the league (5 scored, 0 missed), but Muriqi’s individual numbers show that not every attempt has gone in. In a match where a single penalty could decide survival, that nuance matters.

Levante’s season data does not list individual scorers, but as a team they have scored 44 goals at an average of 1.2 per game across all phases, with a best home haul of 4 in a single match. They have converted 2 penalties from 2 in the league, with no misses. Without a headline striker in the statistics provided, Levante’s threat is likely more distributed across their attacking midfielders and forwards, which can make them less predictable but also leaves them without a guaranteed reference point like Muriqi.

Absences and squad depth

Both squads are stretched by absences, but Mallorca’s list is particularly heavy in key areas.

Levante are without C. Alvarez (injury), U. Elgezabal (knee injury), A. Primo (shoulder injury) and U. Vencedor (coach’s decision). That removes options in defence and midfield rotation, but there is no indication of a single irreplaceable star missing.

Mallorca’s problems are more structural. L. Bergstrom, M. Joseph, J. Kalumba, M. Kumbulla, A. Raillo and J. Salas are all out through various injuries, while O. Mascarell is suspended due to yellow cards. Losing Raillo and Kumbulla hits the heart of their defence, and Mascarell’s suspension weakens their midfield screen. For a team already conceding 1.9 goals per away match, being without key defensive and holding figures could be decisive.

Depth will be tested. Mallorca may have to rely on less experienced defenders and adjust their shape to protect them, perhaps dropping the full-backs deeper or keeping an extra midfielder in front of the back line. Levante, with a shorter but less spine‑heavy injury list, might be able to field something closer to their strongest XI.

Head‑to‑head: recent competitive meetings

Ignoring the 2020 club friendly, the last four competitive meetings between these sides show a finely balanced rivalry:

• 26 October 2025 (La Liga, Estadi Mallorca Son Moix): Mallorca 1-1 Levante – draw.
• 8 January 2022 (La Liga, Estadio Ciudad de Valencia): Levante 2-0 Mallorca – Levante home win.
• 2 October 2021 (La Liga, Iberostar Estadi): Mallorca 1-0 Levante – Mallorca home win.
• 9 July 2020 (La Liga, Iberostar Estadi): Mallorca 2-0 Levante – Mallorca home win.

In those four La Liga matches, Mallorca have 2 wins, Levante 1, and 1 draw. At Estadio Ciudad de Valencia specifically, the most recent league meeting ended 2-0 to Levante in January 2022, a result the hosts will draw confidence from.

The verdict

The numbers pull in different directions. Mallorca possess the outstanding individual in Muriqi and have a marginally better goal difference over the season, but their away record is poor and they arrive with significant defensive and midfield absences. Levante, meanwhile, have the stronger recent form, a solid if unspectacular home record, and a cleaner bill of health in key positions.

Tactically, Levante’s 4‑2‑3‑1/4‑4‑2 hybrid should look to press Mallorca’s makeshift back line, attack wide areas and keep the tempo high, knowing the visitors concede heavily away and are vulnerable when stretched. Mallorca will likely build around early service into Muriqi, set pieces and transitions, hoping his aerial presence and penalty‑box instincts can tilt the match.

Given the context – identical points, Mallorca’s away frailty, their defensive absentees, and Levante’s recent uptick – the balance of probability leans slightly towards the hosts avoiding defeat. A tight, nervy game with goals at both ends feels likely, but Levante’s home edge and Mallorca’s weakened spine suggest the hosts are marginal favourites to take a result that could reshape the relegation battle going into the final day.