Osasuna vs Levante preview - Osasuna aim to lift pressure

Osasuna winger Miguel de Las Cuevas believes victory over Levante on Sunday could prove pivotal in his team's bid to kickstart their season.

The Navarrans began the Primera Division campaign with four defeats, but tasted victory for the first time by overcoming promoted Elche 2-1 last Friday.

They were then narrowly defeated by Atletico Madrid, and as a result occupy the penultimate position in the table.

But De Las Cuevas reckons taking three points against Joaquin Caparros' side will change everything.

"Once we get out of the relegation zone we will be like a different team," he said.

"The pressure to pick up points makes you play badly, so as soon as we get some more points, we will be relieved of that tension and we will start to play better.

"Even though we have started so badly, we are still alive, and if we win on Sunday we'll almost be in mid-table.

"We want points, points and more points."

History is on Osasuna's side in this fixture, having got the better of Levante on four of the five occasions they have met at El Sadar.

The Navarrans may also be experiencing a change in fortunes with regards to injuries, with De Las Cuevas set to return to the squad for Sunday's game, and Alvaro Cejudo returning to full training, although he is unlikely to feature against Levante.

De Las Cuevas declared he was ready to face Levante, and, when asked about the team's injury problems, replied: "It's better to have injuries now and then be able to forget about them for the rest of the season."

Levante full-back Pedro Lopez has also returned from injury, meaning Caparros has a full-strength side to choose from.

The Valencia side drew 1-1 with Real Valladolid on Tuesday but could have taken all three points.

Andreas Ivanschitz missed a penalty with the scores level and the team failed to capitalise on having an extra man on the field for the entire second half, after Valladolid left-back Zakarya Bergdich was sent off.