Villarreal vs Levante preview - Soriano eyeing Europe

Villarreal captain Bruno Soriano is desperate to beat neighbours Levante so that his team stand a chance of qualifying automatically for the Europa League.

The Yellow Submarine trail fifth-placed Sevilla by four points and anything other than a win on Saturday could see Unai Emery's side gain an unassailable advantage, with just five games left of the season after this weekend.

Villarreal have a secure hold on seventh spot in the Primera Division, eight points ahead of Valencia and set for a Europa League spot, but Bruno is keen to avoid the play-offs to ensure his club does not have a congested fixture list at the start of next season.

"As well as the three points, a win would take us one step closer to the objective we have set ourselves, which is to fight for an automatic spot in European competition, and that is what we are preparing the game for," he told a press conference.

"We know that it's a very important game, because of the situation we are in and the team we are facing. Levante have always made things difficult for us and we have always had to give something extra to beat them.

"We know that they will go out to play according to their abilities and that we will have to take the initiative."

Bruno is also keen for Villarreal to put right their dismal form at El Madrigal, where they have not won since the start of February.

"We need to be more concentrated than ever and end this poor run of results at home," he said.

"That's why we've been spending all week working on our tactics and preparing to play to our strengths to beat Levante.

"Fortunately, in recent weeks we've returned to playing how we were at the start of the season.

"After a few weeks in which things didn't go well for us we've started to show the attitude that characterises our style, and we've also regained confidence in our style of play.

"It's vital we maintain this dynamic so we can get good results and reach the objective we've set ourselves."

Villarreal coach Marcelino is boosted by the return of centre-back Mateo Mussacchio, who has recovered from a foot injury, and forward Giovani dos Santos, back from a muscle tear.

Jaume Costa was suspended for the 1-0 defeat at Atletico but is available to face Joaquin Caparros' side, while Oliver Torres, prevented from playing against Atleti due to the terms of his loan deal, also returns to action.

However, Nigerian striker Ikechukwu Uche has not made the squad, failing to recover from injury in time, while David Barral is suspended for Levante after getting sent off in the 2-1 defeat at Athletic Bilbao last weekend.