There are important fixtures in the title race, the hunt for a European spot and the relegation battle too, especially now that we’re into the final month of the season of the Spanish top division LALIGA EA Sports.
The first game of this matchday is a Madrid derby, as Rayo Vallecano and Getafe CF face off in Vallecas on Friday night. These two clubs enter this matchday in 11th and 12th position, respectively, but both maintain faint hope of qualifying for Europe, since the race to finish in the top eight is so tight.
Another Madrid team is in action in the first of Saturday’s four fixtures, as Atlético de Madrid pay a visit to Deportivo Alavés. It’ll be a return to Mendizorroza for Giuliano Simeone, who helped the Basques enjoy a strong end to last season, when he was on loan in Vitoria-Gasteiz, but he’ll be hoping to achieve an away victory this time around.
Villarreal CF vs CA Osasuna follows, a meeting of the teams currently in fifth and eighth. As such, both clubs are on course to meet their objectives for the season, of reaching the Champions League and Conference League, respectively, but there are 15 points still in play and both Marcelino and Vicente Moreno know there is no room for complacency.
The next game takes place in the Canary Islands, where UD Las Palmas will host Valencia CF. Los Amarilloscurrently sit in 18th, inside the relegation zone, but they have won two of their past three and are finding form at the right time. This will be viewed as a winnable game, although Valencia CF have been in good form of late too.
The final match on Saturday is a meeting of bottom-placed and already-relegated Real Valladolid, and league leaders FC Barcelona. These teams couldn’t be any further apart and they’ve had completely contrasting seasons, with Barçacurrently on 76 points and Real Valladolid on just 16. Plus, Barça thrashed Los Blanquivioletas 7-0 when they met earlier in the season. But, you never know what’ll happen in LALIGA EA SPORTS, so Los Azulgranas cannot be complacent when they arrive at the Estadio José Zorrilla.
No matter what result FC Barcelona achieve, Real Madrid need to take all three points from their own Matchday 34 fixture when they host RC Celta at 14:00 CEST on Sunday. The Galicians gave Real Madrid a scare when they visited the Bernabéu in the Copa del Rey earlier this season, forcing extra time before eventually losing 5-2, so this promises to be an interesting and entertaining match.
The next of Sunday’s fixtures is a truly massive one in the relegation battle, as 15th-placed Sevilla FC face off against 19th-placed CD Leganés. The Andalusian giants are slipping closer and closer to the relegation zone, and the return of Joaquín Caparrós hasn’t provided the spark they’d have hoped for, so the fans will flock to the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán aware that this is one of Sevilla FC’s most important fixtures of the season.
RCD Espanyol and Real Betis will lock horns in the next game of the day, with Real Betis looking to complete the double over the Catalan outfit after a late Giovani Lo Celso goal earned them the win the first time these clubs met this campaign. With Los Verdiblancos just one position behind the final Champions League spot, every point matters for Manuel Pellegrini’s men at this stage.
Sunday night then brings up another BASQUE DERBY between Real Sociedad and Athletic Club, the last one for La Real under Imanol Alguacil, who has announced he is leaving at the end of this season. The tactician has coached 14 total derbies against Athletic Club, with a record of seven wins, five losses and two draws. He has never lost a derby at home, and will hope to keep that proud record intact this Sunday night.
The final fixture of Matchday 34 then comes on Monday night, as Girona FC and RCD Mallorca face off at the Estadi Montilivi. These clubs are battling for very different objectives right now, with the Catalan club only a few points above the relegation zone and with the islanders very much in the mix for a European spot. With two determined teams going head to head, it should be an entertaining game to round off the fifth-last matchday of the season.
SOURCE: LALIGA CONTENTHUB
