Crunch time for La Liga title race as contenders face off in crucial title deciders

We’re on the cusp of an unforgettable weekend in LaLiga Santander, a matchday with huge implications at the top in particular. Leaders Atlético de Madrid visit third-placed FC Barcelona on Saturday , followed by second-placed Real Madrid hosting fourth-placed Sevilla FC on Sunday. These six-pointers could prove crucial in determining the final standings in European football’s most competitive league.

Barçelona vs Atletico
The first of the blockbuster matches is Barça vs Atleti on Saturday afternoon. Diego Simeone’s side famously won the 2013/14 title at the Camp Nou on the final matchday of that season, but the Argentine coach is actually yet to win an individual match there.

Until their 1-0 win over the Blaugrana at the Wanda Metropolitano earlier this season, Simeone hadn’t actually beaten Barcelona at all in LaLiga Santander. Now, he’s looking to achieve a double, aware that anything but a victory would take control of the title race out of the capital city side’s hands.

It’ll be a fun match for so many reasons, with various intriguing individual match-ups. Lionel Messi will be taking on his close friend and long-time teammate Luis Suárez for the first time ever at club level, while Kieran Trippier and Jordi Alba’s battle down their flank could be one for the ages. Marc-André ter Stegen and Jan Oblak, two of Europe’s very best goalkeepers, could have a vital role to play as well.

Real Madrid vs Sevilla
No matter what the result is at the Camp Nou on Saturday, Real Madrid vs Sevilla FC on Sunday night will be another critical game in the title race. Sevilla’s Monday night loss to Athletic Bilbao means they’re now six points off top spot, but there’s still plenty to play for as the Andalusian side look to keep pace at the top and challenge for a spot in next year’s Spanish Super Cup.

Julen Lopetegui will have almost his entire squad available as he visits his former club, whereas Zinedine Zidane’s men may feel some tiredness after their midweek Champions League exploits. Sevilla haven’t won away at Los Blancos since 2008, but they’re having one of their best ever seasons and few would be surprised if they pulled of an upset in the Spanish capital.

Villarreal vs Celta Vigo
Villarreal come into this on the back of a Europa League semi-final second-leg goalless draw to progress 2-1 on aggregate against Arsenal. Unai Emery’s season had been very impressive before the turn of the year and then a two-month long spell of poor form had hampered them; they have come through that run now, though.

They come up against a Celta Vigo side that have been one of the best to watch since November due to an exciting style but inconsistency in results.The game could also be a battle between Spanish forwards Gerard Moreno and Iago Aspas – the top scoring Spanish strikers in LaLiga this season – one to watch. It was a huge 4-0 win to Villarreal when they visited Vigo earlier in the campaign, so Aspas and co. might be out for some revenge. Both teams to score looks a strong bet for this one.

Athletic Bilbao vs Osasuna
A 1-0 win away to Sevilla last weekend has given the Basque side an outside chance of securing a potential European qualification spot but that does remain quite unlikely with just four games of the season to go.

They come up against an Osasuna side that have pretty much established themselves in the top-flight after a remarkable second-half of the season following a run of no wins from mid-October to mid-January. A good bet for this mid-table clash could be low booking points as no team has collected fewer red cards than Athletic (1) whilst only five sides have collected fewer yellow cards than Osasuna.

Cadiz vs Huesca
The home team come into this on the back of a 1-0 win away to Granada last weekend to continue an impressive first season back in the top-flight following promotion from the Segunda. It has pretty much established their survival and they come up against a Huesca side looking to push for that same goal.

Their victory over Real Sociedad last weekend has given them a huge hope; they have performed well throughout the season but been relentlessly inefficient. This one will be tight and low-scoring so under 2.5 goals seems a solid bet for this one.

Deportivo Alaves vs Levante
Alaves come into this on the back of a 3-0 defeat away to Eibar which really halted some good momentum following four matches without a defeat including two wins against Huesca and Villarreal and draws against Athletic and Villarreal.

They come up against a Levante side continuing to go through the motions until the end of the season; since their Copa del Rey semi-final defeat to Athletic in March, they have won two and lost seven of their nine matches. Given that, the home team will come into this confident of victory.

Valencia vs Real Valladolid
Valencia come into this on the back of a 3-2 defeat at home to Barcelona that has extended their winless run to six matches. They remain in some sort of relegation danger but probably only need a point to ensure they remain in the top-flight.

They come up against a Real Valladolid side that could go down as draws are getting costly. They have now drawn their last four matches and seven of their last ten matches. Given that, another draw could be on the cards.

Real Betis vs Granada
Granada CF make the short trip west to Real Betis for Monday night’s Andalusian derby. There is a lot as stake given that Betis come into this weekend in the final European spot, in seventh on 51 points, while Granada are the closest of the challengers in eighth, six points back.

That should be fascinating as the two local rivals battle it out for the chance to explore Europe next season.

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