Storylines to Follow in La Liga This Weekend: Big Clash of Liga's in-Form Teams
A full week of action in La Liga has seen three rounds of fixtures for each side in the space of a week, with this coming weekend the final leg of that busy period.
We've taken a look at all of the games to come in Matchday 31 and identified where the key talking points are, which are the matchups to keep an eye on and how the league table could be affected as we move into the critical last stages of the season.
Here are our storylines to watch in Spain's top flight over the coming days.
Sevilla vs. Barcelona: Something's Gotta Give
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The undoubted eye-catcher of this weekend's fixtures is Sevilla versus Barcelona, which will see the league's two most in-form sides face off at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
Sevilla have won five in a row in La Liga, good enough to put them firmly in fifth place and on the fringes of the Champions League fight, ready to pounce if either Atletico Madrid or Valencia slip up. Barcelona, meanwhile, are on a run of nine straight wins in all competitions—six in the league—which has taken them four points clear at the top.
Someone has to suffer disappointment in their chase for key objectives, but the smart money might well be on a draw—which wouldn't be an awful result for either team.
Real Madrid Squad Players' Opportunity Through Suspension
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Real Madrid saw a number of their players booked during the midweek win over Rayo Vallecano and, as a result, will be missing some through suspension against Eibar on Saturday.
One of the more out-of-form teams around, despite their own midweek win, Eibar would probably be up there with Carlo Ancelotti's top picks of sides to face without the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos, all of whom are set to miss out—though the former has made an appeal against his card.
Isco comes in for James, Asier Illarramendi and Lucas Silva will probably battle for Kroos' spot, while the choice to replace Ronaldo depends on whether Ancelotti sticks with 4-3-3 or switches to the 4-4-2 that served Real so well in the second half of the Rayo win. If so, Javier Hernandez could get the nod to make a rare start over Jese, who might be the favoured option in a 4-3-3.
This weekend will be a big chance for those deputising to impress and be called upon more regularly as the season comes to its conclusion.
Four-Way Relegation Clash
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Every win is critical down at the bottom, and in a busy week of three matches for every team, Levante, Getafe and Eibar were the big winners after taking three points in one of their first two games.
It means things are looking bleak for Granada, three points adrift despite picking up a draw on Wednesday. Cordoba are more or less gone, sitting bottom and not yet on 20 points.
This weekend could see much change, though, as four of the bottom five teams play each other: Almeria (18th) face Granada (19th) on Saturday, and Cordoba (20th) host Elche (16th) the day after. Draws won't be good enough this time around, so each of those teams needs to not only pick up three points but also stop their rivals keeping things ticking over.
Is there a hero waiting to fire his team to safety?
The Hipster's Choice: Possession and Attack in Celta vs. Rayo
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If you're on the lookout for an entertaining match with quality players on show but away from star attractions and names, then you'd do well to tune in to Celta Vigo against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday evening.
Both teams are offensive minded, press from the front and love to get the ball down and attack quickly, and both have troubled the top two in the past week. Celta were the better side for a half against Barcelona, while Rayo did similar against Real Madrid. Both ended up losing, which makes taking three points this time around all the more attractive and required.
Without any kind of threat of relegation, and with both teams having a clear style in mind, this is a game in which they can express themselves, which should make for great viewing.
Third-Place Race: As You Were
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We've been correctly calling the twists and turns in the race for the third Champions League place over the past few weeks, with Atletico Madrid and Valencia taking turns to switch between third and fourth in La Liga.
This time, the prediction is that nothing changes whatsoever. Atletico Madrid have a tough game against Malaga, but one they can certainly win thanks to their resolute style of play and much greater incentive to take the points, while Valencia should take the points in the derby at home to Levante.
Neither are totally straightforward, and surprises could certainly happen in either game, but whatever goes on, expect Atleti to still be holding onto third come Monday night.
Basque Revival Back Underway
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Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao had been on good runs of late, both moving into the top half of the table after vastly improved results and consistency.
Bad news came for both recently, though, with defeat for La Real at Atleti in midweek, while Athletic lost to Sevilla and saw Iker Muniain ruled out for more than six months with knee ligament damage.
A severe blow it might be, but Athletic can bounce back with victory if they put in a strong showing against Espanyol, who have fallen away dramatically in the past month and look to be seeing out the season in cruise control. Athletic also rescued a late 1-1 draw at home against Valencia on Thursday night.
Real Sociedad, meanwhile, face relegation strugglers Deportivo La Coruna at home in another winnable game for David Moyes and his team.
