La Liga Table: Relegation Battle Will Provide Primary Drama Down the Stretch

Assuming a strike doesn't wipe out the remainder of La Liga's season—a Spanish court is expected to rule on whether such a strike is even legal, per BBC Sport—the Spanish Primera Division doesn't look as though it will offer a ton of drama down the stretch atop the table. 

Barcelona are three points away from clinching a title—while facing Atletico Madrid could be a detour on their quest to a title, it's hard to imagine the team failing to beat Deportivo in their final matchup—while Valencia need just one win or one Sevilla loss to wrap up the final Champions League spot. 

So this year, all of the drama in the final two games will come from the teams battling to avoid relegation. And boy, are there a few. 

First, let's take a look at the table: 

Place	Team	G	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Barcelona	36	29	3	4	107	19	88	90
2	Real Madrid	36	28	2	6	107	34	73	86
3	Atletico Madrid	36	23	8	5	67	28	39	77
4	Valencia	36	21	10	5	66	29	37	73
5	Sevilla	36	21	7	8	66	42	24	70
6	Villarreal	36	15	12	9	46	32	14	57
7	Malaga	36	14	8	14	39	43	-4	50
8	Athletic Bilbao	36	13	10	13	35	39	-4	49
9	Espanyol	36	13	10	13	44	44	0	49
10	Celta Vigo	36	12	11	13	43	41	2	47
11	Rayo Vallecano	36	14	4	18	42	63	-21	46
12	Real Sociedad	36	10	13	13	40	46	-6	43
13	Elche	36	11	7	18	33	59	-26	40
14	Levante	36	9	9	18	34	65	-31	36
15	Getafe	36	10	6	20	29	56	-27	36
16	Almeria	36	8	8	20	32	59	-27	32
17	Deportivo La Coruna	36	6	13	17	31	58	-27	31
18	Granada	36	6	13	17	26	64	-38	31
19	Eibar	36	8	7	21	30	54	-24	31
20	Cordoba	36	3	11	22	21	63	-42	20

Look at that pileup at the bottom of the table. While Levante and Getafe are probably safe at 36 points. four teams—Eibar, Granada, Deportivo and Almeria—are fighting for two remaining places in La Liga next year. 

If the race comes down to goal differential, Granada are obviously doomed, with the worst goal differential in the league outside of lowly Cordoba—although in Spain goal differential is the fourth tiebreaker (after head-to-head points, head-to-head goal differential and head-to-head goals scored). Meanwhile, Almeria are likely pleased to have a one-point cushion on their three competitors, which could come up huge down the stretch. 

However, the race will likely come down to which teams can survive tough fixtures. Let's break down the remaining fixtures for each team:

• Eibar: at Getafe, vs. Cordoba
• Granada: at Real Sociedad, vs. Atletico Madrid
• Deportivo: vs. Levante, at Barcelona
• Almeria: at Sevilla, vs. Valencia

Eibar, without question, has the easiest road to traverse. Both of those matches are quite winnable, and you could argue that failing to take three points at home against Cordoba would be unacceptable. Then again, the club had a very winnable contest against Espanyol and lost that one 2-0. Before that game, midfielder Jon Errasti spoke to Marca (via ESPN FC) about the urgency the club felt:

"

For some time now we have spoken about important games, but there are no more excuses. This is the time to win and to clinch points in order to remain in the Primera Division. We have done the numbers but our final three games need to be approached as if there was no tomorrow. These are the three most important games in the history of the club.

"

They didn't exactly get off to the best start in those three games, did they? Their final two contests, then, hold even more importance now that they dropped the ball against Espanyol.

Almeria needs some serious help. It seems unlikely they will beat either Sevilla or Valencia, and taking a point against either club will be a tall task, though Valencia won't have anything to play for on the final day of the season if Sevilla beats Almeria. That could be the saving grace for the club. 

One way or another, Almeria is one of the most interesting clubs in La Liga to watch down the stretch, as they'll not only factor in the relegation race, but also in the battle for the last Champions League placement. 

Of course, it's also possible at least two teams below them won't earn any points. Granada is unlikely to beat Atletico Madrid on the final day of the season, and Real Sociedad isn't an easy matchup, while Deportivo will lose to Barcelona. If Deportivo can beat Levante, however, things are going to get very, very interesting.  

With all of the teams clustered together at the bottom of the table, the final two games—if or when they are played—will be fascinating.