As we’re heading into the final few weeks of La Liga, Real Madrid continue to remain in the driving seat, on the back of their 2-0 win over Alaves on Friday night.
Trailing them in second place, Barcelona also won the Catalan derby by defeating Espanyol by 1-0 to keep the pressure on the league leaders.
Elsewhere, Mallorca defeated Levante by a 2-0 margin to give themselves a lifeline heading into the final stretch of fixtures.
Espanyol, who are already relegated, and Leganes both dropped points and are now staring down the barrel with just three rounds remaining before the end of the current campaign.
That being said, La Liga action resumes again over the weekend and there are plenty of must-win games for many teams in gameweek 36. So, without further ado, let’s quickly take a look at who plays whom in the upcoming round of fixtures in the Spanish top division.
Osasuna vs Celta Vigo (Prediction: 0-0)
Both Osasuna and Celta Vigo haven’t had the best of fortunes in recent weeks and the two are scheduled to face each other in gameweek 36 at El Sadar.
The hosts tasted a 0-3 defeat at the hands of Real Betis lately, and subsequently, Osasuna are in 11th on the La Liga standings.
Their opponents of this week, Celta played out a 1-1 stalemate with Atletico Madrid, thereby rising to 16th place.
This is a must-win game for the visitors, who will be desperate to pick up some points and ensure they remain as far away from the drop zone as possible.
Real Valladolid vs Barcelona (Prediction: 0-1)
Barcelona are already walking a tight-rope, being four points behind Real Madrid and can ill-afford any slip-ups between now and the end of the season.
After defeating Espanyol, the Blaugrana are on the road in gameweek 36 to face Real Valladolid at Jose Zorrilla.
The hosts come into this fixture after facing a narrow 1-2 defeat over to Valencia, and as a consequence, Valladolid are in 14th place on the table.
Taking into consideration the recent form of both teams, we expect Barca to win all three points.
Atletico Madrid vs Real Betis (Prediction: 2-1)
Los Rojiblancos have been in good form in recent weeks, having risen up to third in La Liga standings, and their next assignment is at home to Real Betis.
The visitors defeated Osasuna recently, and subsequently, they’ve moved up to 13th on the table. Betis have little more than pride to play for this season, while Atletico Madrid have it all to play for, given their Champions League qualification is at stake.
That being said, we expect Diego Simeone’s side to register a routine win over Real Betis.
Espanyol vs Eibar (Prediction: 0-1)
Already-relegated Espanyol remain rooted to the foot of the table after their recent defeat to Barcelona and will play in the Segunda Division for the first time in 27 years next season.
The Catalan side will welcome Eibar to Cornella-El Prat on Sunday evening in a game that is of paramount importance for the visitors.
Eibar are just four points above the drop zone and in order to prolong their stay in La Liga, they will have to win the game against Espanyol.
Levante vs Athletic Club (Prediction: 1-1)
In the battle of two mid-table sides, both Levante and Athletic Bilbao have little more than pride to salvage as we approach the end of La Liga 2019-20 season.
In gameweek 36, Levante will play hosts to the Basque side, who are five points ahead of the home team in 10th place.
Having tasted defeat against Mallorca lately, Paco Lopez’s side are still in 12th place, and they face another stern test this weekend.
Bilbao, meanwhile, were beaten by Sevilla by a 1-2 margin, and, therefore, we expect a stalemate when these two teams meet at the Estadio Camilo Cano.
Leganes vs Valencia (Prediction: 1-2)
Mathematically, Leganes can still avoid the drop, however, they will have to win all three of their remaining games this term, starting with the match against Valencia at Burtaque.
Having played out a 0-0 draw with Eibar in midweek, the home side are in 19th place, four points away from safety.
Valencia, meanwhile, got back to winning ways with a routine win over Valladolid and have risen to eighth in the La Liga table subsequently.
The onus will be on Leganes in this game, although anything apart from a win could be a big blow to their survival hopes.
Sevilla vs Mallorca (Prediction: 2-0)
Julen Lopetegui’s team are now level on points with Atletico Madrid but are still in fourth place on goal difference, after their recent win over Athletic Bilbao. Their next fixture is at home as they welcome relegation-threatened Mallorca to Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
The visitors’ recent win over Levante has given them a lifeline, although their fate is similar to that of Leganes, win all three of the remaining matches or risk getting relegated from La Liga.
That being said, Mallorca will have a hard time trying to overcome Sevilla who have been in good form lately.
Villarreal vs Real Sociedad (Prediction: 2-1)
Ever since La Liga resumed post the COVID-19-enforced break, the wind has been knocked out of Real Sociedad’s sails, as they are now struggling to keep their European ambitions alive.
After going down to Granada recently, they face another difficult trip to El Madrigal where Villarreal will be licking their lips, hoping to rise up from the fifth place.
Only six points separate these two teams, however, Sociedad are in seventh place on the standings and will have to grind it out against Villarreal, who defeated Getafe lately and boosted their hopes of qualifying for the Europa League next term.
Alaves vs Getafe (Prediction: 0-1)
Both Alaves and Getafe come into gameweek 36, having lost their most recent matches. The fact that Getafe still need a couple of wins to ensure their presence in next season’s Europa League should keep give them enough motivation to beat Alaves.
The home side will feel hard done by, having failed to take up their chances against Real Madrid, and they’re going to have another difficult night on Monday when Getafe come travelling to the Mendizorroza.
Granada vs Real Madrid (Prediction: 0-1)
Zinedine Zidane’s men have won all of their fixtures since the league resumed and need just two more wins from remaining three games to seal their first La Liga title since the 2016-17 campaign.
Standing in their way in gameweek 36 will be Granada, who are ninth on the table, on the back of their thrilling 3-2 win over Real Sociedad.
The home side will be expected to give a hard time to Real Madrid, but just like in the past few weeks, we expect Los Blancos to find a way past their opponents on Monday night to keep the momentum going.
Also Read: La Liga 2019-20: Results and Team of the Week | Gameweek 35