After a break of three months, La Liga finally resumed last week and what an enticing round of fixtures we had!
Both Barcelona and Real Madrid won, while Atletico Madrid and Valencia dropped points to compile further misery on themselves.
At the foot of the table, Espanyol registered a 2-0victory over Alaves, which makes things interesting heading into the next round of fixtures.
Teams in La Liga will play matches every three to four days, and so, gameweek 29 will kick off in mid-week, headlined by the clash between Real Madrid and Valencia.
So without further ado, let’s see what’s in store for us in gameweek 29 of La Liga:
Real Madrid vs Valencia (Prediction: 2-1)
Los Blancos will host Los Che in the marquee fixture of the gameweek, and will look to keep up pace with league leaders Barcelona.
Zinedine Zidane’s men overcame Eibar 3-1 but will be disappointed by their second-half performance on Sunday.
Valencia were held at home by Levante earlier on Saturday, and the visitors will be hoping to fare better on Thursday when they travel to the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano.
Levante vs Sevilla (Prediction: 0-2)
Julen Lopetegui’s men are poised to play in the Champions League next season, and in order to keep their European dreams alive, Sevilla will travel to Cuidad de Valencia on Monday night, having their sights set on grabbing all three points against Levante.
The hosts completed a late comeback last week and were able to snatch a point against Valencia, but Levante will have to raise their game if they want to climb up from the 12th spot.
Barcelona vs Leganes (Prediction: 3-0)
After a 4-0 rout of Mallorca, Barcelona will try to keep the momentum going when they host Leganes on Tuesday.
Any potential slip-ups could be costly for Quique Setien’s men, who will take heart from last week’s brilliant performance.
The visitors were beaten by Real Valladolid lately, and time is running out for Leganes, who remain second-last on the table. Leganes need to start picking up points to avoid relegation, but few would fancy them to upset Barca this week.
Real Betis vs Granada (Prediction: 1-1)
After a frustrating 2-0 derby defeat at the hands of Sevilla, Real Betis will hope to bounce back against a high-flying Granada side, who are currently ninth on the standings.
The hosts, meanwhile, are in 13th spot, and in dire need of points. Seven of their eight wins this season have come at the Benito Villamarin, so they can hope for a good outing this week at their fortress.
Getafe vs Espanyol (Prediction: 2-0)
Two teams on completely opposite spectrums when it comes to the standings will face each other on Tuesday. Getafe, this season’s surprise package in La Liga, will welcome Espanyol to the Coliseum Alfonso Perez.
The hosts suffered a minor setback last weekend at the hands of Granada. With Champions League qualification at stake, Getafe can ill-afford any more slip-ups. Espanyol, meanwhile, will look to spoil the party and take home as many points as possible.
Villareal vs Mallorca (Prediction: 2-0)
The Yellow Submarine overcame Celta Vigo away from home last week, and in gameweek 29, they will host 18th-placed Mallorca at El Madrigal on Tuesday night.
Villareal are eighth on the table, and will fancy their chances against Los Bermellones, who are struggling to stay up in La Liga. This should be a straightforward win for the hosts.
Real Valladolid vs Celta Vigo (Prediction: 1-1)
After 28 matches, Real Valladolid are 14th on the table, while Celta are 17th. Both teams need points to rise up, however, scoring goals has been the Achilles’ heel for the pair.
Celta will visit the Jose Zorrilla on Wednesday night, to face the Ronaldo-Nazario owned outfit. However, this game is expected to be anything but a goal-fest.
Eibar vs Athletic Bilbao (Prediction: 2-1)
Eibar gave a good account of themselves against Real Madrid last weekend and will be hoping to pick up some much-needed points against 10th-placed Athletic Bilbao.
The Basque side were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Atletico Madrid on Sunday, and they will be in for another stern test at the Ipurua Municipal Stadium on Wednesday. Given Eibar’s strong home record and Bilbao’s struggles on the road, the home side will fancy their chances of picking up the full three points.
Osasuna vs Atletico Madrid (Prediction: 1-2)
The season just keeps getting worse for Atletico. Qualifying to the Champions League next season looks increasingly difficult, but Diego Simeone isn’t one to give up easily. The Argentine coach will be gunning for a positive result on Wednesday night when Los Rojibalncos travel to El Sadar.
Mid-table Osasuna snatched a point off Real Sociedad last week and it’s obvious that they are bound to give Atletico a few headaches art home.
Alaves vs Real Sociedad (Prediction: 1-1)
Real Sociedad will play Alaves in gameweek 29 of La Liga, hoping to keep their European dream alive. La Real are fourth on the table, but Getafe and Atletico are breathing down their neck.
Alaves, meanwhile, are 15th and still need to bag a couple of wins as an insurance policy. This could be a feisty affair at the Mendizorroza.
All stats courtesy: La Liga.com