Real look to seal Spanish title ahead of Man.city showdown
MADRID: Real Madrid could be confirmed as La Liga champions for the 2021-22 season this weekend with four games still to play.
The 34th round of matches in Spain has several other key matches in the batle for European places and also to avoid relegation, but most atention will be on the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium where a point for Real Madrid against Espanyol will seal them this season’s title.
Madrid go into the game with half an eye on the return leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final against Manchester City next week, ater surviving a batering from the Premier League leaders to emerge with just a 4-3 defeat in the first leg on Tuesday.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Anceloti can be expected to rest key players in advance of Wednesday’s return leg, but he should still have more than enough to assure the title against a rival that has lost its last two games and has litle to play for, Xinhua reports. The round of matches kicks off on Friday night with a big game for both ends of the table, as third-placed Sevilla entertain fourth from botom Cadiz, who are just a point above the relegation zone.
Sevilla are level on points with FC Barcelona and have two more than fourth-placed Atletico Madrid in the race to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Europe and relegation are both in play in Saturday’s opening game which sees seventhplaced Villarreal travel to botom side Alaves, who currently sit six points behind Cadiz.
Alaves need striker Joselu to keep scoring in order to keep their slim hopes of survival intact, while Villarreal coach Unai Emery will also rest key players as he looks to his side’s Champions
League semifinal return leg on Tuesday, where they need to overturn a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool.
Villarreal can’t afford to take their eye off the ball entirely in La Liga, however, as they have a four-point cushion over eighth-placed Athletic Bilbao, who take on Atletico Madrid on Saturday night.
Atletico travel without central defender Stefan Savic, which Athletic’s preparations are not helped by speculation over the club’s forthcoming presidential elections. Saturday also sees a derby between last weekend’s defeated Copa del Rey finalists Valencia and Levante, who go into the game six points from safety.
Consecutive wins have given Elche an eightpoint cushion over the botom three and Francisco Rodriguez’s side are probably one win away from securing their La Liga status for another year, and they will hope to get those points against mid-table Osasuna on Sunday.