Real Madrid overcame Real Sociedad by a 2-1 margin on Sunday night to go top of La Liga after Barcelona had dropped points earlier, following their 0-0 draw with Sevilla.
While the Premier League and Bundesliga were already a foregone conclusion, luckily for the fans of Spanish football, they will be treated to a dogged title race, wherein both Madrid and Barca will be exchanging blows to win the coveted prize.
This week’s round of fixtures will see Sevilla, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia all play tricky games against Villarreal, Levante, Athletic Bilbao and Eibar respectively. That and much more are in store for us in gameweek 31 of La Liga.
Villarreal vs Sevilla (Prediction: 1-2)
After beating Granada by a narrow 1-0 margin, the Yellow Submarine will welcome Sevilla to El Madrigal in the first game of this week’s round of matches, on Monday night.
Villarreal are in seventh place on the table, and a win could see them rise further in the standings, albeit temporarily. For Sevilla, it’s all about keeping the momentum going and ensuring that they finish in the top four to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Leganes vs Granada (Prediction: 0-1)
Leganes are 19th on the table after a 1-1 draw with fellow relegation strugglers Mallorca on Friday. On Monday night, they will play against Granada at the Butarque.
The visitors were narrowly edged out by Villarreal last week, but they will have a chance at redemption against the side who are most likely to say goodbye to La Liga at the end of the season. Granada are currently 10th and will hope to finish as high up the standings as possible.
Levante vs Atletico Madrid (Prediction: 0-2)
11th-placed Levante defeated Espanyol by a 3-1 scoreline lately, but they face a stern test at home in the form of Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night.
The visitors overcame Real Valladolid by a solitary goal, and as a consequence, they are now third in La Liga, level on points with fourth-placed Sevilla.
With the race for Champions League qualification heating up, Diego Simeone’s men can ill-afford any slip-ups against Levante.
Real Valladolid vs Getafe (Prediction: 1-1)
One of the surprise packages of La Liga this term, fifth-placed Getafe will look to keep their European dreams alive when they travel to Jose Zorrilla to face Real Valladolid on Tuesday night.
The visitors played out a 1-1 draw with Eibar last week, so winning here is must or they will lose ground on the teams above them. For Valladolid, who currently sit at 15th spot on the table, it’s all about finishing as far way as possible from the relegation places.
Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao (Prediction 2-0)
After dropping points against Sevilla, Barcelona will look to bounce back to winning ways against Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday night. The hosts cannot afford to drop any more points, as it would give Real Madrid an upper hand in the title race.
Bilbao, meanwhile, occupy the ninth spot on the table, and with European qualification out of reach currently, they will hope to finish the season on a high.
Alaves vs Osasuna (Prediction: 1-1)
After suffering an embarrassing 0-6 drubbing at the hands of Celta Vigo last week, Alaves will be hoping for better fortunes against Osasuna, who are level on points with the home side.
Osasuna were defeated by Valencia in their match, so both sides will have an extra motivation to get one over each other at the Mendizorraza on Wednesday night.
Real Madrid vs Mallorca (Prediction: 2-0)
The new league leaders will welcome Mallorca to the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano, in a bid to keep up pace with their eternal rivals, Barcelona. Real Madrid’s win against Sociedad took them level on points with Barca, and now every match will be crucial for both these sides’ title credentials.
The visitors, meanwhile, played out a 1-1 stalemate with fellow relegation strugglers Leganes, and as a consequence, Mallorca are now 18th on the table, three points away from safety. They won the reverse fixture earlier this year on their home turf, but picking up points against an in-form Real Madrid side is a daunting task.
Real Sociedad vs Celta Vigo (Prediction: 2-1)
After their latest defeat to Real Madrid, Real Sociedad fell down to sixth in the standings, level on points with Villarreal. Since La Liga resumed, the home side have suffered two defeats and a draw, which clearly isn’t helping their pursuit of European football next season.
Against Celta Vigo on Wednesday night, Real Sociedad will play alongside a team who have been equally inconsistent. Having picked up just one point from their previous two games, Celta’s big win against Alaves would give them confidence, however, their record on the road has been woeful. All in all, this has the makings of a classic encounter.
Eibar vs Valencia (Prediction:0-2)
Ahead of their home game against Valencia, Eibar are just three points ahead of relegation places, and in dire need of points to avoid the risk of getting the drop. Their adversaries of Thursday night, currently occupy the eighth spot on the table, courtesy of their latest win over Osasuna.
Eibar, meanwhile, played out a 1-1 draw with Getafe last week, and this is a must-win game for the hosts, given their La Liga future is at stake. For Valencia, it’s all about picking up as many points as possible and try to qualify for the Europa League next season.
Real Betis vs Espanyol (Prediction: 1-0)
Ever since La Liga resumed post the coronavirus-enforced break, Real Betis have only picked up one point in a 2-2 draw against Granada. They’ve lost the remaining two fixtures on the road.
But luckily, on gameweek 31, Betis are at home to Espanyol.
After their most recent defeat to Levante, Espanyol have fallen to 20th in the league standings and any indifferent result on Friday night could well be the final nail in the coffin for them.
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