La Liga Matchday 25 preview: A decisive weekend in the race for the top four  | OneFootball

We’re now almost two-thirds through the season, making every three points on offer even more valuable. In Matchday 25, there are some really important fixtures, especially in the race to qualify for European football next season.

Getafe are one of the clubs dreaming of a return to Europe, with fans hoping for the resurrection of EuroGeta, and they visit Villarreal on Friday night. With 35-year-old Jaime Mata back in goalscoring form, Los Azulones will travel east with confidence and optimism.

There are four fixtures on Saturday and the first of them is taking place in Spain’s capital, as Atletico Madrid host Las Palmas. Diego Simeone’s side have just suffered back-to-back 1-0 losses, one in the Copa del Rey and the other in La Liga, so they’ll hope to bounce back in front of their home fans. Las Palmas did defeat Atleti earlier this season, though, so Los Colchoneros can’t take anything for granted against one of the most impressive sides in the division.

Osasuna vs Cadiz follows and the Andalusian side will hope to finally end their winless run after having gone 20 matches without a league victory. There have been some positive signs under new coach Mauricio Pellegrino, but Cadiz desperately need a three-point haul to give themselves a chance of avoiding relegation.

At 18:30 CEST on Saturday’s it’s time for Celta vs Barcelona, a fixture that usually produces a lot of goals, and most of them for the Galician outfit. In the past eight meetings between these teams at Balaidos, there have been 4.25 goals per game on average, resulting in four Celta wins, three draws and just one Barca victory.

On Saturday night, a classic fixture of Spanish football will take place at Mestalla as Valencia and Sevilla face off under the floodlights. They have met 202 times in official competition over the years, with a fairly close split of 90 wins for Valencia and 76 for the Andalusians. Both squads will hope to tilt that head-to-head a little more in their favour this weekend.

Leaders Real Madrid are involved in the first of Sunday’s games, although they won’t have to travel far. Los Blancos make the short journey to take on Rayo Vallecano, whose run of just one point from five league games cost Francisco his job. The form book suggests this should be a comfortable fixture for Real Madrid, however they did lose in Vallecas last season.

It’s then time for a battle down at the bottom as 19th-placed Granada and 20th-placed UD Almeria meet on Sunday afternoon. There is still a third of the season to go, so more than enough time for either of these teams to escape the relegation zone, but they really need to win this direct duel to have a chance.

Following that it’s Mallorca vs Real Sociedad, with this league fixture coming in the middle of these two clubs’ two-legged Copa del Rey semi-final. It finished 0-0 when they met on the island in the cup at the beginning of February, but there could be a quite different approach to this league match.

On Sunday night, two other teams who have met in the Copa del Rey will face off, as Real Betis seek revenge for their cup elimination at the hands of Alaves. More than anything, Los Verdiblancos will want to put on a show for their fans and try to get back to winning ways at the Estadio Benito Villamarin, as they’ve only won one of their past six league matches in front of the green and white crowd.

The final game of Matchday 25 could end up being the most important, as Athletic Club and Girona meet on Monday night. The Catalan side just suffered a tough loss against Real Madrid last round, and some fans might start to look over their shoulders at the race to finish inside the top four. Girona currently have a 10-point cushion over fifth place, but the team chasing Champions League football is Athletic Club and the Basques could cut that gap this Monday. If Girona want to tighten their grip on what would be a first ever Champions League ticket, this Monday’s game is a big opportunity to do so.

Watch LALIGA on Viaplay, available in the UK on Sky, Virgin TV, Amazon Prime Video and via streaming.