La Liga Relegation Battle Heats Up | OneFootball

With the 2024–25 La Liga season entering its final stretch, the spotlight has shifted to the fierce fight for survival at the bottom of the table. Five clubs: Real Valladolid, Leganés, Espanyol, Las Palmas, and Alavés are locked in a tense relegation fight with little room for error. A solid performance in these last few matches could make all the difference. Every point matters, and the line between safety and the drop grows thinner by the week. Each club faces its own unique challenges, but a common thread runs clearly with them all: inconsistency, lack of cutting edge, and mounting pressure.

The Likely Clubs to Stay

Among the five teams currently in the relegation scrap, Alavés is likely be one of the teams to survive, with their attack lacking flair and their defensive organization remaining consistently solid. They’ve taken points off better sides through grit and tactical discipline and rarely get blown out. Their upcoming matches are manageable, and unlike their rivals, they don’t need to take unnecessary risks. Being able to stay compact and eke out results could prove decisive. They look the calmest under pressure, and in a chaotic relegation fight, that may be the biggest advantage of all.

Another team with a good chance of staying up is Las Palmas, whose season has had two distinct halves. Early on they looked solid with a compact, disciplined setup. But in recent months, and particularly on the road, their limitations have been exposed and exploited by better sides. Still, their tactical cohesion and ability to frustrate opponents remain strengths. Their six remaining fixtures include several bottom half teams, which helps. If they can rediscover the defensive structure that served them so well early in the season then they have a realistic path to safety. They must be resilient at home, and hope for nicking points in as many of the three road games they have left.

Unpredictable Force

Girona remain a wildcard. Their squad boasts quality and top flight experience, yet they’ve consistently shot themselves in the foot with poor defending and costly errors. When their attack clicks, they’re dangerous and capable of surprising stronger sides but those moments have been too rare. Their remaining six matches include two against other relegation-threatened teams. Winning at least one of these six-pointers in non-negotiable if they hope to survive. Their fate will depend on their ability to stabilize defensively and avoid panic under pressure. With the right adjustments, they could yet escape, but time is running out. Solid teamwork is indispensable for their survival.

Not Looking Good

Real Valladolid sit rock bottom, and barring a miracle, their return to the second tier seems inevitable. Their season has been plagued by both offensive inefficiency and defensive fragility. Despite brief flashes of fight, they’ve failed to string together results, especially in crucial matches against fellow strugglers. With upcoming fixtures against top-half sides that are still chasing European spots, their chances of a last-minute escape appear bleak. The points they failed to pick up earlier, particularly in head-to-heads, now haunt them with full force. A solid strategy is what they lack.

Just above them, Leganés face a similarly grim outlook. Though marginally better defensively, they’ve been toothless in attack. Injuries and tactical confusion have stifled any sort of rhythm, and without a reliable goalscorer, they’ve been unable to capitalize on promising spells. Their schedule does them no favors, featuring teams in far better form and with more to play for. Unless they can pull off back-to-back wins and something they haven’t done all season, they have big chances to follow Valladolid down.

Conclusion

Real Valladolid and Leganés have simply left themselves with too much to do in too little time. A return to the Seguna after one year is in their future. So the question is who will be the third to join them on the journey down? Girona, Alavés and Las Palmas are all in danger, but maybe Sevilla will have a poor run of form?

With six matches remaining, there is still so much that can happen. Every fixture from here on carries weight. A single upset, red card, or injury could swing momentum. But as things stand, the table is starting to take shape and for some, time has already run out.