With the race for the title fully underway between the famous old foes of Real Madrid and Barcelona also this season the inclusion of Atletico Madrid, you could be forgiven to not be aware of what is going on at the other end of the table in the fight for survival.
With only 5 games to go now is defiantly the time to get some much needed points on the board in an attempt to make the final push so that you can call yourself a player/supporter/owner of a top flight Spanish club!
Let’s take a look at the remaining games in attempt to see who has the upper hand and who is for the chop.
Currently rock bottom of the pack is Real Betis, having a nightmare of a season who last time out went down 2-0 at home to local rivals Sevilla and look dead and buried. Last year they finished 7th and won a place in the Europa League, this is getting some of the blame for this year’s terrible form and are certain to go down. With only 15pts available and a meagre 5 wins all season long, many Betfair punters would agree it would take a huge effort for the green and whites to get out of trouble, they do however have the easiest run in (on paper anyway), they do play 4 clubs in the relegation fight but sadly too little too late will be the cry.
Next up is my local club UD Almeria, having won promotion through the play offs last season they have struggled this term mainly due to the fact they can compete financially, this is highlighted by the 7 loan players they have in the squad this year. They have some fantastic talent coming through the ranks but a few years off for it to make any difference this season. Almeria have only picked up 5 pts from the last 30 available to which nobody can argue is relegation form, they have 3 home games to try and salvage something as on the road they will not find much joy.
Celta Vigo (H), Espanyol (A), Betis (H), Granada (A), Atletic Bilbao (H) – Sadly I think they will only get 4pts from the remaining games and say farewell to the top flight.
Currently occupying the final relegation spot is Getafe CF another side that has failed to find goals this year only getting on the score sheet on 29 times in 33 games. Now I don’t care what league you play in, if you don’t score you’re not going to win and even worse when you can keep a clean sheet. A 10 year span in the top flight is coming to an end as I can’t see them getting out of the mire here, it is only a couple of years since they were quarter finalists in the UEFA Cup but this year might just be too much for the side in the Madrid suburbs.
Levante(H), Malaga(A), Barcelona (H), Sevilla (A), Rayo Vallecano (H) – The home games against Levante and Rayo Vallecano should be marked as wins but the other games I struggle to see where they can make an impact.
In 17th spot is Real Valladolid, the main problem this year for Valladolid has been the inability to turn draws into wins. They have the highest amount of drawn games in the league with 14, if they had of been able to etch out only a couple of victories they would be in a much healthier situation. I think with 5pts from the remaining games should see them fight for another season in the top division.
Celta Vigo (A), Espanyol(H), Real Madrid(H), Betis(A), Granada(H) – A victory at home on the final day after draws at Celta Vigo and Betis should be the tonic for Valladolid.
Osasuna in 16th and 3pts ahead of Getafe should have enough about them to add some more points to the tally and get them into a position that won’t have fans and players alike sweating on the final day. Not getting above 12th at any point through the season will be disappointing to the backroom staff in Pamplona as they had hopes of a fair campaign but with March being a month they will look to forget as they only took 1 point from 18 they can now look to the final few games and do enough to keep them in the mix for next season.
Valencia (H), Real Madrid (A), Celta Vigo (H), Espanyol (A), Betis (H) – Home wins against Celta Vigo and Real Betis will keep the Little Red Ones alive and kicking.
Finally there is Elche from the Alicante Province! Promoted as Champions of the Segunda division last year but have struggled to make the step up in class, but with solid coaching have always came up with a win when needed. I take an interest in Elche as they have a young English lad coming through from the reserves, Charlie Dean L’anson left sided defender has started twice this season and hasn’t looked out of place. Keep an eye out for him. 4 points from the remaining games will be enough for Elche and another season in the top tier!
Atletico Madrid (A), Levante (H), Malaga (A), Barcelona(H), Sevilla (A) – A Madrid, Barca and Sevilla might be a bit much for Elche but I think they can go to Malaga and grab a point after a home win against Levante.
Hopefully there will be some twists and turns in the final few games to make things even more exciting but I can’t see past Real Betis, UD Almeria and Getafe CF fighting to try and get back up next season.
Saludos from the Sun!
Lee Rickard-Graham
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andym
Founder and chief editor of La Liga Blog, Andy fell in love with Spanish football after a university placement year in the Costa Del Sol. His favourite Tapas is Albondigas and on Saturday afternoons, Andy can regularly be found trying to emulate his hero Carles Puyol for his amateur football team.