Madrid: The Spanish La Liga has no time for a pause as this week sees the 36th round of matches, with plenty still to play for and three games on Tuesday night.
Real Sociedad will be first into action with a home game against an Almeria side that needs one win to assure its top-flight survival for another season.
Their win in Camp Nou against FC Barcelona on Saturday leaves Real Sociedad fourth in the table, five points clear of fifth place Villarreal, and another three points would leave them on the verge of assuring a Champions League place.
David Silva is a doubt for Real Sociedad with a muscle problem, while Almeria striker Lazaro Vinicius should have recovered from fatigue after scoring a hat-trick in his side’s vital 3-0 win at home to Mallorca on Saturday.
Barcelona were poor at the weekend, perhaps due to their title celebrations, and coach Xavi Hernandez will probably make changes for their visit to Valladolid.
Although Barca have nothing to play for, Valladolid will be back in deep trouble, slipping into the bottom three after Friday night’s 2-0 defeat in Cadiz extended their losing streak to five games.
Coach Paulo Pezzolano got off to a flying start at Valladolid with two wins and a draw in his first three games in charge, but those five defeats have left Valladolid on the verge of a rapid return to the second division.
Celta Vigo also need to stop the rot after their 2-1 defeat away to Athletic Club Bilbao increased their losing streak to four games to suddenly put them in the scramble to avoid relegation.
Celta entertain Girona after slipping to 15th in the table, just four points above Valladolid and need to get striker Iago Aspas back after he missed the defeat in Bilbao with Lumbago.
Girona’s defeat to Villarreal on Saturday leave them eighth in the table and they still have a chance of qualifying for next season’s Conference League.
The remaining matches, including Real Madrid versus Rayo Vallecano and a vital match between Espanyol and Atletico de Madrid, will be played on Wednesday and Thursday.
–IANS
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