© Imago
Atletico Madrid will be bidding to return to winning ways in La Liga when they welcome Real Betis to Wanda Metropolitano on Sunday night.
Diego Simeone’s side suffered a 2-0 defeat to Osasuna last time out, while Real Betis will enter the match off the back of a 2-2 draw with Rayo Vallecano, which seriously dented their hopes of a Champions League finish.
We say: Atletico Madrid 1-1 Real Betis
Atletico have home advantage, and they will be bidding to bounce back from a defeat last time out, but Real Betis are a quality outfit, and we are backing Pellegrini’s side to secure a share of the spoils on Sunday night.
> La Liga preview: Atletico vs Betis
© Imago
Barcelona are expected to be presented with the La Liga trophy at the end of their contest with Villarreal on Sunday evening, having secured the championship with a win in the Catalan derby on Thursday night.
Lamine Yamal and Fermin Lopez scored the goals as Barcelona beat Espanyol 2-0 to confirm themselves as champions, but Villarreal will be bidding to spoil the title party this weekend, with the Yellow Submarine not yet certain of a top-five spot.
We say: Barcelona 2-2 Villarreal
Villarreal are a quality side, and with Champions League football for next season not yet secure, we are expecting this to be a very tight match. Barcelona’s performance may drop a touch due to their title win last time out, which could allow Villarreal to pick up a welcome point in their battle to cement a position in the top five.
> La Liga preview: Barcelona vs Villarreal
> Four Flick changes: How Barcelona could line up against Villarreal
> Araujo, Torres, Kounde, Bernal updates: Barcelona injury, suspension news vs. Villarreal
© Imago
Two teams battling for European qualification will lock horns when Celta Vigo welcome Rayo Vallecano to Balaidos on Sunday.
The hosts occupy seventh place in the standings after collecting 52 points from 36 matches, while the visitors are four points adrift in eighth position.
We say: Celta Vigo 3-1 Rayo Vallecano
Celta have won eight of their previous 12 league matches at Balaidos, and we think they will make full use of home advantage once again to get the better of a Rayo side that have lost four of their previous six La Liga away games.
> La Liga preview: Celta Vigo vs Rayo Vallecano
© Imago
Valencia will do their utmost to keep their European hopes alive when they welcome Athletic Bilbao to Mestalla for Sunday’s La Liga clash.
Meanwhile, the visitors will be in a celebratory mood after securing Champions League qualification with a win over Getafe in midweek.
We say: Valencia 2-1 Athletic Bilbao
While Athletic still have league position to play for, they may subconsciously take their foot off the gas after achieving their main goal of Champions League qualification, and we think any drop-off will be punished by a Valencia side that have won four of their last five home games.
> La Liga preview: Valencia vs Athletic Bilbao
© Imago
Mallorca will aim to keep their hopes of securing European football alive when they welcome Getafe to Estadi Mallorca Son Moix on Sunday in their penultimate La Liga game of 2024-25.
The 10th-placed hosts have 47 points but are just one point and two places from the division’s Conference League qualification spot, whereas 15th-placed Getafe have 39 points following their 2-0 loss against Athletic Bilbao on Thursday but need just two points to guarantee safety.
We say: Mallorca 2-0 Getafe
Getafe may not need to win to remain in the top flight but their poor form could see them edge closer to the drop.
Mallorca should be looking to take advantage of their struggling visitors, especially as the away side have not found it easy to create chances.
> La Liga preview: Mallorca vs Getafe
© Imago
Real Sociedad‘s faint hopes of European football will be extinguished if they fail to beat visitors Girona in La Liga on Sunday at Reale Arena.
The home side were beaten 1-0 by Celta Vigo on May 13 and are in 12th place with 43 points but are five points and four places from Conference League qualification with just two games remaining, while their 13th-placed opponents have 41 points and have nothing to play for.
We say: Real Sociedad 0-1 Girona
Real Sociedad’s performances at home have been poor, and it is hard to see them keeping a clean sheet.
Girona head to Reale Arena in better form than their hosts, and they will be confident of securing a positive result on Sunday.
> La Liga preview: Real Sociedad vs Girona
© Imago
Confirmed as runners-up in Spain’s top flight this season, Real Madrid will be bidding to give their supporters something to cheer when they head to Sevilla in their penultimate match of the campaign on Sunday night.
Real Madrid will enter the match off the back of a 2-1 success over Mallorca, which delayed Barcelona’s title celebrations, but the Catalan outfit managed to secure the championship on Thursday night courtesy of a 2-0 victory over Espanyol.
We say: Sevilla 1-2 Real Madrid
Sevilla will certainly be boosted by the fact that Real Madrid will be missing so many important players, but Ancelotti can still select a team full of quality, even considering the absences, and we are backing Los Blancos to put another three points on the board, with Mbappe’s quality again potentially making the difference.
> La Liga preview: Sevilla vs Real Madrid
> Another patched-up XI: How Real Madrid could line up against Sevilla
> Vinicius, Rodrygo updates: Real Madrid injury, suspension news vs. Sevilla
© Imago
Alaves will have the chance to secure survival when they travel to Estadio Jose Zorrilla for Sunday’s meeting with relegated Real Valladolid.
The visitors head into matchday 37 in 17th position in La Liga, while the hosts are languishing at the foot of the table.
We say: Real Valladolid 0-2 Alaves
Alaves may have only won three of their 18 away league games this season, but they will surely feel that a match against struggling Valladolid represents the perfect opportunity to add a fourth away win to their tally.
We ultimately feel the visitors will pile their misery on La Liga’s basement side to secure their top-flight status with one game to spare.
> La Liga preview: Valladolid vs Alaves
© Imago
Leganes‘ battle to escape the bottom three in La Liga will continue on Sunday night, when they make the trip to a Las Palmas outfit that have already had their relegation from Spain’s top flight confirmed.
The away team are 18th in the La Liga table, four points behind 17th-placed Alaves, while Las Palmas are 19th, with their relegation being confirmed following their 1-0 loss to Sevilla on Tuesday night.
We say: Las Palmas 1-1 Leganes
Leganes have only managed one away victory in La Liga this season, which incredibly came against the champions Barcelona back in December. It is difficult to back Leganes with any real confidence here, and we are predicting a draw, which would all but relegate Jimenez’s side this weekend.
> La Liga preview: Las Palmas vs Leganes
© Imago
As the fight for European football reaches a climax in La Liga, in-form Osasuna will welcome struggling Espanyol to Estadio El Sadar on Sunday.
Los Rojillos will be looking to make it back-to-back wins this weekend, while Los Periquitos will be hoping to stop the rot after four consecutive defeats.
We say: Osasuna 2-1 Espanyol
Osasuna have been in commendable form over recent weeks, losing just one of their last eight, so expect them to avoid defeat at the very least on Sunday.
Additionally, Espanyol have lost back-to-back away games ahead of this weekend, and given that the hosts have contrastingly won three on the bounce at home, Los Rojillos should walk away with all three points.
> La Liga preview: Osasuna vs Espanyol
