Leganes will do their utmost to avoid joining Real Valladolid in the second tier when the two sides face off in Saturday’s La Liga clash at Butarque.
The hosts enter the final matchday in 18th position and two points adrift from safety, while the relegated visitors are propping up the table after taking just 16 points from 37 matches.
Match preview
Three games ago, Leganes were sitting in 19th place with 31 points to their name, contending with a four-point gap to safety and a sizeable eight-point difference to Espanyol in 14th place.
However, Leganes’ recent upturn in fortunes, combined with Espanyol’s poor run of form, has seen the gap close to just two points ahead of the final round of fixtures.
Leganes boosted their survival hopes with a 3-2 home win, before they were quickly stopped in their tracks by a heavy 3-0 defeat in their away meeting with Villarreal.
However, they produced a defiant response to clinch a 1-0 victory in Sunday’s clash against Las Palmas, as Dani Raba scored the decisive goal to fire his team to their second away league win of the season, and their first since they stunned Barcelona in December.
With the full focus on matchday 38, Borja Jimenez‘s side know that they will preserve their top-flight status if they win and Espanyol fail to beat Las Palmas at the RCDE Stadium on Saturday.
Los Pepineros will be favourites to beat a Valladolid side bereft of confidence, but claiming all three points may be easier said than done, given the fact that they have gone seven competitive meetings without a win since recording a 1-0 home victory in April 2019.
Valladolid will be desperate to see the back of the 2024-25 campaign after losing 29 of their 37 La Liga matches this season (W4, D4).
Unfortunately for Valladolid, they have reinforced their reputation as a ‘yo-yo club’, having suffered relegation from La Liga for the third time in a row.
They have ultimately failed to compete in their latest visit to the top flight, holding the league’s worst defensive record with 87 goals conceded, while they are also the division’s lowest scorers with just 26 goals to their name.
La Liga’s basement side will enter Saturday’s fixture on the back of an 11-game losing run, including a narrow 1-0 defeat in Sunday’s home clash against Alaves.
In fact, La Pucela have lost 17 of their last eight matches (D1) since they recorded a 1-0 home win against Real Betis in January, while they have suffered 13 consecutive away defeats since they beat Alaves 3-2 back in October.
Despite their woeful form, Valladolid may be able to draw some inspiration from the fact that they have won two and drawn one of their last three competitive away meetings, including a goalless draw in last season’s trip to Butarque in the second tier.
Team News
Leganes remain without the services of Borna Barisic and Enric Franquesa, who are continuing to work on their recovery from long-term knee injuries.
Valentin Rosier, Matija Nastasic, Yvan Neyou and Darko Brasanac all face a battle to prove their fitness in time for Saturday’s contest.
Forward Munir El Haddadi is also a doubt for the crucial fixture after being forced off in the 20th minute of Sunday’s defeat to Las Palmas.
Meanwhile, Valladolid head coach Alvaro Rubio will head into matchday 38 without the injured trio of David Torres, Javi Sanchez and Chuki.
Defender Joseph Aidoo and midfielder Stanko Juric have recovered from their respective injuries and should be ready to feature in the matchday squad.
Right-back Luis Perez is unlikely to be involved in the away clash, having been left out of the last two squads due to technical reasons.
Leganes possible starting lineup:
Dmitrovic; Altimira, Gonzalez, Saenz, Hernandez; Raba, Cisse, Tapia, Cruz; Garcia, Diomande
Real Valladolid possible starting lineup:
Hein; Candela, Comert, Ozkacar, Aznou; Amallah, Nikitscher; Anuar, Grillitsch, Moro; Latasa
We say: Leganes 2-1 Real Valladolid
While Leganes may be relying on a favour from Las Palmas, we think they will hold up their end of the bargain by seeing off a team that have lost 13 consecutive away games in the top flight, conceding at least two goals in 11 of those matches.
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