The race at the top of La Liga isn't really intriguing until Real Madrid does something dumb again. They could potentially do that this week, as they're facing off against a solid Valencia team, but they're at home. A draw at the Mestalla would be expected, but they should win at the Santiago Bernabeu. Barcelona plays Real Zaragoza, and shouldn't have a ton of trouble with that.
La Liga 2012, Week 31 Preview And Fixtures: Big Clashes In Top Four Race
Real Madrid and Barcelona are probably going to win this week, so the real fun is in the race for European places below them.
The real intrigue is in the race for third and fourth places. Third should have been locked up by Valencia long again, but it’s now very much up for grabs. This is especially the case given that they’re probably going to lose this week, while current fourth place team Malaga plays at home against a poor Racing Santander side.
Levante host Atletico Madrid early on Easter in the week's biggest match. Even though they have the lowest budget in the division, Levante have been in the top six for the entire season. Since they've been there for 30 rounds, they can't be called a fluke anymore. This is a rock solid team, especially at home. Atletico Madrid's league form has been shaky, especially on the road. With a win, Levante would extend the gap between themselves and Atleti to six points. Assuming Malaga win at home and Valencia lose to Madrid -- any other results would be stunning -- Levante would also trail Valencia on nothing but goal differential in this scenario.
The other massive clash with European implications is the Sunday afternoon fixture at San Mames, where Athletic Bilbao host Sevilla. Marcelo Bielsa's getting praise from every corner of the globe for his team's defeats of Manchester United and Schalke in the Europa League, but it seems like that competition has taken Bilbao's focus off of the league. They have slipped all the way to 11th and they trail fourth-placed Malaga by nine points. If things don't go their way over the next couple of weeks, they're going to be depending on a Europa League victory to get into the Champions League. Sevilla, meanwhile, have quietly crept up to eighth place and they're very much in the top-four race.
Schedule (All times EDT)
Espanyol vs. Real Sociedad - Saturday, 12:00 p.m.
Getafe vs. Sporting Gijon - Saturday, 12:00 p.m.
Rayo Vallecano vs. Osasuna - Saturday, 12:00 p.m.
Real Zaragoza vs. Barcelona - Saturday, 2:00 p.m.
Real Betis vs. Villarreal - Saturday, 4:00 p.m.
Levante vs. Atletico Madrid - Sunday, 6:00 p.m.
Mallorca vs. Granada - Sunday, 10:00 p.m.
Athletic Bilbao vs. Sevilla - Sunday, 12:00 p.m.
Real Madrid vs. Valencia - Sunday, 3:30 p.m.
Malaga vs. Racing Santander - Monday, 3:00 p.m.
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