There are four games scheduled to take place in La Liga on Sunday with several clubs looking to boost their chances of securing a European berth, while Eibar go in search of a vital win at the bottom.
Eibar to See off Wounded Espanyol
Sunday’s early kick-off offers Eibar the opportunity to seal a seventh successive season in La Liga when they travel to already-relegated Espanyol at 13:00.
The Azulgranas start the weekend four points and one place above the relegation zone after drawing at home to struggling Leganes on Thursday.
A trip to Espanyol, who had relegation confirmed after losing to cross-city rivals Barcelona on Wednesday, looks to be the perfect opportunity for Eibar to widen the gap to Mallorca in 18th.
A three-game winless run has prolonged Eibar’s wait to celebrate survival but three points should be on the cards this weekend, therefore, the smart money looks to be on the visitors to win at 13/10
*.
Bilbao to Boost European Hopes
Athletic Bilbao head to Levante at 16:00 in the second game on Sunday’s La Liga programme as they look to edge closer to the European places.
They are just three points shy of Basque rivals Real Socidead, who sit seventh, after suffering back-to-back defeats against Real Madrid and Sevilla.
Sunday’s outing looks like an easier prospect on the face of it with Levante sitting 12th and with little to play for in the remaining three games.
It’s also worth noting that Levante looked to be on the beach last time out when losing 2-0 to relegation-threatened Mallorca.
An away win, which can be backed at 11/10
, looks to be the way to go in this encounter.
Leganes Can Steal a Point
There could be major implications at the top and bottom when Valencia travel to Leganes at 18:30.
Leganes have been fighting for their lives most of the season and even more so since top scorer Martin Braithwaite was stolen away by Barcelona in February.
However, four points from their last two outings has offered a glimmer of hope they can survive, although they would likely need to win all their remaining games to achieve that goal.
So a meeting with Valencia, who are pursuing a spot in the Europa League, may not initially be welcomed but Los Che’s recent form suggests Leganes could take something from this clash.
Valencia have struggled for consistency since the restart, winning just two of their eight engagements, and their last three meetings with Leganes have finished in a draw.
The desperation and desire for points in relegation could outweigh Los Che’s need to add to their tally so Leganes double chance at 20/33
could be the way to go.
Sevilla Too Strong for Mallorca
Julen Lopetegui appears to have found his feet in charge of Sevilla after short and forgettable spells with Real Madrid and Spain.
The 53-year-old, who was controversially sacked by Spain on the eve of the 2018 World Cup, has got Los Nervionenses playing a great brand of football.
They could still finish the season as high as third but fourth place looks to be the minimum as they seek a return to the Champions League.
Sevilla are the fourth-highest scorers in the division and have the third-best defensive record with just 34 goals conceded in 35 games, while they haven’t tasted defeat across all competitions since February – a run of 14 games which has seen them face Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
Mallorca sit 18th and will likely be looking towards their final two games of the season against Granada and Osasuna in the hope of collecting enough points to survive.
Sevilla have kept a clean sheet in four of their last six at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan and backing a win to nil at 6/5
looks the sensible option.
*All odds correct at time of writing.