LaLiga Matchday 32: Barcelona edging towards title ahead of Betis visit

SONNA – Barcelona will be looking to get back to winning ways against Real Betis as they edge closer to a 27th LaLiga title.

Real Betis could delay that prospect, though, as Manuel Pellegrini’s men continue their quest for Champions League qualification.

Elsewhere, Real Madrid can bounce back from Tuesday’s shock defeat to Girona by beating Almeria, while city rivals Atletico Madrid travel to Real Valladolid.

And there are two huge clashes at the bottom with Cadiz hosting Valencia and Espanyol taking on Getafe.

Barcelona missed the chance to extend their lead over Real by losing to Rayo Vallecano in midweek — but they still boast an 11-point gap over their arch rivals.

The Blaugrana’s defeat saw them concede their 10th and 11th goals of the campaign, which is still less than half as many as the division’s next-best record (Atletico Madrid’s 23 goals conceded).

Robert Lewandowski did at least end a run of three league games without a goal, taking him to 18 LaLiga strikes for the campaign.

Betis front man Borja Iglesias sits six goals behind the Pole on 12 but is enduring a five-match barren spell of his own.

Real will still be reeling from their shock 4-2 defeat to Girona last time out, in which Valentin Castellanos scored four.

It is the second time in the last four games that Los Blancos have failed to take advantage of a Barcelona slip-up. Had Saturday’s hosts won against Girona and Villarreal, they would be just six points behind the Blaugrana.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men had recorded four consecutive 2-0 victories across all competitions before slipping to defeat — and have now scored exactly twice in each of their last six.

Almeria are just two points clear of the relegation zone ahead of their visit to the capital, so may not be overly hopeful of a result against the division’s top scorers (65 goals scored).

Atleti go into Matchday 32 just two points behind second-placed Real — and will be keen to keep the pressure on by beating Valladolid.

Los Rojiblancos have lost just one of their last 15 LaLiga outings (11 wins, three draws) in a narrow 1-0 defeat against Barcelona, before bouncing back by beating Mallorca 3-1.

Antoine Griezmann rose to the top of the division’s assist chart with two in that victory and is now the only player who can boast double figures for both goals and assists (11 goals, 10 assists).

That does not bode well for Valladolid, who were beaten 3-0 in the reverse fixture.

Valencia claimed a second seismic victory in as many matches on Thursday, beating Valladolid 2-1 after claiming a 2-0 win over Elche.

But Los Che are still far from safe and remain just two points above the relegation zone. They now face another potentially season-defining clash against Cadiz, who sit one point and one place below them.

Cadiz have netted a paltry 23 times in 31 games, with only Elche registering fewer goals (20) ahead of Matchday 32.

However, Valencia must be wary of their upcoming opponents’ stubborn nature — no LaLiga side has recorded more draws than their 11.

Espanyol and Getafe will both be desperate to claim three points on Sunday, as the relegation-threatened pair battle it out in Catalonia.

Getafe are winless in five LaLiga outings (two draws, three defeats), failing to score in three of those encounters.

However, Espanyol are on an even worse run — they are without a victory in eight league matches, losing seven.

But the Barcelona-based side did triumph in the reverse fixture, winning 2-1 thanks to strikes from Joselu and Javi Puado.

Osasuna vs Real Sociedad (Friday, 8pm)

Elche vs Rayo Vallecano (Saturday, 3.15pm)

Villarreal vs Celta Vigo (Sunday, 3.15pm)

Mallorca vs Athletic Bilbao (Monday, 6pm)

Sevilla vs Girona (Monday, 8pm)

Source: LS