Atlético, Levante clash in top three fight as Real date Villarreal: Liga F Week 26 Preview
Atlético Madrid and Levante clash in a battle for top three finish at the Centro Deportivo Alcalá de Henares on Sunday afternoon.
Both teams had contrasting fortunes last weekend with hosts Atlético suffering a humiliating 4-0 drubbing at the hands of log leaders Barcelona whilst Levante were 3-1 winners over Villarreal and this opened a 10-point gap between the teams.
Atlético’s defence will have to find a way to contain the marauding Levante forwards led by runaway Liga F top goalscorer Alba Redondo supported by Mayra Ramírez and midfielder Erika González. Redondo will be aiming to increase her goal tally of 23 but it will not come easy as the hosts boast of attack minded players in forwards Rasheedat Ajibade and Lucía Moral Ruiz who will keep pressure on the visitors.
A win for the hosts will see them reduce the gap between them to seven points whilst a win for Levante will end the hopes of a top three finish for their opponents as they will open a 13-point gap which will make it mathematically impossible for them to recover with only four matches remaining.
The teams have met 26 times with Atlético winning 15, losing six and drawing five.
Meanwhile, second-placed Real Madrid have a relatively easy task as they clash with visiting Villarreal at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano on Sunday evening.
The Madrid side will be hoping to make it three wins in a row and close the gap at the top to 10 points with Barcelona, who are not in action this weekend as they are playing their UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) semi-final first leg.
The hosts will be hoping that midfielder Caroline Weir will once again carry their hopes as she has done throughout the season with important goals and assists (15 and 10 respectively). On the other hand, Villarreal will be banking on their reliable midfielder and skipper Sheila Guijarro for goals to save their season as they are still fighting relegation being only two points above the relegation zone.
The teams have met four times with Real Madrid winning three and drawing one.
UDG Tenerife hope to continue with their winning form when they meet visiting Real Betis at the Estadio La Palmera on Saturday afternoon.
A run of crucial wins for Tenerife saw them move out of the relegation matrix and now find themselves in sixth position and their opponents might prove dangerous as they find themselves only two points above relegation zone.
The hosts will be banking on forwards Jassina Blom, Gift Monday and María José Pérez González.
On the other hand, the visitors will be hoping that they will be able to finish off games as they have found themselves losing from a winning position with a few minutes to go.
They will be placing their hopes on forward Rinsola Babajide to lead their attack.
They will be missing defender Violeta García Quiles who was sent off last weekend after receiving her second yellow card of the game against Real Madrid.
The teams have met 14 times with Tenerife winning 10, losing two and drawing two.
Ninth-placed Real Sociedad welcome eighth-placed Valencia at the Instalaciones de Zubieta on Saturday morning.
The hosts will be hoping that midfielder Nerea Eizagirre will be at her usual best to provide the key passes as she has been doing all season as she leads the top assists charts with 12 in the league.
Valencia, on the other hand, will be hoping that forwards Fiamma Ianuzzi and Marta Carro will be in their best form to rebound from their four consecutive defeats.
A win for Valencia will take them to 36 points whilst a win for the hosts will take them to 35 points and move above their opponents.
The teams have met 24 times with Sociedad winning 10, losing eight and drawing six.
Struggling Sporting Huelva will be hoping to build from their 2-1 win over Valencia last weekend when they meet visiting fifth-placed Madrid CFF at the Campo del CD Lamiya on Sunday afternoon.
The visitors have lost seven points from their last five matches and lost ground in their fight for a top three finish as it is now mathematically impossible for them.
On the other hand, the hosts moved two points clear of the relegation zone after their weekend victory and they will be aiming to collect another set of maximum points in their survival fight.
Madrid CFF will be placing their hopes on forward Racheal Kundananji who has managed 17 league goals so far this season and is only six goals behind top goalscorer Alba Redondo who is on 23 with five matches left.
A win for the hosts will take their points to 23 and ease pressure a bit whilst a win for the visitors will take them to 47 points.
The teams have met 11 times with each team winning five and drawing one.
Alavés host Levante Las Planas at the Ciudad Deportiva José Luis Compañón on Saturday evening.
Bottom-placed Alavés are aware of their precarious position and anything short of victory may signal their drop from the Liga F come end of season whilst visiting Las Planas are still not safe as they are only two points above the relegation zone with just five rounds of matches to go.
The visitors will be banking on their reliable forward Irina Uribe for goals as she has done for them throughout the season but needs support from experienced players such as forward Mari Paz to propel their team to victory.
A win for Las Planas will take their points to 23 and give them room to breathe whilst a win for the hosts will take them to 18 points and reignite their hopes of survival.
The teams have met once with Levante Las Planas winning the match 1-0.
Athletic Club will be looking forward to winning their second match in a row when they welcome relegation-threatened Alhama CF ElPozo at the Instalaciones de Lezama Campo 1 on Friday night.
The visitors are coming from a disappointing one-all draw with Real Sociedad last weekend after allowing them to come back into the game and will also be missing experienced forward Jade Boho who was given a red card last weekend.
The visitors will be banking on forward Marina Martí Serna and midfielder Lucía Martínez González for inspiration whilst the hosts will be hoping that forwards Yulema Corres and Ainize Barea are at their best as they seek to collect maximum points.
A win for Athletic Club will take them to 28 points whilst a win for the visitors will take them to 21 points.
The teams have met once with Alhama winning the match 2-1.
Fixtures (Friday): Athletic Club vs Alhama CF ElPozo (20:30)
Fixtures (Saturday): Real Sociedad vs Valencia (11:30); UDG Tenerife vs Real Betis (12:00)*; Alavés vs Levante Las Planas (18:15)
Fixtures (Sunday): Atlético Madrid vs Levante (12:00); Sporting Huelva vs Madrid CFF (16:00); Real Madrid vs Villarreal (18:00)
Postponed: Sevilla vs Barcelona (Rescheduled for 10 May at 19:00)
All times are in Central European Time (CET)
*Peninsular Time