Barcelona seek to extend 100% run as Granada seek relegation reprieve: Liga F Week 17 Preview
Barcelona have been presented with another opportunity to extend their winning run as they meet Sevilla for the second time in four days at away at the Ramón Cisneros Palacios on Saturday evening.
The two sides met in a Copa De La Reina quarter-final match on Wednesday, with Barcelona winning the match on an 8-0 scoreline. The visitors will be looking to replicate this performance when the two sides meet on Saturday evening in Seville.
The hosts will be aware of the danger posed by their opponents who are firing from all cylinders, with forwards Salma Paralluelo and Caroline Graham Hansen unplayable, with the support of midfielder Aitana Bonmatí. The hosts, on the other hand, will be hoping that forward Cristina Martín-Prieto is at her best, complimented by midfielder and skipper Amanda Sampedro, to cause problems for the visitors’ defence.
A win for the visitors will move them to 48 points whilst a win for the hosts will move them to 32 points and extend their unbeaten run to 10 matches in the league, inflicting the first defeat on the defending champions.
The teams have met 22 times in competitive matches, with Barcelona winning 19 and drawing three.
Meanwhile, a Madrid derby looms as Atlético Madrid host neighbours Madrid CFF at the Centro Deportivo Wanda Alcalá de Henares on Sunday afternoon.
Both teams had unfavourable fortunes last weekend with Madrid CFF blowing a 2-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Sevilla whilst the hosts lost 1-0 to Levante.
The visitors will be without forward Luany who is suspended after having received two yellow cards against Sevilla, giving forward Racheal Kundananji an opportunity to make her return into the starting lineup.
The hosts, on the other hand, will be hoping that their leading goal scorer will be at her best to provide the much needed goals to keep their top three finish hopes alive.
A win for the hosts will take their point to 33, moving above their opponents, whilst a win for the visitors will move them to 35 points and see them likely break into the top three if Levante lose their match elsewhere.
The teams have met 13 times, with Atlético winning eight, losing one and drawing four.
Levante lock horns with visiting draw specialists UDCA Tenerife at the Ciudad Deportiva de Buñol - Campo 1 on Sunday afternoon.
The hosts will be looking to build on their 1-0 victory over Atlético Madrid last weekend and make it five matches unbeaten whilst the visitors will be aiming to put behind them their Copa De La Reina disappointment where they lost 7-6 on penalties to Athletic Club on Wednesday.
They will be banking on the resurgence of forward Gabi Nunes, who filled the void left by Colombian forward Mayra Ramírez who left the club in the January transfer window, to lead the team to victory.
The visitors, on the other hand, will be hoping that forward Gift Monday and wingers Rinsola Babajide and Koko Ange are at their best to unlock the Levante defence marshalled by skipper María Méndez.
A win for Levante will take their points to 37, maintaining their top three finish hopes intact, whilst a win for Tenerife will move them to 23 points.
The teams have met 20 times, with Levante winning 14, losing four and drawing two.
Will Real Betis continue on their losing streak when they clash with visiting Real Madrid at the Ciudad Deportiva Luis de Sol on Sunday afternoon?
The visitors will be looking to score more goals against their struggling opponents to boost their goal difference after their 7-1 drubbing of Valencia last weekend whilst the hosts will be looking to end their seven-match losing streak.
The Madrid side have almost everyone back except for long term injury absentee midfielder Caroline Weir and are enjoying the resurgence of forgotten forward Caroline Møller and boast of the lethal Danish forward Signe Bruun, who was back on the scoresheet last weekend. Betis, on the other hand, will be hoping that forwards Júlia Aguado and Tiffany Cameron provide the required energy to lead the team to victory.
A win for Betis will move them to 16 points and ease their relegation worries whilst a win for Real will take their points to 39 and keep them hoping to dislodge Barcelona.
The teams have met nine times, with Real winning seven and drawing two.
Real Sociedad clash against visiting Granada CF at the Instalaciones de Zubieta on Sunday afternoon.
The visitors enjoyed a 2-0 win over Athletic Club last weekend whilst Sociedad beat Eibar 2-0 and will be hoping to continue with their unbeaten run.
The hosts will be hoping that the deadly twin forwards Sanni Franssi and Synne Jensen are at their best to cause problems for the visitors’ rearguard whilst the visitors will be banking on their collective effort to conjure another win.
A win for the hosts will see them move to 28 points whilst a win for the visitors will see them move to 13 points and out of the relegation zone on goal difference.
The teams have met three times with either side winning once and drawing once.
Tenth-placed Levante Las Planas look to utilise home advantage and collect maximum points when they welcome SD Eibar to the Camp Municipal Les Planes on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts will be looking to register a win against a struggling Eibar side to move further away from relegation threat whilst the visitors are aware that a loss will see them drop into the relegation zone if Granada win the match.
Las Planas will be hoping that last season’s club top scorer Irina Uribe rediscovers her form, complemented by midfielders Anissa Lahmari and Yasmin Mrabet, whilst Eibar will be banking on midfielder Eider Arana and forward Esperanza Pizarro for inspiration.
A win for the hosts will move them to 21 points whilst a win for the visitors will take their points to 16.
The teams have met twice, with Las Planas winning once and drawing once.
Visiting Athletic Club will be looking to bounce back to winning ways when they meet bottom-placed Sporting Huelva at the Ciudad Deportiva Decáno del Fútbol Español on Sunday evening.
The visitors have gone three matches without a win and want to take advantage of struggling Huelva to collect maximum points whilst the hosts will be aiming to capitalise on the poor run of form of their opponents to gain the much needed stride in their survival fight.
Athletic Club will be hoping that forward Nahikari García is at her best, as well as super substitute forward Jone Amezaga, whilst the hosts will be hoping that winger Isina provides the much needed width to create space for forwards Jessica de Filippo and Patrícia Hmírová to pounce on their opponents.
A win for the hosts will move them to seven points whilst a win for the visitors will move them to 23 points and possibly into the top eight.
The teams have met 24 times, with Athletic Club winning 13, losing three and drawing eight.
Will visiting Villarreal make it three wins in a row when they clash with struggling Valencia at the Ciudad Deportiva de Paterna on Saturday afternoon?
The visitors will be looking to collect maximum points and continue on their winning trajectory in their bid to survive relegation whilst the hosts will be looking to end their misery with a win over their weekend opponents.
The hosts will be hoping that forwards Ivonne Chacón and Ana Marcos are at their best to lead the team to victory whilst the visitors will be hoping that slick midfielder Claudia Iglesias inspires them to victory.
A win for Valencia will take them to 18 points, above their opponents with whom they are tied on 15 points before the match, whilst a win for the visitors will also move them to 18 points and gain a three point advantage over their opponents.
The teams have met five times in competitive matches, with Valencia winning four and drawing one.
Results (Saturday): Levante Las Planas vs SD Eibar (12:00); Valencia vs Villarreal (16:30); Sevilla vs Barcelona (18:30)
Results (Sunday): Levante vs UDCA Tenerife (12:00); Real Sociedad vs Granada CF (12:00); Real Betis vs Real Madrid (14:00); Atlético Madrid vs Madrid CFF (16:00); Sporting Huelva vs Athletic Club (18:00)
All times are in Central European Time (CET)