El Clásico on cards as Real date lowly Betis: Liga F Week 25 Preview
The El Clásico looms at the Estadi Johan Cruyff on Saturday afternoon where hosts Barcelona lock horns with fourth-placed Atlético Madrid in one of the biggest fixtures in the Liga F.
The women’s El Clásico, unlike the men’s which features Barcelona versus Real Madrid, traditonally features Barcelona versus Atlético Madrid.
Barcelona will be looking forward to continuing with their 100% run whereas the visitors will be aiming to be the first team to hand the hosts their first defeat of the season.
Both teams will be hoping that all their players return on a healthy bill as they regroup after the international break. Forward Asisat Oshoala, on 19 goals, will be looking forward to getting more goals to keep top goalscorer Alba Redondo, on 22, on her toes in their race for the Pichichi.
Atlético will also be hoping that Levante drop more points as the former pushes for a top three finish.
The teams have met 25 times in the league with Barcelona winning 14, losing three and drawing eight.
Meanwhile, third-placed Levante will be hoping to use home advantage and collect maximum points when they clash with relegation bound Villarreal at the Ciudad Deportiva de Buñol - Campo 1 on Saturday evening.
The hosts will be under pressure to collect maximum points after their narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of fifth-placed Madrid CFF, a result which reduced their gap with fourth-placed Atlético to seven points.
On the other hand, Villarreal find themselves in a precarious position and face a huge risk of relegation as they are only three points above the relegation zone.
Villarreal will be hoping that forward Sheila Guijarro will carry the team on her shoulders in their quest for a positive result whilst Levante will be hoping that Redondo will carry on with her goalscoring exploits to lead the team to victory.
The teams have met three times with Levante winning two and Villarreal winning one.
Relegation-threatened Real Betis welcome second-placed Real Madrid at the Ciudad Deportiva Luis de Sol on Sunday evening.
The hosts are just three points from safety and will be fighting tooth and nail to make sure that they collect the coveted maximum points whilst Real Madrid are aware top three finish is still open and will have to be at their best once more to overcome Betis.
Midfielder Caroline Weir, who had a fruitful outing with Scotland during the international break, scoring for her country, will be looking forward to continuing with scoring and helping her side finish in the top three as dislodging Barcelona now looks impossible at this point in time.
A win for Betis will take them to 23 points and will give them breathing space whilst Madrid will be aiming to maintain their three point advantage over third-placed Levante.
The teams have met six times with Real Madrid winning four and drawing two.
Fifth-placed Madrid CFF will be looking to make it two wins in a row when they host sixth-placed Sevilla at the Estadio Fernando Torres on Sunday afternoon.
The Madrid side will be hoping to put Sevilla to the sword after their 1-0 narrow victory over Levante a fortnight ago.
The hosts will be banking on forward Racheal Kundananji who has scored 17 goals this season to propel them to victory whilst Sevilla will be hoping that forward Inma Gabarro will be at her usual best, supported by midfielder Amanda Sampedro in the middle of the park.
A win for the hosts will keep them on track to dislodge Atlético in fourth position whilst the visitors are aware that a defeat might move them further down the standings if those below them collect maximum points elsewhere.
The teams have met 11 times with Sevilla winning eight, losing two and drawing one.
A resurgent UDG Tenerife will be looking to make it five wins in a row when they clash with hosts Levante Las Planas at the Camp Municipal Les Planes on Saturday afternoon.
Tenerife had a quick turnaround after struggling for most of the campaign and now find themselves in seventh position after four wins in a row which saw them move to 33 points, 16 above the relegation zone with only six matches left.
On the other hand, Las Planas started the campaign on a promising run but now find themselves fighting relegation being just three points above the drop zone. They will be hoping to utilise home advantage to collect maximum points and move further into the safety zone.
A win for Tenerife will see them becoming safe from relegation with their worry now being finishing as high as they can.
The teams have met once with Las Planas winning the match.
Bottom-placed Alavés, with a slight chance of survival, will be looking to fight for their stay when they face hosts Athletic Club in the Basque derby at the Instalaciones de Lezama Campo 1 on Saturday afternoon.
Both sides have been struggling this season with the hosts being on 22 points after 24 matches, only five above the relegation zone.
A win will take the visitors to 18 points.
The teams have met three times in competitive matches with Athletic Club winning two and drawing one.
Ninth-placed Real Sociedad lock horns with relegation-threatened Alhama CF ElPozo at the Campo de Fútbol José María Soriano Muñoz on Saturday afternoon.
Sociedad have managed a single win in their last five matches and will be hoping to overcome a stubborn Alhama side who are fighting for their survival being one place above the relegation zone.
On the other hand, Alhama, who will be hoping that home advantage will work in their favour, will be hoping that experienced forward Jade Boho uses her experience to lead them to victory.
Sociedad will be hoping that forward Amauir Sarriegi will lead them upfront, providing the goals.
The teams have met once with Real Sociedad winning the match on a 2-1 scoreline.
Valencia will be looking to bounce back from three defeats in a row to win against visiting Sporting Huelva at the Ciudad Deportiva de Paterna on Sunday afternoon.
Huelva are occupying the last relegation spot and would require a complete turnaround for them to survive.
On the other hand, Valencia will be hoping that midfielder Marta Carro will be at her best to lead them to victory and move to 36 points.
Huelva have scored the least number of goals in the league with 18, whilst their defence has shipped in 47 and will find it difficult to resist a wounded Valencia side who are aiming for a strong finish.
The teams have met 24 times with Valencia winning 10, losing nine and drawing five.
Click on a match below to follow it Live! on forzafootball.com and on the Forza Football App
Fixtures (Saturday): Athletic Club vs Alavés (12:00); Alhama CF ElPozo vs Real Sociedad (12:00); Barcelona vs Atlético Madrid (12:00); Levante Las Planas vs UDG Tenerife (16:00); Levante UD vs Villarreal (18:15)
Fixtures (Sunday): Valencia vs Sporting Huelva (12:00); Madrid CFF vs Sevilla (16:00); Real Betis vs Real Madrid (18:00)
All times are Central European Times (CET)