Madrid derby on the cards as Barcelona square off with Levante: Liga F Week 21 Preview

Real Madrid will have to pass Atlético Madrid test away at the Centro Deportivo Alcalá de Henares on Sunday evening if they are to end Barcelona’s dominance in Liga F.

The sides clash in a local derby which will attract a lot of attention and measure the pedigree of Real to upstage Barcelona from top position whilst the hosts will be looking to push their top three finish hopes.

The visitors will be hoping that forward Esther González will be in good form to add onto her goal tally with able support from the evergreen Caroline Weir who will be pulling the strings from the middle of the park. The hosts, on the other hand, will be banking on forward Ludmila and former Real player forward Marta Cardona for goals.

Real will be looking to close the gap at the top knowing the log leaders Barcelona have a tricky fixture away at Levante whilst Atlético will be looking forward to winning their match and hoping that Barcelona win elsewhere so that they close the gap on third-placed Levante to eight points.

The teams have met six times with each team winning three.

Meanwhile, Levante have a mammoth task in their quest for a top three finish as they host Barcelona at the Ciudad Deportiva de Buñol - Campo 1 on Saturday evening.

The hosts are well aware of the threat posed by their opponents who boast of lethal netbusters that include Liga F top goalscorer forward Asisat Oshoala, forwards Salma Paralluelo, Caroline Graham Hansen and Geyse with able support from Aitana Bonmatí and Patri Guijarro in midfield. On the other hand, Levante pose a threat to Barcelona’s 100% run with their top forwards Alba Redondo, Erika González and midfielder Tatiana Pinto who can hurt any defence on their day.

The visitors will not be thinking of dropping points as they are aware of the threat posed by second-placed Real Madrid who can close the gap to two points if they win and Barcelona lose.

The teams have met 27 times with Barcelona winning 24, losing one and drawing two.

Fifth-placed Madrid CFF have an opportunity to be in the top four when they clash with struggling hosts UDG Tenerife at the Estadio La Palmera on Sunday afternoon.

A win for the visitors and a loss for Atlético Madrid later on Sunday will move CFF into fourth with a superior goal difference as they will be tied on points with Atlético.

UDG Tenerife have been struggling throughout the season and will be looking to win at home so that they avoid dropping closer to the relegation zone.

The visitors will be hoping that forwards Racheal Kundananji and Florencia Bonsegundo are in good form to propel them to victory whilst the hosts will be hoping that forward Jassina Blom and winger Koko Ange will be at their best.

The sides have met 11 times with Tenerife winning six, losing four and drawing one.

Valencia will be aiming for another set of maximum points when they clash with hosts Athletic Club at the Instalaciones de Lezama Campo 1 on Sunday afternoon.

The visitors have been on a fine run and find themselves sixth on 30 points and are hoping to add onto their points tally whilst Athletic will be hoping to collect maximum points at home to move away from the threat of relegation as they are only six points away.

The teams have met 24 times with Athletic Club winning 14, losing six and drawing four, giving the hosts an edge.

Sevilla will be looking to bounce back from a 4-2 defeat to Levante UD last weekend when they meet hosts Levante Las Planas at the Camp Municipal Les Planes on Saturday afternoon.

The visitors were on a fine run until last weekend and will be looking to collect maximum points in their bid to finish as high as they can in this campaign. The hosts, on the other hand, had to fight for a point last weekend after forward Mari Paz scored a late equaliser in a two-all draw against Real Betis and will be hoping to collect maximum points and move them up the standings as they are only three points from the relegation zone.

Sevilla will be hoping that forwards Cristina Martín-Prieto Gutiérrez and Inma Gabarro will be in good form supported by midfielders Rosa Otermín and Silvia Meseguer whilst the hosts will be banking on reliable forwards Irina Uribe and experienced Mari Paz for goals.

The teams have met five times with Sevilla winning two, losing one and drawing two.

Real Sociedad, who are struggling to replicate last season’s form, will be in for a date with hosts Real Betis at the Ciudad Deportiva Luis de Sol on Saturday afternoon.

The visitors have three defeats in their last five matches and are hoping to have a better outing against an equally struggling Betis side which is just a point above relegation zone.

A loss for the hosts will complicate their already complicated life in Liga F, finding themselves face to face with relegation reality whilst the visitors will be hoping to collect maximum points and move to 29 points.

The teams have met 13 times with Sociedad winning five, losing four and drawing four.

In a battle for survival, Alavés will be clashing with visiting Sporting Huelva at the Ciudad Deportiva José Luis Compañón on Saturday afternoon.

Bottom-placed Alavés, in their bid to survive relegation, will be hoping for maximum points as they meet a Huelva side that have lost their last five matches. Huelva, on the other hand, will be aiming for a strong performance against the log anchors to boost their chances of survival as they will move to 20 points with a win.

The teams have met three times with Huelva winning one and drawing two.

Alhama CF ElPozo will be hoping to move out of the relegation zone with a win against hosts Villarreal at the Ciudad Deportiva del Villarreal on Sunday afternoon.

It will be a battle for survival as neither team wants to lose in their bid to survive the chop.

Alhama will be spurred by their 1-0 victory in midweek against Tenerife in a Copa de La Reina match and will be hoping that experienced forward Jade Boho will be leading the team from the front to collect maximum points.

The teams have met once with Villarreal winning the match in December last year.

Fixtures (Saturday): Levante Las Planas vs Sevilla (12:00); Alavés vs Sporting Huelva (12:00); Real betis vs Real Sociedad (16:00); Levante vs Barcelona (18:15)

Fixtures (Sunday): Villarreal vs Alhama CF ElPozo (12:00); Athletic Club vs Valencia (12:00); UDG Tenerife vs Madrid CFF (15:00)*; Atlético Madrid vs Real Madrid (18:00)

All times are in Central European Time (CET)*Peninsular Time