Primera Iberdrola Week 11 Preview: Will Tenerife spoil the party for Sociedad with Athletic Club eyeing second spot?
Unbeaten in their last five matches, Granadilla Tenerife are going for Real Sociedad’s scalp when the two sides clash this weekend.
Real Sociedad will be looking to go past Granadilla Tenerife and maintain their quest for Champions League football when they host the Canary Islands side at the Centro de Entrenamiento Zubieta Stadium on Sunday.
A loss will not be welcome for Sociedad, who have had three points deducted for not following competition rules, and a win for Athletic Club elsewhere will mean them swapping positions on the log standings.
On the other hand, Tenerife themselves are motivated by the fact that a win might take them further up the log to within the reach of Champions League football.
Real Sociedad have struggled to beat Tenerife in their previous matches, winning just once in the last six meetings, with the away team winning two and the teams drawing the other three.
Levante vs. Madrid CFF
Levante welcome Madrid CFF at the Ciudad Deportivo de Buñol - Campo 1 on Saturday on the back of losing three points also for not following competition rules.
The previous matches between the two teams at this stadium have produced mixed results. Overall, Levante and Madrid CFF have won a match each in the last three and drawn once.
The match can go either way, with Madrid wanting to collect three points on the road. However, Levante will be looking forward to a different encounter this time as they seek another dance in European football.
Madrid will put their hopes in their in-form striker Geyse Perreira to lead them into fourth position for at least 24 hours before Atletico Madrid play on Sunday.
Sevilla vs. Barcelona
Barcelona visit Sevilla on Saturday.
In their quest to maintain a 100% start to the season, the log leaders will look to build on their midweek 4-0 drubbing of Hoffenheim in the UEFA Women’s Champions League away in Germany.
Barcelona boast of a sensational record against Sevilla, having won 14 of their 16 meetings and drawing the other two. Their last five meetings saw more than three goals scored by Barcelona and the Blaugranes will look forward to continuing with their dominance over Sevilla on Saturday and take their season tally to 33 points after 11 games.
Eibar vs. Atletico Madrid
Inconsistent Atletico Madrid have a trip to Eibar where they will look to bounce back from their latest 1-0 defeat at home to second placed Sociedad last weekend.
The Madrid club knows that a win for them and a defeat for Bilbao elsewhere on Saturday will take them to third on the log standings. However, they know the challenges of playing a relegation threatened side.
Eibar have never beaten Atletico Madrid and have lost the two matches they have previously met.
Real Madrid vs. Alaves
Two improving teams, Real Madrid and Alaves, lock horns on Sunday at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano.
Real Madrid will want to quickly forget their 2-0 loss to PSG in the Champions League on Thursday night in order to sharpen any hopes of collecting maximum points against an unpredictable Alaves side at home.
The two teams have not met before, hence either team will want to start the head-to-head record on a good note.
A win for the visiting team will take them to within touching distance of Champions League football whilst the home side will also want to work their way up the standings to enjoy continental football again next season.
The home side will turn to forward Esther Gonzalez for goals once more.
Valencia vs. Real Betis
Valencia will welcome inconsistent Real Betis at the Estadio Antonio Puchades on Sunday hoping to collect maximum points at home to steer clear of relegation.
The home team have won just once in their last five matches while Betis have been inconsistent.
Valencia last won against Betis in November 2017 and have not won in the last seven matches after that.
Betis, on the other hand, will seek to avoid playing with ten women for the third match in a row.
Rayo Vallecano vs. Villarreal
Struggling Villarreal travel to Rayo Vallecano seeking maximum points after also seeing points deducted for not adhering to competition rules.
The points deduction has made their fight against relegation even more difficult and it is victory in this match which would be a stepping stone, while Rayo will want to compound more problems for Villarreal taking advantage of their opponent’s psychological stress.
Fixtures (Saturday): Athletic Bilbao vs Sporting Huelva (11:00); Levante vs Madrid CFF (11:00); Sevilla vs Barcelona (11:00);
Fixtures (Sunday): Valencia vs Real Betis (11:30); Eibar vs Atletico Madrid (12:00); Real Sociedad vs Granadilla Tenerife (12:00); Rayo Vallecano vs Villarreal (13:00)
All times are in Central European Time (CET)
Photo by Steffen Prößdorf, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
