Real in Madrid CFF test as Barcelona aim to maintain 100% record: Liga F Week 13 Preview
Second-placed Real Madrid’s resolve will be under test as they face visiting fourth-placed Madrid CFF in a local derby at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano on Sunday evening.
The hosts have been inconsistent this season and their focus will now be in the league after they were eliminated from the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL). The hosts will still be without their influential midfielder Caroline Weir, forwards Linda Caicedo and Naomie Feller whilst the visitors will be banking on their top goalscorer forward Racheal Kundananji to inspire the team to victory.
The battle has a lot at stake as both teams are tied on 27 points and the winner will open a three-point gap.
The teams have met in nine competitive matches before, with Real Madrid winning seven, losing one and drawing one, giving them an upper hand in this fixture.
Meanwhile, log leaders Barcelona will be looking to maintain their 100% record when they face visiting Levante Las Planas in a local derby at the Estadi Johan Cruyff on Saturday night.
The hosts will be welcoming defender Irene Paredes - who joined the rest of the team during the training session - back from injury.
The visitors, on the other hand, will be hoping that forward Irina Uribe is sharp and ready for the campaign in the new year to lead them to victory and end their four-match winless run whilst the hosts will be banking on forward Caroline Graham Hansen who has been their best player going into the festive break with nine goals and nine assists to her name.
A win for Barcelona will take them to 39 points whilst a win for the visitors will take them to 19 points.
The teams have met six times, with Barcelona winning all the matches, giving them a superior advantage over their opponents.
Third-placed Levante will be looking to maintain their top three status with a win over hosts Villarreal at the Ciudad Deportiva José Manuel Llaneza on Saturday night.
Levante went to the festive season break having registered four wins in five matches and will look to continue with the fine run whilst the hosts will be aiming to use home advantage and start collecting points in the new year in their bid to fight relegation.
The visitors will be hoping that last season’s Liga F top goal scorer forward Alba Redondo will hit the ground running in the new year after struggling to match her last season’s form.
She will be hoping that her attacking partners, forwards Mayra Ramírez and Nataša Andonova, are at their best to compliment her whilst the hosts will be banking on rejuvenated midfielder Claudia Iglaesia, better known as Bicho, for inspiration.
The hosts will be bidding farewell to midfielder Virginia Torrecilla Reyes who is retiring from professional football. She played eight games for Villarreal, having joined from Atlético Madrid at the start of the season.
A win for the visitors will take them to 30 points whilst a victory for the hosts will take them to 12 points and ease their relegation pressure.
The teams have met four times with Levante winning three and losing one, giving them an upper hand over their hosts.
Atlético Madrid will be looking to overcome their struggling hosts Valencia when they clash at the Estadio Antonio Puchades on Sunday evening, to maintain their top three chase and take their unbeaten run to six matches.
The visitors will be hoping that forward Sheila Guijarro comes back more lethal having gone for the festive season break on seven goals whilst the hosts will be hoping that forwards Ana Marcos and Ivonne Chacón have sharpened their shooting skills.
A win for the hosts will put them on 17 points whilst a win for the visitors will put them on 29 points.
The teams have met 24 times in competitive matches with Atlético winning 15, losing two and drawing seven.
A potentially exciting encounter looms between Real Sociedad and visiting UDCA Tenerife at the Instalaciones de Zubieta on Sunday afternoon.
The hosts will be buoyed by their one-all draw with Atlético Madrid before the break as they seek to extend their unbeaten run to four matches whilst the visitors will be looking to bounce back from their poor run that saw them collect four points out of a possible 15 in their last five matches.
The hosts will be banking on forward Synne Jensen who has scored seven goals so far. Jensen will be supported by inspirational forward and captain Nerea Eizagirre. The visitors, on the other hand, have a good team on paper that can harm any team on their day, led by forwards Jassina Blom, Rinsola Babajide and Gift Monday. They will be supported by tricky winger Koko Ange.
A win for the hosts will take them to 20 points whilst a win for the visitors will lift them to 19 points to rise above their opponents.
The teams have met 16 times in competitive matches with Real Sociedad winning six, losing four and drawing six.
Sevilla will be looking to continue with their fine run when they clash with hosts Sporting Huelva at the Estadio Antonio Toledo Sánchez on Sunday night.
The visitors have gone five games unbeaten and will be hoping that their forwards led by Inma Gabarro and speed winger Toni Payne are at their best to lead them to victory with the support of defensive stalwarts Eva Llamas and Teresa Merida.
The hosts, on the other hand, are at the bottom of the standings with a single point after 12 matches and will be hoping for a change in fortunes going into the new year. They will be hoping that goalkeeper Chelsea Ashurst is in her best form to thwart any attacks from the visitors, backed by reliable defender Katarzyna Konat and forward Jessica de Filippo.
A win for the hosts will take them to four points and potentially lift them from the bottom whilst a win for the visitors will stretch their unbeaten run to six matches and move them to 22 points.
The teams have met 20 times in competitive matches, with Sporting Huelva winning nine, losing six and drawing five, giving the hosts an advantage.
Athletic Club will be looking to move up the standings with a victory over an inconsistent visiting SD Eibar side at the Lezama Facilities on Sunday afternoon.
The hosts will be looking to bounce back from their slumber and reclaim their status with a victory over minnows Eibar who are struggling after regaining promotion back into the league at the start of this season.
The hosts will be hoping that forwards Ane Azkona and Jone Amezaga are at their best to lead the line and provide the much needed cutting edge upfront whilst the visitors will be banking on forwards Esperanza Pizarro and Andrea Alvarez for goals to lead them to victory.
A win for the hosts will take them to 19 points whilst a win for the visitors will take them to 13 points and ease their relegation worries.
The teams have met in six competitive matches, with Athletic Club winning five and losing one, giving the hosts an advantage over their opponents.
Real Betis will be looking to end their three-match losing streak with a win over visiting Granada CF at the Ciudad Deportiva Luis de Sol on Sunday afternoon.
Both teams have been on losing streaks, though the hosts won two matches before going on a three-match losing streak, giving them hope to overcome their opponents.
The hosts will be banking on forwards Júlia Aguado and Carla Armengol for goals with support from the evergreen Leles in midfield though they will be missing defender María Jiménez who was sent off against Eibar for a second bookable offence.
The visitors, on the other hand, will be hoping that their forwards, led by Naima García and Edna Imade, remember how to score as they have scored only seven goals combined in 12 matches.
A win for the hosts will move them to 16 points whilst a win for the visitors will move them to six points and give them a glimmer of hope to fight for their survival.
The teams have met twice in competitive matches with either side winning one match apiece.
Fixtures (Saturday): Barcelona vs Levante Las Planas (18:30); Villarreal vs Levante (20:30)
Fixtures (Sunday): Real Sociedad vs UDCA Tenerife (12:00); Athletic Club vs SD Eibar (12:00); Real Betis vs Granada CF (14:00); Valencia vs Atlético Madrid (16:00); Real Madrid vs Madrid CFF (18:00); Sporting Huelva vs Sevilla (20:00)
All times are Central European Time (CET)