New Delhi, May 2 (IANS): The LaLiga Santander action doesn't stop, as there is a midweek matchday for the second week in a row. Matchday 33 will take place across Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and there are several important fixtures coming up.
League leaders FC Barcelona are taking part in the first time slot of the midweek round, on Tuesday, as they host CA Osasuna at the Spotify Camp Nou. Having just thrashed Real Betis 4-0 at home, the fans of the Catalan club will hope for a similar result as Xavi's side look to close in on the title.
At that same time slot, there is a big match near the bottom of the table as UD Almería host Elche CF. Los Franjiverdes managed to avoid the mathematical confirmation of their seemingly inevitable relegation with an impressive 4-0 win over Rayo Vallecano on Saturday and they'll hope to stay alive for another week by taking a win at UD Almería, who are currently just above the relegation zone.
Later on Tuesday night, there is a big game at the Reale Arena in Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid. The Basque side are looking to secure Champions League qualification for the first time in a decade and will target all three points against Los Blancos. Imanol Alguacil has a good record against Real Madrid as coach of La Real, having so far overseen three victories, three draws and four losses in his 10 meetings with the capital city side.
Three more fixtures follow on Wednesday and the first is a crucial Valencian Community derby between Valencia CF and Villarreal CF. Both clubs are fighting for very different but equally important objectives, as Los Che need every point possible to avoid relegation while El Submarino Amarillo are targeting a top four finish.
On Wednesday night, there are two matches taking place at the same time in Spain's capital. One of them is Atletico de Madrid vs Cadiz CF, as Atleti seek revenge for their 3-2 loss to Los Amarillos earlier in the season. The other match taking place at the same time is Getafe CF vs RC Celta. This will be Jose Bordalas' return to the Coliseum Alfonso Perez dugout and he can expect a glorious reception given all he achieved during his first stint in charge of Geta. Although Bordalás lost in his re-debut away at RCD Espanyol on Sunday, he'll hope to make home advantage count against RC Celta.
Thursday throws up four fixtures, including Girona FC vs RCD Mallorca. Every Girona FC match is worth watching right now as the Catalan club are putting on a spectacle week in week out. There are 3.25 total goals on average in each Girona FC home match and the fans will return to the Estadi Montilivi hoping to see something similar to the 4-2 win Taty Castellanos and co. produced against Real Madrid last midweek.
Sevilla FC vs RCD Espanyol is another of the Thursday night games and it was a thriller when they met earlier in the season, when Sevilla FC won 3-2 in Barcelona. Although both clubs have changed coaches since then, this should be another game with goals as there are some top forwards in these two squads, such as Lucas Ocampos, Youssef En-Nesyri, Joselu and Martin Braithwaite.
Later on Thursday night, the final two fixtures of Matchday 33 take place at the same time: Athletic Club vs Real Betis and Rayo Vallecano vs Real Valladolid. Taking place in Bilbao and Vallecas respectively, both games are guaranteed to have electric atmospheres as the Basques, Andalusians and Vallecanos all chase European football, while Paulo Pezzolano's Real Valladolid seek three points to help stave off the threat of relegation.
India timings:
Tuesday, 2nd May, 11:00 p.m., Barcelona vs Osasuna
Tuesday, 2nd May, 11:00 p.m., Almeria vs Elche
Wednesday, 3rd May, 1:30 a.m., Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid
Wednesday, 3rd May, 11:00 p.m., Valencia vs Villarreal
Thursday, 4th May, 1:30 a.m., Atletico Madrid vs Cadiz
Thursday, 4th May, 1:30 a.m., Getafe vs Celta Vigo
Thursday, 4th May, 11:00 p.m., Girona vs Mallorca
Thursday, 4th May, 11:00 p.m., Sevilla vs Espanyol
Friday, 5th May, 1:30 a.m., Rayo Vallecano vs Valladolid
Friday, 5th May, 1:30 a.m., Athletic Club vs Real Betis