Matchday 34 of the LALIGA EA SPORTS season will bring up a pair of intriguing regional derbies, including a duel between Girona FC and FC Barcelona at the Estadi Montilivi. There will also be an Andalusian derby between Sevilla FC and Granada CF, as well as several other important fixtures in the race to qualify for Europe and the relegation battle.
The very first game of the weekend is the Friday night showdown between Getafe CF and Athletic Club at the Coliseum. The Basque side lost in Spain's capital last weekend, when they visited Atlético de Madrid, and Ernesto Valverde knows that they can't afford to drop any more points if they want to maintain their dreams of playing Champions League football next season.
There are four fixtures for fans to tuck into on Saturday, the first of which is Real Sociedad vs UD Las Palmas. The home side are currently on course to qualify for the Europa League, but they're being chased down by the clubs just behind them in the standings. Against a UD Las Palmas side that have lost six in a row, Mikel Oyarzabal and co. will know they need to take all three points.
At 16:15 CEST on Saturday afternoon, Real Madrid host Cádiz CF at the Bernabéu. This will be a battle of brothers as Los Blancos' captain Nacho goes up against his younger sibling Álex Fernández. They're fighting for very different objectives, as Nacho and his teammates are looking to wrap up the LALIGA EA SPORTS title, while Álex and his colleagues at Cádiz CF are trying to escape the relegation zone.
Next up, at 18:30 CEST, there is a very important Catalan derby between Girona FC and FC Barcelona. These two sides are locked in a battle to finish second, aware that ending the season as runners-up would grant access to next year's Spanish Super Cup. For Girona FC, it would be their first ever qualification for this tournament, while Xavi's side want to make sure they keep up their 100 record of qualifying for the Spanish Super Cup in every edition since it became a four-team tournament.
RCD Mallorca vs Atlético de Madrid is the Saturday night game, and this is another fixture between two teams battling hard at opposite ends of the table. The islanders enter the matchday only six points above the relegation zone and Atleti just six points clear of fifth-placed Athletic Club, so both sides will want to maintain their cushions.
On Sunday, Real Betis pay a visit to CA Osasuna in the first game of the day, looking to keep up their pursuit of European qualification. A 94th minute Isco goal gave Los Verdiblancos all three points when these sides met earlier in the season, but the playmaker is suspended this weekend and Manuel Pellegrini will likely turn to Nabil Fekir for a creative spark.
Sunday afternoon brings up yet another duel between a team chasing European qualification and one fighting to avoid relegation, in this case RC Celta vs Villarreal CF. El Submarino Amarillo have won six of their past eight matches, with Alexander Sørloth leading the way, and he'll hope to win the individual battle against his compatriot Jørgen Strand Larsen.
Mestalla hosts the day's next game, a duel between Valencia CF and Deportivo Alavés. Los Che are another team with European aspirations, but lost away at the Basque side when they met back in September. In front of their home crowd, they'll hope for a different result.
There are then two 21:00 CEST matches on Sunday night to round out the matchday. One of them sees Rayo Vallecano take on already-relegated UD Almería in Vallecas, while the other is an Andalusian derby between Sevilla FC and Granada CF at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán. Both these grounds are known for their lively atmospheres, so it should be a pulsating end to Sunday's action.
