LaLiga relegation battle hotting up as teams enter the final stretch

The Spanish Primera Division resumes this weekend after the international break and as we head into the final stretch of the campaign it is all to play for in the fight for survival.

There are 10 matchdays remaining in LaLiga and with only three points separating five of the bottom six sides, the relegation battle is hotting up and it could go down to the wire.

Real Valladolid (20th / 16 points) are all but down following a poor season that has seen them remain in the drop zone since September and rooted at the foot of the table since matchday 20 in January.

Their form on the road has been atrocious, while you have to go back to 11th January for the team’s last league win, so their return to the Segunda Division is only a matter of time. 

It looks like two of the five following clubs above Los Pucelanos will be joining them in slipping through the LaLiga trap door:

Espanyol (15th | 28 pts)

• Form over last 10 league games: LDWDWLDWDL (13 pts / 30)
• 31.64% chance of relegation (from Opta)
• Remaining league fixtures: Atletico Madrid (H), Rayo Vallecano (A), Celta (A), Getafe (H), Valencia (A), Villarreal (A), Real Betis (H), Leganes (A), Barcelona (H), Osasuna (A), Las Palmas (H)

After spending six weeks in the drop zone, Espanyol pulled out of the bottom three on matchday 22 and they have remained out of it since.

Survival for the Catalan outfit would be a tremendous achievement for coach Manolo Gonzalez, who took charge of the team in March and guided them to top-flight promotion.

Los Blanquiazules have reasons to be optimistic about survival. They have picked up a respectable 13 points from their last 10 league clashes, one of which was an emphatic 1-0 win over Real Madrid at the RCDE Stadium – a victory that moved them out of the relegation zone.

Espanyol have been poor on their travels in 2024/25 (won 1, drawn 3, lost 10). However, they did secure their first away win of the campaign away at Mendizorroza over Alaves (0-1) at the end of February.

That win may have come at the best time as, after hosting Atletico Madrid next time out, Los Pericos are on the road for four out of the following five fixtures, which could be a season-defining set of games. 

Manolo Gonzalez’s men have a game on hand on their survival competitors, albeit a stern test away at Villarreal (the rearranged MD26 game, which was postponed due to stormy weather in Castellon).

Goals have been hard to come by this season for Espanyol – they are the joint-fourth lowest scorers and have the second lowest total of shots on target (65), but they will be hoping top scorer Javi Puado can add to his tally (8 goals) to inspire his side to the odd victory along the way. 

Espanyol bring their campaign to an end with a home clash against relegation rivals Las Palmas, which could be critical should the scrap at the bottom go to the final matchday.

Valencia (16th | 28 pts)

• Form over last 10 league games: DWLWWDLDWD (15 pts / 30)
• 17.63% chance of relegation
• Remaining league fixtures: Mallorca (H), Real Madrid (A), Sevilla (H), Rayo Vallecano (A), Espanyol (H), Las Palmas (A), Getafe (H), Alaves (A), Athletic Club (H), Real Betis (A)

After a dreadful start to the season under Ruben Baraja, Carlos Corberan has steadied the ship since he replaced Baraja as first-team manager in December and Valencia are the form team in the bottom six with 15 points from a possible 30.

Los Che have not been relegated since 1986 and after languishing in the drop zone from late September to the end of February, they clawed themselves out of the bottom three on matchday 26.

This will have further boosted the confidence of Corberán’s side who will be hoping to secure their place in next season’s Primera Division before the final two matchdays, with tough fixtures in store against Athletic Club and Real Betis.

Valencia will have earmarked the games against relegation rivals Espanyol, Las Palmas and Alaves as must-not-lose fixtures. However, two of these clashes are away from home and this could be an issue as the team has yet to win on the road all season.

Should Valencia secure the spoils in their next league commitment when they host Mallorca, it could provide a much-needed points cushion ahead of the daunting trip to the Santiago Bernabeu on the following matchday. If they were to lose both of these games, there would be a good chance they slip back into the drop zone.

Valencia will be looking to top scorer Hugo Duro (7 goals) to come up with some decisive goals and the mighty shot-stopper, Giorgi Mamardashvili, to get back to his best after a dip in form this campaign.

Alaves (17th | 27 pts)

• Form over last 10 league games: LWDLLDLDWD (10 pts / 30)
• 32.97% chance of relegation
• Remaining league fixtures: Rayo Vallecano (H), Girona (A), Real Madrid (H), Sevilla (A), Real Sociedad (H), Atletico Madrid (H), Athletic Club (A), Valencia (H), Real Valladolid (A), Osasuna (H)

After making a bright start to the season, Alaves have gradually slipped down the LaLiga standings. 

The Basque side dropped into the relegation places at the start of February and six weeks later a draw away at Las Palmas – despite throwing away a 2-0 lead by conceding twice in the final minutes – took them back out at the expense of Leganes.

There are reasons to be optimistic for the side from Vitoria, as they are on a three-game unbeaten run and have also avoided defeat in their last three away fixtures (3 draws).

Under the guidance of Argentine coach Eduardo Coudet, who replaced Luis Garcia in December, Alaves boast a decent return of 10 points from their last 10 outings, which has seen Los Blanquiazules claim impressive victories over European football contenders Villarreal and Betis.

However, Coudet’s men face a tough run-in with title aspirants Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid to visit Mendizorroza, plus two Basque derbies on the road (Real Sociedad and Athletic Club).

Alaves’s fate may well come down to the final three matchdays when they host relegation rivals Valencia before travelling to Valladolid and hosting Osasuna – two sides with probably nothing to play for. 

For this decisive end phase, the Blue and Whites will hope Kike Garcia can continue his fine goal-scoring season (11 goals) and spearhead the side to a victory, or two, as they look to secure their status in the Spanish first division for a third consecutive year.

Leganes (18th | 27 pts)

• Form over last 10 league games: DWDLLDLWLL (9 pts / 30)
• 47.32% chance of relegation
• Remaining league fixtures: Real Madrid (A), Osasuna (H), Barcelona (H), Mallorca (A), Girona (H), Sevilla (A), Villarreal (A), Espanyol (H), Las Palmas (A), Real Valladolid (H)

Leganes took a confidence hit when they fell into the drop zone for the first time during the last round of league fixtures.

More damage was done when the team from the south of Madrid let a 2-0 lead slip at home to Betis, as three second-half goals from the Andalusians condemned them to another painful defeat.

Should Los Pepineros fail to clinch victory at home to Osasuna on matchday 30, they might find themselves cemented in the bottom three by late April with gruelling games against Real Madrid and Barcelona either side of the clash against the team from Pamplona.

To compound matters, Lega have not picked up any points on the road for two months and they have struggled to find the back of the net all season – the team’s top scorer, Dani Raba, only has five goals to his name.

However, as Leganes head into this decisive run of games, their ability to pull off a result against bigger teams will spur them on, having secured hard-fought 1-0 victories away at Barcelona and at home to Atletico Madrid around the turn of the year.

After leading Leganes to the Segunda Division title last year, manager Borja Jimenez will be hoping his side can stay within touching distance of survival before embarking on a critical final three games first against Espanyol (H) and Las Palmas (A), before hosting basement boys Real Valladolid on the final day at the Estadio Municipal Butarque.

Las Palmas (19th | 25 pts)

• Form over last 10 league games: LLDLLLLDLD (3 pts / 30)
• 68.34% chance of relegation
• Remaining league fixtures: Celta (A), Real Sociedad (H), Getafe (A), Atletico Madrid (H), Athletic Club (A), Valencia (H), Rayo Vallecano (H), Sevilla (A), Leganes (H), Espanyol (A)

Having been as high up as 13th in the table, Las Palmas have dropped like a stone following an atrocious first three months of the year – a run that saw the team descend to 19th position at the start of March.

These are worrying times for the Gran Canaria outfit who have picked up a miserable three points from their last 10 fixtures and are yet to record a victory in 2025. 

The new-manager bounce following the appointment of Diego Martinez, who replaced Luis Carrion in October – dismissed after a poor first two months of the campaign – has fizzled out and his side need to get back to winning ways for the big run-in.

Martinez’s men end the season with two key clashes against Leganes at the Estadio Gran Canaria and in Barcelona against Espanyol. However, if they fail to secure a couple of wins over the upcoming weeks, they may just be playing for pride by then.

Las Palmas will have to pick up points from their next three outings (Celta, Real Sociedad and Getafe), before facing Atletico Madrid and Athletic Club, to avoid being cast adrift from safety ahead of a crucial match against Valencia in Gran Canaria. 

Although Los Amarillos have the second-worst defensive record (47 goals conceded) in LaLiga, there is still room for optimism.

On the one hand, they do not have to face Barcelona or Real Madrid and, on the other, 18 of the team’s 25 points have come after they have taken the lead.

Therefore, if Las Palmas can get joint-top scorers Sandro Ramírez and Fabio Silva (8 goals apiece) firing, they may still be in with a good chance of surviving relegation.

Could any other teams get dragged into the relegation scrap?

A look at the remaining teams in the bottom half of the table shows us that four other teams may not be entirely out of danger yet.

14th-placed Osasuna (33 pts) are on a significant slide down the table (8 pts / 30) and Vicente Moreno’s side will be desperate to secure a victory soon to ease any concerns.

Girona (13th / 34 pts) have fared slightly better over the last 10 games (9 pts / 30), with only wins over Alaves and Las Palmas, but the Catalans have had to contend with Champions League distractions along the way.

Real Sociedad (12th / 35 pts) have not been in their best form of late (10 pts / 30), but they have also had to deal with a congested fixture schedule following runs in the Europa League and Copa del Rey.

It’s hard to make a case for Getafe (11th / 36 pts) going down. Despite hovering above the precipice of the relegation zone for a large part of the season, Jose Bordalas’s men have been climbing the table since the start of the year, with an impressive run (19 pts / 30) meaning they can still harbour hopes of European football next term.

34 points would have been enough to remain in the Primera Division last season, but it looks like a higher tally will be needed this time round and with several crunch matches to come in the run-in, a gripping fight for survival lies in store.