It’ll take a lot to beat last weekend, but Matchday 29 of the 2022/23 LaLiga season promises plenty, with heavyweight clashes and relegation scraps taking centre stage as the campaign gears up for one last crescendo.
To preview Saturday’s action, we take you through all eight sides involved, with a local derby to enjoy amid four fascinating fixtures…
13:00 GMT - Villarreal vs Real Valladolid
FiveThirtyEight predictions: Villarreal (70%) – Draw (19%) – Real Valladolid (11%)
Barely two months after Villarreal lost four consecutive LaLiga games for just the second time in the club’s history, they have the opportunity to win four in a row for the thirteenth.
Quique Setién’s side are in electric form, only underlined by a stunning 3-2 win at Real Madrid last weekend, with Samuel Chukwueze stealing the show once more.
The Nigerian has now scored five goals, provided three assists, and won a penalty in his last seven LaLiga games alone, completing 28 dribbles and even winning 39 ground duels across a stunning run of form.
Expect to see plenty of flicks and tricks on the right hand side against struggling Valladolid, along with veteran José Luis Morales, who now also has six goals in his last six domestic outings thanks to another strike against Real Madrid – his fourth of the last five campaigns.
For visitors Valladolid, teetering just two points ahead of the relegation zone, things are starting to get desperate after just one win in eight.
Pucela probably should have come away with three points last weekend, conceding a 94th-minute penalty to Javier Aguirre’s Mallorca to fall to a 3-3 draw, having taken the lead just eight minutes before.
The omens don’t look too promising ahead of their trip to the east coast – Los Blanquivioletas were taken apart by Villarreal on the opening day of the season, and are winless in six against the Yellow Submarine.
It’s a tall order, but stranger things have happened with LaLiga survival at stake.
15:15 GMT - Athletic Club vs Real Sociedad
FiveThirtyEight predictions: Athletic Club (41%) – Draw (31%) – Real Sociedad (28%)
A Saturday afternoon Basque derby, you say? Sign. Us. Up.
Few fixtures capture the brilliance of Spanish football quite like one of its fiercest rivalries, as Bilbao meets San Sebastián at La Catedral.
Following their agonising Copa del Rey semi-final defeat to Osasuna, Athletic Club are full-focus on Europe, holding the fort just outside the top six, just in case Real Madrid win the cup, turning seventh spot into a UEFA Conference League place.
Rayo’s 2-1 win over Osasuna last night sees the capital side move to 40 points alongside Ernesto Valverde’s men, so a win over their bitter rivals is particularly important, to open up some breathing space from the competition.
As if there weren’t already enough at stake.
Having said that, Real Sociedad are anxiously looking over their shoulders too.
A few places higher in fourth – aiming for their first Champions League qualification in 10 years – Imanol Alguacil’s silky side have Villarreal breathing down their necks in fifth, primed to pounce on any slip-ups as the season approaches the home straight.
In truth, La Real have been uncharacteristically patchy in recent weeks, winning just three of their last ten league games, with defeats to Villarreal, Valencia and Real Valladolid especially disappointing along the way.
Nonetheless, with Silva playing some of the best football of his twilight career, alongside the likes of Mikel Merino, Brais Méndez, Take Kubo, Mikel Oyarzabal – to name a few – the Txuri-urdin are always dangerous, even as they head into the lion’s den.
Prepare yourself for a ferocious atmosphere, and a game of football to match.
17:30 GMT - Real Betis vs Espanyol
FiveThirtyEight predictions: Real Betis (46%) – Draw (28%) – Real Valladolid (26%)
Speaking of ferocious atmospheres, things got slightly out of hand at the Benito Villamarín last weekend, as nine-men Real Betis imploded at home to Cádiz.
Having had his suspension upheld to allow him to play the game, Canales would see red just 38 minutes into the contest, barely half an hour after Real Betis fans staged a minute’s silence to protest the number of red cards shown their way.
Aitor Ruibal’s punch after Cádiz had raced through to score their second, was cherry on the icing on the cake.
Two points off Villarreal and six behind Real Sociedad in fourth, hope is certainly not lost for Manuel Pellegrini's men, who have to fancy their chances against out-of-form Espanyol.
After last week’s debacle, anything but a win will do.
Espanyol, on the other hand, have now lost five games in a row after defeat to Athletic Club, with a goal difference of -12 leaving them bottom of the pile, excluding castaways Elche.
Despite their miserable form, Los Pericos have managed to score in each of their last 14 games, with Martin Braithwaite in particular stepping up to help out towering talisman Joselu in recent weeks.
Luis García’s second game in charge already feels pivotal for the 42-year-old, in desperate need of an instant impact after taking over from Diego Martínez just a fortnight ago.
The Benito Villamarín has been far from impregnable of late – expect to see Espanyol trying to get into Betis’s hot-heads in the beaming Andalucian sun.
20:00 GMT - Cádiz vs Real Madrid
FiveThirtyEight predictions: Cádiz (17%) – Draw (21%) – Real Madrid (62%)
Last but not least, plucky Cádiz welcome Real Madrid to the Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla, in a game that is perhaps trickier for Los Blancos than the percentages would suggest.
Following their excellent win in Seville, Sergio’s side return to their fortress, where they’ve lost just one of their last 11 LaLiga games, dramatically beating Atlético Madrid along the way.
Tenacious midfielder Rubén Alcaraz has been quietly staking his claim as one of the division’s most underrated players, combining excellent technical skills
with a relentless desire for the ball, while wide-man Theo Bongonda has been starting to live up to his exciting reputation on the right hand side.
Four points clear of the drop, the Yellow Submarine still have plenty to play for, and will surely give the defending champions a game, having taken points from Real Madrid in three of the last five meetings.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side saw their LaLiga title disappear a little further from view after their defeat to Villarreal last weekend, and actually have city rivals Atlético Madrid looking to steal second place, now just two points behind after their terrific run of form.
With a 2-0 advantage to defend as they travel to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, Madrid may look to rotate slightly for their trip south, although the on-form trio of Vinícius Júnior, Karim Benzema and Rodrygo should continue up top, possessing ample firepower for their domestic duties.
As Barcelona and Atlético Madrid meet in a tantalising tie next Sunday, wins against Cádiz and Celta next weekend will either see the gap opened from third or closed to first – or both.
While neither scenario is of the utmost importance to Real Madrid right now, fans should be expecting a professional performance, to keep things ticking over ahead of what looks set to be another intriguing Champions League run.
That’s all for today’s preview, make sure to follow us on Twitter, @LaLigaLowdown, to keep up with all the games, and subscribe to our Substack below, to have all our content sent straight to your inbox.