Four things to look out for on Spain's La Liga matchday 32

Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-13 21:08:56|Editor: Shi Yinglun
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MADRID, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Matchday 32 of Spain's La Liga sees Barça and Sevilla look to bounce back from European exits, while the teams in the relegation zone look to grab what looks like their last chance of survival.

Here are some things to look forward to this weekend in Spain.

1. Barca's resilience?

FC Barcelona crashed out of the Champions League following a 3-0 defeat to Roma on Wednesday night and looked a shadow of the side which has remained unbeaten all season in La Liga.

The Catalans, who lead the Spanish league by 11 points can set a new unbeaten record of 39 games if they don't lose to Valencia on Saturday afternoon. The question is; can a side that looked exhausted on Tuesday recover in time to beat Valencia, who have won eight of their last nine matches and who have had all week to prepare for the game?

A lot will depend on where Lionel Messi is back to his best after a tired display on Tuesday and if Sergio Busquets is in shape to take on Valencia's midfield duo of Dani Parejo and Geoffrey Kondogbia.

2. Squad size hurting Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid moved into the semi-finals of the Europa League on Thursday and last weekend saw them hold Real Madrid in the Santiago Bernabeu, but coach Diego Simeone has a problem as he prepares for Sunday afternoon's game at home to an improving Levante with just 13 outfield players available for selection.

January sales mean Atletico have only 19 players (including two goalkeepers) in their squad at best, but Thursday saw Diego Costa and Lucas Hernandez pick up injuries to add to that of Felipe Luis and Thomas Partey's suspension.

That means Simeone is without a left back to receive Levante, but the fact is his squad is so small that any injuries or suspensions would leave him with a problem and this weekend's problem is a repeat of what happened a fortnight ago against Deportivo la Coruna.

3. Battle for Europa League becoming a race to find the least slow

Sixth placed Villarreal visit seventh place Sevilla on Saturday in a game which could go a long way to deciding who will qualify for next season's Europa League. While Betis in fifth, have put together a run of four straight wins and look favorites to seal a place in Europe, Sevilla have dropped down the table after taking just one point from their last four league games.

Villarreal have three defeats in their last five, the last of which was a poor display at home to Athletic Club on Monday night. The good news for the pair is that most of the sides below them are also very inconsistent, but if Celta or Girona can string a couple of results together, the race for Europe, is still wide open, although so far it's hardly been a sprint to the finish line.

4. One last chance to avoid the drop?

Deportivo la Coruna won for the first time in 16 attempts when they defeated Malaga a week ago, and then immediately saw how Levante beat Las Palmas to move eight points clear of the relegation zone. Levante have taken 10 points from a possible 12, but face a tough trip to Atletico Madrid on Sunday and if Deportivo can win away to Athletic Club, they could close the gap to just five. Avoiding relegation would still be a huge ask, but if Deportivo are to have any chance of salvation, they need all three points from Bilbao.

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