Primera Liga matches, May 28-29
Villarreal will secure a place in the third qualifying round of the Champions League for the first time if they defeat regional rivals Levante on Sunday (kickoff 1900 GMT).
Villarreal will secure a place in the third qualifying round of the Champions League for the first time if they defeat regional rivals Levante on Sunday (kickoff 1900 GMT).
Villarreal, who are on 62 points, Real Betis (61), Sevilla (60) and Espanyol (58), fight it out for the final two Champions League berths. Champions Barcelona and second-placed Real Madrid have already qualified.
"It has been a difficult year fighting on a number of fronts and now is the moment, in the last game of the season, to crown everything we have achieved," Villarreal striker Diego Forlan told sports daily Marca on Friday.
"I don't care what the other teams do, we hold our destiny in our own hands and if we win our game we qualify, that's all that matters."
Forlan's hat-trick in the 3-3 draw with Barcelona last weekend leaves the Uruguayan just one goal behind Barca's Samuel Eto'o who is the league's leading scorer with 24 goals.
Villarreal's Argentine playmaker Juan Roman Riquleme, who has said he is leaving the club at the end of the season, is an injury doubt for the game. At the foot of the table Levante, who occupy the last undecided relegation spot, trail 17th-placed Real Mallorca by one point. Mallorca have home advantage against Betis.
Levante, without a win in nine, hold the edge over Mallorca in head-to-heads should the two sides finish level on points.
Other matches being played this weekend (kickoff times 1900 GMT; league positions in brackets):
Saturday:
REAL SOCIEDAD (15) v BARCELONA (1) 1700
Barca's Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o will be looking to maintain his position as the Primera Liga's leading scorer when the champions visit San Sebastian.
Coach Frank Rijkaard will be without Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho who is suspended.
REAL ZARAGOZA (9) v REAL MADRID (2)
Real, with second place assured, are without the suspended David Beckham as they travel to Zaragoza hoping to end their second successive season without a major trophy, on a high.
Unsettled Portuguese winger Luis Figo, who has been consigned to substitute appearances since early April, could make his last appearance in a Real shirt.
Sunday:
ATLETICO MADRID (11) v GETAFE (14)
Atletico's slim chances of making one of Spain's two Intertoto Cup places rely on Deportivo and Athletic Bilbao slipping up.
With another season in La Liga assured, Getafe can overtake Atletico with a win to become the capital's second highest placed team behind Real.
ESPANYOL (6) v ATHLETIC BILBAO (8)
Espanyol, who narrowly avoided relegation last season, can book themselves a place in the UEFA Cup with a point against a depleted Bilbao.
Coach Ernesto Valverde, taking charge of his last game for Bilbao, will be without suspended midfielder Carlos Gurpegi and left back Asier del Horno, a reported Chelsea target. Captain Joseba Etxeberria is injured.
NUMANCIA (19) v DEPORTIVO CORUNA (10)
Deportivo are in the unfamiliar position of scrapping for a place in the Intertoto Cup after slipping out of the hunt for the UEFA Cup places with a poor run of late.
Numancia are already condemned to second division football.
RACING SANTANDER (16) v ALBACETE (20) 1700
Basement side Albacete, who are already relegated, are competing with Numancia to avoid finishing bottom of the table.
REAL MALLORCA (17) v REAL BETIS (4)
A win for King's Cup finalists Betis makes sure of their Champions League place, but it will be no easy task against Hector Cuper's Real Mallorca who are making a brave bid to avoid the drop.
Mallorca are unbeaten in five, have scored seven in their last two games, and leap-frogged Levante to move out of the relegation places with victory over Deportivo last weekend.
SEVILLA (5) v MALAGA (12)
A goalless draw against Getafe last time out assured Sevilla a UEFA Cup berth next year, but they could yet sneak a Champions League place if they win and either third-placed Villarreal or fourth-placed Betis lose.
Malaga have secured their place in the top-flight for another season but will not give up easily in an Andalucian derby.
VALENCIA (7) v OSASUNA (13)
Valencia have to beat Osasuna, and hope sixth-placed Espanyol lose, if they are to secure a place in the UEFA Cup. Anything less and they will be top of the list for an Intertoto Cup place.
King's Cup finalists Osasuna have Uruguayan striker Richard Morales suspended.