Real title celebrations on hold
Real Madrid will have to wait at least another week before they make safe their 28th League title after being held 2-2 at home by Espanyol.
Real Madrid will have to wait at least another week before they make safe their 28th League title after being held 2-2 at home by Espanyol.
The Merengues could only manage a 2-2 home draw against Paco Flores' Espanyol on Sunday night. But Real coach Vicente Del Bosque will be more concerned with the recurrence of striker Fernando Morientes' groin injury, which forced the player to be replaced after half an hour by Pedro Munitis.
Deportivo of La Coruna are perhaps the best placed to cause an upset in this year's title race, the Galicians are lying second with 64 points - just six points behind Real Madrid. However, if Depor lose next weekend at Oviedo and Real Madrid beat neighbours Rayo Vallecano, then the title will be heading back to the Bernabeu for the first time since 1996.
The scramble for a place in next season's Champion's League involves four clubs: Deportivo, Valencia, Barcelona and Mallorca and three of the four will meet each other before the season is out. Hector Cuper's Valencia have suffered a recent drop in form in the Primera and the team, clearly with the upcoming Champion's League final in Milan on their mind, suffered a shock 3-0 drubbing to Malaga on Sunday, striker Dely Valdes netting a well-deserved hat trick.
The che have a tough final run in the league where they will face Athletic Bilbao, Racing, Deportivo and Barcelona in the final games of the season. Valencia will be keeping a close watch on Mallorca, who have entered the race for a European place next year with a superb late run. Luis Aragones guided his side to a classy 2-0 win against rivals Celta of Vigo, Nigerian striker Finidi George heading both goals in the encounter.
Mallorca must fend off Espanyol, Rayo Vallecano, Alaves and Oviedo is they are to qualify for Europe next year. Barcelona have not been having one of the most enthralling seasons but they did their chances of making the Champion's League competiton the world of good by trouncing Rayo Vallecano 5-1 at the Nou Camp on Sunday night. The Catalans are not in the best position, lying fifth with 59 points, the same as Mallorca and Valencia but with an inferior goal average. Barca take on Alaves, Oviedo, Valladolid in the last push with a classic finale against Valencia at the Nou Camp as the last game of the season.
At the foot of the first division, Numancia look likely contenders to take the drop into the second division despite logging an important 1-0 win against Osasuna on Sunday. The forecast doesn't look good for Numancia who face four tough tests against Celta, Espanyol, Rayo and Alaves bewteen now and June. Numancia may be joined by Racing of Santander and Osasuna, both lying in the gdanger zone with 33 and 35 points respectively - neither club have particularly easy rides coming up as regards forthcoming fixturesand one of the three relegation places could be decided on the final day of the season when Osasuna travel to San Sebastian to take on John Toshack's Real Sociedad, who with just 36 points themselves are far from being guaranteed another year in the top flight next year.
Real have mounted a spirited fight-back since Tosh took over from Javier Clemente earlier this year - they have a relatively easy last four fixtures where they will meet Malaga, Zaragoza, Osasuna and Basque rivals, Athletic Bilbao.