The relegation race is tight in La Liga. After 25 rounds of football, just six points separate 10th-place Mallorca and 18th-place Getafe.
Points are vital at this stage of the season.It could take 40 points for teams to ensure they play La Liga football next term.
Rayo Vallecano are nine points above the relegation zone but sit in seventh place. The Red Sashes are three points off the top six ahead of Saturday’s match at home versus 12th-place Girona. Rayo are unbeaten in five of their last six games versus Girona.
Earlier this season, Girona managed a 2-2 draw at home versus Rayo Vallecano. Rayo are not scoring, as they failed to score in their last three La Liga games. The Red Sashes failed to win their last five La Liga fixtures.
Girona are on a two-match losing streak in the league. They still picked up nine points from the last 18 points on offer. Girona do not travel well. They have an away record of 2W-3D-7L this season.
Espanyol and Celta Vigo will play for a third time this season in all competitions. The teams drew 2-2 at the Estadio de Balaidos in La Liga before drawing 1-1 at Espanyol at the end of full-time in the Copa del Rey. Four of the last six matches between Espanyol and Celta ended as draws at full-time.
Celta Vigo are in good form defensively. They kept clean sheets in their last three matches in the league. The Sky Blues’ fortunes are turning around. After a poor start to the campaign, Celta took 11 points from the last 18 points on offer. The Sky Blues outscored the last six opponents 11-5.
Espanyol are one point above 18th-place Getafe. They lost their last two matches in La Liga. The Parakeets are not particularly good at playing at home. Just 13 points were picked up from their opening 12 home fixtures.
Real Sociedad are on a five-game winning streak against Elche in all competitions. Will Sunday be a sixth straight win? Elche are headed back to La Liga 2, as they have failed to win 23 of their last 25 La Liga matches.
Elche are bottom of the La Liga table with 13 points from 25 fixtures. They have scored the joint-fewest goals this season (19). Elche won just one of 12 matches on the road, scoring eight times and conceding 28 goals.
Sociedad have hit a patch of bad form. Just six points were taken from their last six games. La Real failed to win any of their last four matches. Goals were scarce across the last six games, with only five scored.
Getafe are on a six-match losing streak against Sevilla in all competitions. On Sunday, 18th-place Getafe will hope to overcome Sevilla in a relegation six-point match. Sevilla are only two points ahead of Getafe in the race for survival.
Los Azulones conceded at least two goals in each of their last three matches. The good news for Getafe is Sevilla do not score many goals. Just 29 goals were scored by Sevilla in 25 matches. Getafe’s form is improving. They took nine points from the last six matches.
Sevilla picked up seven points from the last six matches, scoring eight goals and conceding 14 times. Los Rojiblancos failed to win any of their last six matches on the road. Just two wins were recorded by Sevilla in their 12 road matches.