Another vital weekend for destiny of Spanish league title

Saturday sees another frantic afternoon of football in Spain where the destiny of the BBVA Primera Liga could well be decided with the top three all in action.

After the 36th round of matches kicks off on Friday night as Sporting Gijon look for three vital points at home to Eibar, the stage switches to San Sebastian on Saturday afternoon as Real Madrid visit Real Sociedad.

The Basque side have a habit of causing problems to sides at the top of the table and only recently defeated FC Barcelona in the Anoeta Stadium.

Real Madrid travel with one eye on the return leg of their Champions League semi-final against Manchester City and will be without Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema through injury.

Resting players has not stopped them in the past, but this is a game where they could go top of the table to put the pressure in Atletico Madrid and Barca.

Atletico also face their match at home to relegation threatened neighbors Rayo Vallecano with one eye on Europe after their battling 1-0 win at home to Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

Diego Simeone will be in the stands as he starts a 3-game ban and his options for squad rotations are not as deep as Real Madrid' s although players such as Angel Correa and Luciano Vietto could well be given a chance along with Jesus Gamez and Thomas Teye in midfield.

An Atletico win would ensure they remain ahead of Real Madrid and pile the pressure on FC Barcelona.

Luis Enrique's side are last in action again and face a tricky match away to Betis and although two wins which have seen them score 14 goals look to have steadied the ship, Barca would be wrong to think they have returned to peak form.

Their exit from Europe, should however, have allowed the coach to rest tired legs over the week and that freshness could be a factor in the final fortnight of the campaign.

They will face a hostile atmosphere away to Betis and a pitch where the grass has probably been left a bit longer and drier than usual in an attempt to hamper their passing game.

Saturday ends with Granada needing a win at home to Las Palmas before Athletic Club Bilbao have their third consecutive midday kick off on Sunday when they face Celta Vigo.

The sides sixth and fifth in the table are both assured of playing in Europe next season, but both have the incentive to finish fifth as it would mean avoiding a play off round at the end of the summer.

Sevilla are the only side in Europe's five main leagues without an away win, which is good news for Espanyol, who need 3 points to climb away from danger, while Getafe will hope their upturn in form continues under Juan Eduardo Esnaider away to Deportivo la Coruna.

There is a derby between Valencia and Villarreal, in a game Villarreal need to win in order to assure fourth place, while Levante's relegation could be confirmed should they lose away to Malaga on Monday night. Endit