Real Madrid are desperate to put back-to-back defeats behind them to win and reduce the gap between them and La Liga leaders Barcelona.
La Liga enters round 20 this weekend with Barcelona still holding on firmly to the top of the table, as they aim to retain the title they won last season.
Barca have 49 points from their opening 19 games, four ahead of eternal rivals Real Madrid. Villarreal are in third with 41, with Atletico Madrid and Espanyol rounding up the top five.
Levante and Oviedo are the bottom two sides with 14 and 13 points respectively. Time is running out for these lowly teams if they are to remain in La Liga next season.
Real Madrid, who have lost two games in a row, will be under the tutelage of their new coach Alvaro Arbeloa for the first time in La Liga. They must win at home against Levante to keep up the pace with leaders Barca.
Our team has a look at some of the top games scheduled in round 20 of La Liga, assessing both teams and offers our predicted outcome.
La Liga round 20 predictions
Real Madrid vs Levante – Saturday, 4PM
The hosts come into the game on the back of consecutive 3-2 defeats, to Barca in the Spanish Super Cup and a shock defeat to Albacete. The latter loss knocked them out of the Copa del Rey.
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They welcome a struggling Levante side who remain deep in the relegation zone. However, they are unbeaten in their last three games. Most recently being held to a 1-1 draw by Espanyol.
Madrid were 4-1 winners in the reverse fixture earlier in the season and have not lost to Levante since 2021. If they can repeat their success here, only a point will separate them and the league leaders until Sunday at least.
Prediction – Real Madrid to win
Betis vs Villarreal – Saturday, 11PM
This fixture has produced 18 goals the last five times they have met. We can also expect goals here from two sides inside the La Liga top six.
Betis are in sixth place with 29 points, well behind third place Villarreal, who have 41 points. The visitors are tied with Real and Atletico on the least goals conceded this far into the season (17).
It was all level the last time these two sides met in October last year. An Antony double securing a point for Betis in a thrilling 2-2 draw.
Villarreal snapped a three-game losing streak to win their last two games, while Betis have only lost once in their last five outings.
Prediction – Over 2.5 goals
Atletico Madrid vs Alaves – Sunday, 6:15PM
Third place Atletico are seeking a fourth straight La Liga game without defeat when they host 16th place Alaves at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Alaves, who are only two points above the relegation zone, have lost four of their last five away matches.
Their poor away form can prove to be their downfall as they take on an Atletico side who are averaging 1.5 goals a game at home this season.
Atletico have failed to beat Alaves in their last two attempts, settling for a point on both occasions. However, that is expected to change here as they are favorites to bag all three points.
Prediction – Atletico Madrid to win
Real Sociedad vs Barcelona – Sunday, 11PM
La Liga leaders Barca travel to Sociedad on the back of an impressive 11-match winning streak, looking to extend their season record.
Sociedad are unbeaten in their last five matches, edging Osasuna 3-2 on penalties last weekend to qualify for the next round of the Copa del Rey. Barcelona beat Racing Santander 2-0.
Jules Kounde and Robert Lewandowski were on target when Barca beat Sociedad 2-1 in the reverse fixture last year. Alvaro Odriozola got the Sociedad goal.
Barcelona have been the best performing team in Europe the last few months and are tipped as favorites to avoid defeat here. We could be in for a goal treat.
Prediction – Both teams to score
NB: This prediction is not guaranteed to be accurate and is provided for informational purposes only, reflecting our insight and analysis of the possible match outcome.