While several teams around the top still have unfinished business, the real drama is at the bottom of the La Liga table. Alaves' late resurgence will reach its peak if they beat the already-relegated Real Valladolid.
The Pucelanos got relegated weeks ago but the bad news hasn't stopped since then. With 28 wins in 36 rounds, Real Valladolid are en route to breaking some of the oldest and worst negative La Liga records.
Two more defeats and they will break the record for the most defeats in a row in the elite (11). This negative record has been standing since 1960. And then, losing both of their remaining games will make them the only team in around three decades to end the season with less than 20 points.
On the other end, we have the new and improved Alaves, who need just one more win to confirm their safety. Eduardo Coudet's side cannot boast consistency, but we see the improvements even in their faults. Alaves somehow stopped conceding goals – they conceded more than one a single time in the last 10 matches. To achieve that, however, they had to sacrifice some of their goal output. But it looks like this conservative style is going to save their season.
How the bookies view it: Real Valladolid to earn themselves more unwanted history
Real Valladolid have been underdogs against every team this season but even we didn't expect such a gap in the odds in this matchup. Bookmakers gave them 21/4 to beat Alaves, while the visitors are sitting at 11/20. Otherwise, there is always a chance for a draw and you can pick it at 14/5.
Recent head to head: Real Valladolid's only win from behind
History is on Alaves' side, as the Blue and Whites hold a significant advantage in the H2H stats. While the visitors suffered a huge blow at Valladolid's hands earlier this season (3-2), Alaves won seven of the last 10 H2Hs. That 3-2 came from behind and remains Real Valladolid's only such success this season.
Players to watch: Can Garcia do it yet again?
It's never a good look when a 35-year-old player is your top goalscorer but this is the reality at Alaves and it shows one of the many problems in the club. But this shouldn't take away from the fact that Kike Garcia had his best season at 35 and brought Alaves most of their points with his goals (12).
Probable line-ups
Real Valladolid: Ferreira, Perez, Ozkacar, Comert, Aznou, Amallah, Nikitscher, Tuhami, Sanchez, Moro, Latasa
Alaves: Sivera, Tenaglia, Mourino, Garces, Sanchez, Guevara, Blanco, Alena, Guridi, Vicente, Garcia
Anything else catch the eye?
There really isn't anything positive to be said about Alvaro Rubio's team. With 86 conceded goals in 36 rounds, even mentioning Real Valladolid's attacking capabilities is pointless, as even having MSN or BBC up front would not be enough to get them to a positive goal difference. But with an average of 2.39 goals conceded per game, it means that Alaves will have a plethora of chances to score and win this game, and with it, earn one more season in the elite.
The visitors have truly improved significantly in their away performances, suffering only two defeats in the last 10 matches. And they scored at least twice in 5/10. There are multiple bets you can pick here – Alaves to win, Over 1.5 goals for Alaves or Alaves at HT.
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