FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atl\u00e9tico Madrid are all within three points of each other heading into this weekend’s Spanish top-flight action. Read on for all of our La Liga matchday 17 predictions.<\/p>\n
FC Barcelona have only one win in their last five La Liga matches going into their home game against CD Legan\u00e9s on Sunday night. Hansi Flick\u2019s side have seen their lead at the top of the table cut to just two points, with the two teams below possessing a game in hand. Their opponents may be just the remedy Los Culers need to get back on track\u2014Legan\u00e9s slowly slipping into a fight for survival, hovering precariously above the drop zone.<\/p>\n
LWOF Prediction:<\/strong> FC Barcelona 3-0 CD Legan\u00e9s<\/p>\n Read More: <\/strong>Barcelona Take Lead Over European Rivals In \u2018Advanced Talks\u2019 For \u00a345K P\/W Bundesliga Star<\/a><\/p>\n The late game on Saturday night brings us a Madrid derby that highlights the two polarised sides of the city. The all-conquering grandiosity of Real Madrid head to the southern, rustic district of Vallecas to play Rayo Vallecano in a game that could send Los Blancos top of the league, albeit for 24 hours. Kylian Mbappe picked up a knock<\/a> that makes his presence doubtful for this game, but Vini Jr came back this week from a four-match absence with a goal and an assist in the Champions League.<\/p>\n LWOF Prediction:<\/strong> Rayo Vallecano 1-2 Real Madrid<\/p>\n Atl\u00e9tico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has always said that should his team have any chance of winning La Liga, they should be ready to capitalise upon any \u201coff\u201d seasons from the league\u2019s big two. Now, with five straight victories in the competition, Los Colchoneros are perfectly poised behind their rivals to spend Christmas on top of the pile, should Bar\u00e7a and Real stumble again. The visit of city rivals Getafe CF seems the ideal opportunity to record an 11th consecutive win in all competitions.<\/p>\n LWOF Prediction:<\/strong> Atl\u00e9tico Madrid 2-0 Getafe CF<\/p>\n Real Sociedad have made a complete U-turn since a poor start to the season, which led some fans to question the job security of manager Imanol Aguacil. Notching six wins in their last seven in all competitions has included them beating Real Betis in La Liga, Ajax in the Europa League, and progressing through two rounds of the Copa del Rey. Their opponents this weekend come in the form of UD Las Palmas, who, similarly to La Real, have also turned their season around in recent weeks. New manager Diego Mart\u00ednez has his side sixth in the form table.<\/p>\n LWOF Prediction:<\/strong> Real Sociedad 1-0 UD Las Palmas<\/p>\n Athletic Club looked like the real deal last weekend as they produced a statement victory over fellow top four hunters Villarreal CF. Now, with a six-point gap over fifth place, they look to be in pole position to secure a spot in the Champions League for the first time in 10 years. They’ll make the short trip away to Deportivo Alav\u00e9s, also located within the Basque Country. Alav\u00e9s\u2019 objective this season will be to avoid the drop, as recent results have seen the teams in the relegation zone become within reach.<\/p>\n LWOF Prediction:<\/strong> Deportivo Alav\u00e9s 0-2 Athletic Clubs<\/p>\n Read More: <\/strong>\u2018I\u2019m Not Sure I\u2019d Join Barca\u2019 \u2013 Deco Shuts Down FC Barcelona Goalkeeper Rumours<\/a><\/p>\n Following on from last week\u2019s result mentioned above, Villarreal face another similarly ambitious club in Real Betis this time out. The Andalusians currently find themselves in 11th place, dangerously close to not having much to play for in the second half of the season should results continue in the manner in which they have been coming in. Villarreal\u2019s Ayoze P\u00e9rez will look to make his former team regret selling him<\/a>, if they don’t already. The Spanish international has hit the back of the net eight times for club and country this season.<\/p>\n LWOF Prediction:<\/strong> Villarreal CF 2-2 Real Betis<\/p>\n Amongst the cluster of teams hoping to keep their heads above mid-table are RCD Mallorca and Girona FC, who play each other on Saturday afternoon. Girona are currently five matches without a win in all competitions, whereas Mallorca have displayed a more topsy-turvy run of recent form. Mallorca will hope to use their fresher legs along with home advantage to get the better of their Catalan opponents, who narrowly lost to Liverpool in the Champions League this week.<\/p>\n LWOF Prediction:<\/strong> RCD Mallorca 1-0 Girona FC<\/p>\n In terms of the importance to both clubs involved, Friday night’s clash between Real Valladolid and Valencia CF might just be the biggest game of the whole of matchday 17 in La Liga. The league\u2019s bottom two teams face a do-or-die situation in which, should one lose, they would find themselves cut further adrift, making the climb out of the relegation zone even more challenging. Meanwhile, a win for either side would give a huge boost in confidence for surviving another season in the top flight. That said, neither team looks competent enough to emerge victorious from any game, so a draw could be the most likely outcome.<\/p>\n LWOF Prediction:<\/strong> Real Valladolid 1-1 Valencia CF<\/p>\n The other team completing the bottom three is RCD Espanyol, who sunk to an embarrassingly spineless 2-0 away defeat to Getafe on Monday night. They’ll welcome a CA Osasuna side to Barcelona who have drawn their last three league fixtures. Although not able to get over the line in any of those matches, Los Rojillos were leading in all three. They were subject to a 93rd-minute penalty that denied them the win against Villarreal.<\/p>\n LWOF Prediction:<\/strong> RCD Espanyol 0-1 CA Osasuna<\/p>\n Read More: <\/strong>Ex-Liverpool \u2018Star\u2019 Issues Warning To Trent Alexander-Arnold Over Real Madrid Links<\/a><\/p>\nBasques In Battle For Fourth<\/h3>\n
Planning A Great Escape?<\/h3>\n