No slip-ups in the race for the Liga BBVA title

With three matchdays to go in the Liga BBVA, some teams have already started trying to shore up where they will finish the season, although question marks still hang over many of the positions.
FC Barcelona and Real Madrid both triumphed to keep the race for the title alive as Elche CF mathematically managed to shore up safety. As well as that, no side wants to be relegated and four teams are fighting it out for seventh place with a view to what happens in the final of the Copa del Rey.

The Catalans march on

Luis Enrique's men took on Córdoba CF on Saturday and showed no mercy towards their Andalusian hosts, who have now been mathematically relegated to the Liga Adelante for next season. Los azulgranas put eight goals past the home side, a devastating tally that further proves the abundance of firepower Barcelona possess up front. The stars of the show were Luis Suárez with a hat-trick and Messi with a brace.

Cristiano Ronaldo rediscovers his best form

The Ballon d'Or seems to particularly enjoy the first few days of each month. Just as he did at the beginning of April, the Portuguese marksman took the spotlight during Real Madrid’s first encounter in May by scoring a hat-trick. Ronaldo’s knack of finding the back of the net played a pivotal role in earning his team a hugely important win in the Sánchez Pizjuán. The three points ensure that los blancos remain hot on the heels of Barça in the title race.

Real Madrid’s joy came at the expense of Sevilla FC who suffered their first home defeat of the season. Unai Emery's charges had gone 25 straight La Liga games without losing, a record the Andalusians got the ball rolling on following a 1-4 thrashing by Barcelona on 8 February 2014. 

Elche secure safety against Málaga CF

The Fran Escribá-led team sealed their Liga BBVA status for yet another season by beating the Costa del Sol outfit 1-2 thanks to goals from their most in-form players: Jonathas de Jesus and Mario Pašalić. The Alicante side have clinched twelve of the last fifteen points up for grabs, a feat that has allowed them to climb to thirteenth in the table with 40 points, a tally that guarantees another season in the Spanish topflight football for Elche.

Meanwhile, Málaga came off the worse from this meeting, as the defeat means Javi Gracia's team have relinquished seventh place to Athletic Club. As things stand at the moment, seventh spot holds no value other than bragging rights unless of course Barcelona manage to triumph over the Basques in the Copa del Rey final, in which case finishing in this position would grant access to the UEFA Europa League.

New coach guarantees a winning performance

The old cliché rang true yet again in the match between Getafe CF and Granada CF. José Ramón Sandoval, making his debut in the Andalusian side’s dugout, immediately put an end to an eight-game winless run as Granada managed to see off their Madrid rivals courtesy of a Youseff El Arabi brace.

The result demonstrates Granada's unwillingness to drop out of the Spanish topflight. Following Córdoba's relegation over the weekend, four teams must now battle it out to finish the season above to two remaining places in the Liga BBVA danger zone.