On the hunt for a survival hero

This weekend will see a dramatic Liga BBVA season come to a close on a final day with so much at stake. Getafe CF, R. Sporting and Rayo Vallecano are the three sides that will be battling to secure their top-flight status on Sunday. Only one will come out on top, but fans of all three clubs are hoping for a happy end to a campaign in which a hero could yet emerge and get his name written into the history books. We take a look at some of the possible candidates.

Juan Eduardo Esnaider (Getafe CF)

Getafe climbed out of the relegation zone last Sunday for the first time in two months, thanks mainly to the team's reversal in fortunes since Juan Eduardo Esnaider took over the reins. The Argentine coach joined the club in mid-April after a 12-game winless run in which the side only amassed two points.

Esnaider's first game in the dugout also ended in defeat, with a rampant Real Madrid running out 5-1 winners as their title challenge gathered pace, but Getafe have embarked on an unbeaten streak since. They picked up a key 2-1 win away to Real Sociedad the following week to give the squad and fans alike reason for optimism. That was followed by a 2-2 stalemate against Valencia CF and another crucial victory on the road, this time against RC Deportivo (2-0) which was when the team's belief really grew that survival was a distinct possibility.

Last time out, Getafe came back from a goal down in their penultimate league game of the season to draw 1-1 against Sporting and move out of the drop zone. They now head into the final round of games with their fate in their own hands. Victory over R. Betis in Seville would guarantee survival for Esnaider's side, with the Argentine transforming his players' mentality in the space of just a few weeks. If the club manages to stay up, the coach would undoubtedly take the bulk of the plaudits.

Jony (R. Sporting)

The Sporting midfielder has become one of the team's key figures in recent weeks and the club's survival hopes are partially pinned on the Spaniard thanks to his impressive run of performances.

The Sporting youth product scored and notched an assist in the 2-0 win over SD Eibar on Matchday 36 and he also saved a point for his team in a 1-1 draw with UD Las Palmas in mid-April. Jony's figures currently read four goals and seven assists so far this season in the Liga BBVA.

The 24-year-old's importance to the side has been consistently on the rise and home supporters at El Molinon will be hoping for another fine display when Villarreal CF come to town on the final day of the campaign, in which Sporting need to better Getafe's result away to Betis to survive.

Javi Guerra (Rayo Vallecano)

The Rayo striker is already used to being labelled a hero by his fans, having spearheaded Levante UD's promotion to the Liga BBVA in 2009/10 with his goals, a feat that he subsequently repeated with R. Valladolid CF in 2011/12 with 17 goals, three of which came in the playoffs. The Spaniard netted the goal that kept the club in the Liga BBVA at the end of the following season which he will no doubt be planning to replicate this Sunday for his current employers.

It will be no easy task for Rayo, who need a home win over Levante UD coupled with slip-ups by Getafe and Sporting on the last day. In order to keep their side of the bargain at the very least, it is essential that the 34-year-old has his shooting boots on. Javi Guerra has scored 13 times this season, eight of which have come on home soil, and will be hoping to be among the goals come Sunday in order to be the hero once again and potentially help keep Rayo up.