The race for the La Liga title is heating up, with Girona and Barcelona keeping themselves in striking distance behind the league leaders, Real Madrid while Diego Simeone’s Atleti are still in the mix alongside Athletic Bilbao.
As much as things are intensifying in the upper echelon of the Spanish top flight, teams are also in a cutthroat race in the other end of the league standings, but instead of football glory, teams are fighting for their lives just to stay in the league.
Three outfits are deep in the hole of the relegation zone, and SBOTOP is here to give light to the relentless battle of those clubs at the bottom of the standings.
Almeria
If you’re having a bad day, just remember that Almeria have yet to win a single match in the 2023–24 La Liga season. With a 0-9-17 record after 26 top-flight matches, Gaizka Garitano’s outfit is dead last in the league standings.
As it stands, Almeria need to garner 12 league points just to hover above the relegation zone. But to Almeria’s credit, they have remained unbeaten in their last three La Liga clashes, stunning the top flight with draws against Atletico Madrid, Granada, and Athletic Bilbao.
Luka Romero’s inspiring performance against Diego Simeone’s Atleti is probably the greatest La Liga 2024 results Rojiblancos have produced. The mere fact that they were able to rub elbows with one of the best outfits in the Spanish top flight just shows the potential Almeria have, and their fans shouldn’t count them out of their La Liga aspirations just yet.
They will go up against Celta Vigo in their next La Liga tie, a great opportunity for Garitano and his boys to garner their first win of the season, as Rafael Benítez’s Sky Blues are also in a rut this season, treading just above the relegation zone coming into their matchday 27 tie.
As of today, Almeria rely on Sergio Arribas to lead them to much-needed wins, as the attacking midfielder boasts himself as Almeria’s top goal scorer this season with six goals, while his running mates centre-forward Luis Suarez and midfielder Lucas Roertone both have four goals apiece.
Expect Garitano’s offence to run through these three capable scorers when they aim to win their first match of the season when they pay a visit to Balaídos this weekend.
Granada
Like Almeria, Granada have also been unbeaten in their last five matches, recently pulling off a 3-3 draw against one of the La Liga 2024 betting odds favourites Barcelona, who are hoping to give their manager his last hurrah.
Unlike Almeria, Granada have already tallied wins this season—two to be exact. With a 2-8-15 record, Granada have 14 points but are still deep in the relegation zone, making them one of the prime candidates to be sent down to the Segunda División when the season is done and dusted.
Alexander Medina’s outfit just got promoted from the Segunda División last campaign, thanks to their dominant 22-9-11 performance in the 2022–23 season. They managed to edge out Las Palmas and Levante, who were just three points behind in the standings.
They will try to garner their third win of the season against Villarreal on Sunday, but Medina and his men will probably be the underdogs coming into that match as Villarreal have been unbeaten in the top flight since the new year and are poised to make a strong tail-end run to finish the season.
Cadiz
Among the teams currently in the relegation zone, Cadiz have the best chance of staying in the top flight once the season is over. Currently, Cadiz have a 2-12-12 record with 18 points. And they would need to string up a couple of winning results to overtake Celta Vigo in the standings.
Last season, Cadiz fared well in the top flight, finishing in 14th place despite being just recently promoted from the Segunda División. Their steady decline from their respectable finish last season forced the Yellow Submarine to appoint a new head coach, someone who can lead them to a steady climb out of the relegation zone and keep their La Liga dreams alive.
Just last month, Cadiz appointed Mauricio Pellegrino as the new man at the helm, replacing La Liga staple Sergio González. With their new signing, the Yellow Submarine hope that their luck will finally turn around, but unfortunately, it’s been all the same.
Cadiz have yet to garner a win under Pellegrino and are now deeper in the hole since they decided to part ways with Sergio González.
Pellegrino and his men hope for good results against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday before they brave the likes of Real Sociedad, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Girona, and Granada in their next string of games.
A tough slate for an outfit on thin ice, but the Yellow Submarine have no choice but to ride the wave and hope for sunny days ahead.
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