The final weeks of the 2014-15 La Liga season are upon us, and heading into Matchday 36, both the race for the title and the battle against relegation are wide open.
Barcelona and Real Madrid are separated by just two points, and both clubs face tricky home fixtures on Saturday, playing Real Sociedad and Valencia, respectively.
Meanwhile, Eibar's 2-0 loss against Espanyol opens the door for Deportivo La Coruna to escape the relegation zone for the first time in ages, provided the Galicians can beat Athletic Bilbao.
Here's the schedule for Week 36 of La Liga action:
The current La Liga standings:
The list of La Liga's top scorers:
Friday recap
Sergio Garcia and Christian Stuani both found the net for Espanyol in their routine 2-0 win over Eibar on Friday, as the visitors leapfrogged a host of clubs to grab seventh place and are within five points of Villarreal.
The Catalans would qualify for the Europa League from that position, should Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao in the final of the Copa Del Rey. Meanwhile, as shared by author Sid Lowe, Eibar's situation is turning more dire with every passing week:
Garcia was given far too much space by the Eibar defence in the first half and easily found the top corner from near the penalty spot, and when Stuani made it 2-0 after half-time, the match was as good as over.
The 28-year-old forward is quietly enjoying one of the best seasons of his career, per OptaJose:
The win takes Espanyol up to seventh place, but the likes of Villarreal, Malaga and Celta Vigo will still feature during the weekend. Eibar have now lost six matches in a row, their second major losing streak of the season.
Deportivo La Coruna could leap over the Basques with a win over Athletic, and with just two weeks left in the season, every point will be vital from this point forward.
Of course, no one knows exactly when those final two weeks will be played, as the Spanish football federation is facing a suspension starting next week, via Yahoo's Kieran Canning. The president of La Liga, Angel Maria Villar, is not helping matters with comments like these, as reported by The Associated Press (per Fox Soccer):
Both sides have yet to give any indication they're willing to come to an agreement and have mainly resorted to calling each other out like Villar did. With every passing day, the chance that we will get to enjoy La Liga action come May 16 becomes less and less likely.