Barça on verge of crown as La Liga relegation scrap continues

Barcelona's Jules Kounde, right, heads the ball during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Getafe and Barcelona in Getafe, Spain. (AP)

MADRID, April 30 (Xinhua): The 34th round of La Liga this weekend could see the title all but decided and another Champions League place confirmed.

FC Barcelona will be crowned champion if it wins away to Osasuna on Saturday and Real Madrid loses at Espanyol on Sunday night.

Barca travels to Pamplona without Lamine Yamal, though Raphinha and Marc Bernal could feature. Osasuna, ninth and pushing for Europe, will be without winger Victor Munoz, who has reportedly attracted interest from both Barcelona and Real Madrid but is out with a calf injury.

Espanyol hosts Real Madrid after a 0-0 home draw against second-from-bottom Levante, leaving the club winless in 2026 and sliding from European contention to 13th place, just five points above the relegation zone.

Madrid will be without Eder Militao, who has undergone tendon surgery and will miss the World Cup, while Arda Guler and Kylian Mbappe are sidelined with muscle problems. With the title almost out of reach, there is a sense that some players are prioritizing staying fit for the summer.

If the title is not settled this weekend, the next likely decider would be the Clásico between Barcelona and Real Madrid on May 10.

Villarreal hosts Levante on Saturday in a match with consequences at both ends of the table. A point for third-placed Villarreal would mathematically secure Champions League qualification, while a win could lift Levante, making the short trip north from Valencia, out of the bottom three.

Villarreal would also clinch a top-four finish if Real Betis fails to beat bottom side Oviedo, whose survival hopes were hit by last weekend's 2-1 home loss to Elche.

The round of matches begins on Friday night with Girona at home to Mallorca in a relegation six-pointer, with defeat potentially dragging Mallorca back into the bottom three.

Valencia can all but banish relegation fears with a home win over Atletico Madrid, whose coach, Diego Simeone, is expected to rest most of his regular starters ahead of Tuesday's Champions League semifinal second leg away to Arsenal following Wednesday's 1-1 draw in Madrid.

Alaves entertains Athletic Club in a Basque derby, with Alaves desperate for three points and hoping in-form striker Toni Martinez can extend his scoring streak. Athletic, not yet mathematically safe, will need to match Alaves' intensity in a packed Mendizorroza.

Elche's first away win of the season last weekend lifted it out of the drop zone before a visit to Celta Vigo, which remains seventh despite three straight defeats. Getafe, meanwhile, will look to bounce back from a tame loss to Barcelona against a Rayo Vallecano side with one eye on its Conference League semifinal against Strasbourg.

Sevilla closes the round at home to Real Sociedad on Monday, starting the match inside the relegation zone amid rising tension on and off the pitch. The one positive for Luis Garcia Plaza's side is that Real Sociedad has already secured Europa League football by winning the Copa del Rey and has little to play for beyond pride.