La lucha por la permanencia en La Liga se intensifica mientras Dani Olmo apunta al clásico histórico

Matchday 35 of La Liga EA Sports is shaping up to be decisive for the lower half of the table, where up to nine teams are embroiled in the fight to avoid relegation. Valencia, with 39 points, and Levante, with 33, are separated by just two wins, and the gap with Sevilla—who sit at 37 points, marking the safety threshold—is minimal. This keeps tension high in the final four matchdays of the championship.

Valencia, currently in the mid-to-lower table positions, face a tough schedule but have a chance to secure survival if they pick up points consistently. Fran Martínez, a PhD in Mathematics Education, recently published a study outlining the team’s chances of staying up: gaining just one point would boost their odds to 77.88%, three points would push that to 98.96%, and five points would make survival virtually certain (100%). Next week, they’ll face tough opponents—Athletic Bilbao, Rayo Vallecano, Real Sociedad, and FC Barcelona—all with their own ambitions.

In contrast, Levante is in a far more critical situation. According to Martínez, even if they earn six points in the remaining matches, their survival chances would only be 6.55%. Their schedule starts with a crucial Friday clash at Ciutat de València against Osasuna, followed by away trips to Celta and Betis, and a direct showdown with Mallorca. They’ll need a near-miraculous effort to avoid relegation. Eight points would give them a realistic shot (57.40%), while a perfect record would guarantee survival.

This weekend also features the Elche vs. Alavés clash, a vital match in the race to avoid the bottom spots. Scheduled for Saturday, May 9, at 09:00 at Martínez Valero Stadium, both teams will fight for points in a high-stakes encounter. Mateo Busquets Ferrer has been appointed as the referee for this tense battle.

Meanwhile, the top of the table is buzzing with anticipation ahead of the Barcelona vs. Real Madrid *clásico. In an exclusive interview with TVE, Dani Olmo, Barcelona’s midfielder, called the upcoming chance to "win La Liga against Real Madrid in the clásico* at home" a "historic" moment, noting that a league title has never been clinched against their rivals at Camp Nou before. He praised manager Xavi Hernández, calling him "the team’s pillar, the one who shaped our playing style and winning mentality."**

Olmo was cautious but confident ahead of the duel with a Real Madrid he expects to be "aggressive, direct, and with nothing to lose." He also admitted he’d prefer Kylian Mbappé not to play: "At the end of the day, Kylian is one of the best players in the world, and if you ask me, I’d rather he wasn’t there." While winning La Liga is always significant, he stressed the team "isn’t satisfied"—they aim for all titles and believe their Champions League experience will leave a lasting lesson for improvement.

In the Basque Country, attention is also on the coaches shaping the region’s immediate future. Pellegrino Matarazzo, current Real Sociedad manager, spoke about Edin Terzić’s arrival at Athletic Club for the next two seasons, calling him "a great coach and person" and predicting a strong impact in La Liga. The two teams will face off in the Euskal Herria Txapela preseason tournament, offering a preview of next season’s battles.

In short, emotion is at its peak in La Liga—both at the bottom, where Valencia and Levante fight for survival, and at the top, where the clásico looms as an early final that could decide the title. Spanish football is living through days of maximum tension and excitement, where every point doesn’t just count—it can change destinies and, for some, make history.