Levante can climb from 17th to 11th by beating Athletic in their game in hand

Levante host Athletic Club at the Ciutat de València tonight (20:00) knowing a win in their game in hand would lift them from 17th to 11th in La Liga. The matchday 6 fixture was postponed in September because of rain, and it opens a week in which all six of the bottom clubs play, separated by just four points.

The bottom six

Málaga are last on four points, the only side still without a win after nine games. Valencia have six, Levante and Elche seven, Racing Santander and Espanyol eight. Above them, Athletic, Villarreal, Rayo Vallecano and Getafe sit on nine, so one result can still reshuffle the table.

Levante: late goals and a rebuilt squad

Levante have taken seven points from 24, with one win, four draws and three defeats. Their home games have been lively: a 5-2 win over Betis, a 2-4 defeat to Barcelona and a 3-3 draw with Sevilla. They arrive from a 1-1 draw at Deportivo in Riazor. A draw tonight would put them level with Racing and Espanyol on eight points.

Coach Luís Castro joked about his side scoring half their goals in the final stretch of games: "We could ask LaLiga to make the table using only the last 15 minutes so that we'd be up there, but I'm sure they won't listen to us." He also pointed to the club's finances: "This year we made sales worth 40 million and we didn't have money for the first match or to register players."

Athletic, coached by Edin Terzic, have scored seven and conceded six in seven league games and drew 0-0 at Valencia last weekend, where striker Gorka Guruzeta ruptured a cruciate ligament that rules him out for the rest of the season. Castro said he did not know whether Nico Williams would be fit, but warned: "It is a team with a lot of quality. Suffice to say it has some players who are world champions and started at the World Cup. It is a team that can hurt you at any moment."

Málaga and Valencia under pressure

Málaga were beaten 5-2 by Real Sociedad at La Rosaleda on Sunday, with Mikel Oyarzabal scoring twice. They have the joint-second-worst defence in the league (18 conceded, level with Osasuna) and travel to Alavés, a direct rival in the survival fight, on Friday (21:00), before a visit to Betis.

Valencia have won once in nine games and scored only six goals, one more than Getafe's league-low five. Javier Aguirre's side host Villarreal in Saturday's derby at Mestalla (18:30), with the coach waiting on the fitness of the injured Justin de Haas.

Elche at a partly closed Vallecas

Elche, coached by Martín Anselmi, visit Rayo Vallecano on Saturday (14:00). The stand above the dressing rooms at Vallecas will be closed: the Spanish federation's disciplinary committee fined Rayo 6,000 euros and ordered a partial closure after objects thrown from the stands led to the suspension of Rayo's match against Athletic. That game will be resumed behind closed doors. Later on Saturday (16:15), Racing, who have the league's worst defence with 25 goals conceded, host Espanyol in a meeting of two teams on eight points.