Three regional derbies to look forward to in La Liga matchday 28

The relegation battle heats up as the bottom-placed sides fight hard for survival.

From Sevilla FC vs RC Celta at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán on Friday night to FC Barcelona vs Girona FC at the Spotify Camp Nou on Monday, Matchday 28 of the La Liga Santander season has big games from start to finish.

The first fixture of the round is a huge one for Sevilla FC, as the relegation-threatened club look to build on new coach José Luis Mendilibar’s victory in his debut, though the supporters know that Los Nervionenses aren’t completely out of danger yet. With the city of Seville celebrating Easter week, there should be a special atmosphere on Friday night and Sevilla FC will try to give their fans something to cheer about with a home victory against Carlos Carvalhal’s well-drilled RC Celta side.

Four exciting fixtures on Saturday

There will be four fixtures taking place on the Saturday of this round, the first of which is CA Osasuna vs Elche CF. Los Rojillos weren’t able to defeat the bottom-placed side when these teams played out a 1-1 draw earlier in the season, so will hope for a better showing in front of the El Sadar crowd.

Next up is a hugely important game for RCD Espanyol and the club’s new coach Luis García Fernández. The former Los Pericos midfielder has been hired to lead the team away from the threat of relegation and he’ll actually be going up against a man who was once his coach at RCD Espanyol, Ernesto Valverde, as the veteran coach brings his Athletic Club side to town. It promises to be a very interesting debut for the young tactician.

Focus turns to the top four race on Saturday evening as Real Sociedad look to bounce back from last weekend’s defeat to Villarreal CF when they host Getafe CF at the Reale Arena. But, Geta just secured a point from another trip to the Basque Country last weekend, as they drew in Bilbao, so it won’t be easy for La Real.

Villarreal target the league double over Real Madrid

Then, just after that, Villarreal CF will hope to complete a double over Real Madrid as they pursue Champions League qualification. El Submarino Amarillo defeated Real Madrid 2-1 at home earlier this LaLiga Santander season and now visit the Bernabéu, a stadium where they’ve lost just once across their past four visits.

Sunday's fixtures

Sunday starts off with Real Valladolid hosting RCD Mallorca, another match that will see a new coach debut. Paulo Pezzolano will be taking charge of the Pucela when the islanders visit after the club decided to part ways with Pacheta on Monday.

Then comes the first of La Liga Matchday 28’s three regional rivalry matches, as Real Betis welcome fellow Andalusian side Cádiz CF to the Estadio Benito Villamarín. The festive feeling will still be in the air in Seville on Sunday afternoon, so Real Betis will also be looking to put on a show for their fans and to collect three points that could prove vital in the race towards Europe.

The action then moves to the Andalusian coast, where UD Almería will be clashing with Valencia CF. That is a huge relegation six-pointer and the UD Almería fans will look to play their part, trying to inspire Rubi’s side to another home victory, aware that Los Rojiblancos haven’t yet been able to win away from the Power Horse Stadium this season.

On Sunday night, all eyes will be on Vallecas, where there is a Madrid derby between Rayo Vallecano and Atlético de Madrid. This is always a special match for Atleti captain Koke, as he returns to his home neighbourhood and he scored the only goal as Los Colchoneros won this fixture 1-0 last season. They’ll hope for a similar result this Sunday and, if Atlético de Madrid do secure victory, it would be their fifth in a row.

League leaders FC Barcelona are at home for the final La Liga game of the round, on Monday night. They’ll take on fellow Catalan side Girona FC at the Spotify Camp Nou for just the third ever time in LaLiga Santander. The previous two duels produced a lot of goals, as Barça won 6-1 and drew 2-2 on those occasions. The fans going along for some Monday night football will hope for a similarly entertaining game to conclude this matchday.

INDIA TIMINGS

Saturday, 8th April, 12:30 a.m., Sevilla vs Celta Vigo

Saturday, 8th April, 5:30 p.m., Osasuna vs Elche

Saturday, 8th April, 7:45 p.m., Espanyol vs Athletic Club

Saturday, 8th April, 10:00 p.m., Real Sociedad vs Getafe

Sunday, 9th April, 12:30 a.m., Real Madrid vs Villarreal

Sunday, 9th April, 12:30 a.m., Real Madrid vs Villarreal

Sunday, 9th April, 5:30 p.m., Valladolid vs Mallorca

Sunday, 9th April, 7:45 p.m., Real Betis vs Cadiz

Sunday, 9th April, 10:00 p.m., Almeria vs Valencia

Monday, 10th April, 12:30 a.m., Rayo Vallecano vs Atletico Madrid

Tuesday, 11th April, 12:30 a.m., Barcelona vs Girona

Watch LaLiga Santander live this weekend on Sports18, Jio Cinema and VOOT Select.