Sunday night might be El Clasico, but all eyes will be on the Estadi Ciutat de València on Saturday evening, as Lucas Alcaraz's Levante go head-to-head with Celta Vigo, hoping to steer themselves clear of the relegation zone.
Alcaraz far from has fond memories of Celta, as they consigned him to a first-game 3-0 defeat as the new manager of Levante back in October. There hasn't been much to cheer about for Levante fans since, and as their side sit eighteenth with just 25 points from 27 games, they know there might be worse to come.
The threat of relegation hangs over the Estadi Ciutat de València but Levante have shown they are up for the fight in recent weeks. Of their last six La Liga fixtures, Levante have lost three - but two of those were against Real Madrid (2-0 last weekend) and Barcelona (5-0). More positively, victories over Málaga (4-1), Granada (2-1) and Eibar SD (1-0) have shown their home form is fully capable of securing survival. Three points against Celta on Saturday night would go a long way to helping Alcaraz's side to achieve this.
For Celta boss Balaídos, the pressure is pretty much off, as his side sit in no man's land in La Liga. Sitting in a comfortable eleventh place - a full 17 points adrift of the European places, but seven clear of the relegation places - Balaídos' side have little left to play for - except pride, perhaps.
Celta's impressive 2-0 victory over champions Atlético Madrid shocked La Liga, but the result seems a distant memory now after some poor results. In their last four games, Celta have won none, losing three in the process. A 2-1 defeat to Athletic Bilbao last weekend meant the slump continued, and the away fans will be hoping a result against Levante on Saturday night can bring some joy. There may be little left to play for, but that does not mean the players' efforts will diminish as they look to consign Levante to more relegation trouble.
