The Japan Times - What to look out for in final La Liga weekend

AFP Sport picks out five talking points ahead of the season finale.

Bernabeu departures

Last week Antoine Griezmann, Robert Lewandowski and others bid farewell to Atletico Madrid and Barcelona fans respectively.

On Saturday it will be Dani Carvajal's turn to bow out at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Spain international has won 27 trophies with Los Blancos since rejoining the club from Bayer Leverkusen in 2013, including six Champions Leagues and four La Liga titles.

Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa is also expected to be taking charge of his final game, with Jose Mourinho expected to be announced as his replacement next week.

In the other Bernabeu dugout, Ernesto Valverde will manage his final game in charge of Athletic Bilbao.

Keep an eye out too, for how Real Madrid fans treat striker Kylian Mbappe.

After Madrid finished the season empty-handed the French superstar was jeered by Madrid supporters who may still be upset with the former Paris Saint-Germain attacker for a perceived lack of commitment.

Relegation fear

Girona, who qualified for the Champions League in 2024 are 18th and face Elche, 17th, knowing the loser will be relegated.

"Girona have had many moments of this type and this is another of them, it's a final to make history and stay in the top flight," said coach Michel. "We will go for Elche, we will go for them."

Mallorca, 19th, are in grave danger and need to beat already-down Real Oviedo and for other results to go their way to survive.

Osasuna and Levante are the other two teams who are still not safe yet.

The Pamplona side have a tricky clash with Getafe, who are chasing European football, while in-form Levante, who have suffered just one defeat in their last seven matches, travel to face Real Betis.

Final Euro spots

Celta Vigo, sixth, are guaranteed European football but it has not yet been decided if they will play in the Europa League or the Conference League.

Win or draw and they will reach the former, but if they lose against Sevilla, Getafe can claim that spot with a win against Osasuna.

This season's Conference League finalists Rayo, and Valencia, are also still in with a reasonable chance of reaching that competition if results go their way.

World Cup concerns

Players head into the last round of games with differing concerns ahead of this summer's World Cup.

Many will be hoping to avoid the fate of Barcelona's Fermin Lopez, injured last weekend and out of the tournament this summer with a foot fracture.

If they play for a team with little on the line on the final day they may look to swerve participation.

Brazil winger Vinicius Junior did not train with Real Madrid on Thursday and could miss the clash against Athletic Bilbao.

On the other hand, other players will view this final round of games as a last chance to convince their national team coaches to call them up or show them they deserve a starting berth this summer.

Battle for third

The only match not taking place on Saturday night is Sunday's battle for third-place, between Villarreal and Atletico Madrid.

They are level on points going into the final match. Villarreal must win to come third, while a draw would give Atletico that position on head-to-head after they beat the Yellow Submarine 2-0 in September.

If Marcelino Garcia Toral's side can finish above Atletico, it will mark their highest placement for 13 years.

The Spanish coach is also set to depart at the end of the season despite his team's strong domestic campaign.

Fixtures

Saturday

Alaves v Rayo Vallecano, Real Betis v Levante, Celta Vigo v Sevilla, Espanyol v Real Sociedad, Getafe v Osasuna, Mallorca v Real Oviedo, Real Madrid v Athletic Bilbao, Valencia v Barcelona, Girona v Elche (all matches 1900 GMT)

Sunday

Villarreal v Atletico Madrid (1900)

Y.Ishikawa--JT