Half of La Liga in relegation fight

LALIGA’s official table on May 17 showed that the relegation fight had spread across the entire bottom half of Spain’s top division with two rounds left. Rayo Vallecano sat 10th on 44 points after 36 matches, while Mallorca and Levante occupied the final two relegation places on 39 points and Real Oviedo were last on 29. With six points still available before the final whistle of the season, no club from 10th through 19th had fully escaped the risk mathematically, according to the standings. Sunday’s Matchday 37 schedule concentrated that tension into one afternoon. LALIGA listed nine matches kicking off at 10:00 a.m. and Barcelona against Real Betis at 12:15 p.m., with Levante hosting Mallorca, Elche facing Getafe, Osasuna meeting Espanyol and Real Oviedo playing Alavés among the games affecting the bottom of the table. ### Which teams were actually in danger? Rayo Vallecano, Valencia, Sevilla, Osasuna, Espanyol, Girona, Alavés, Elche, Mallorca and Levante filled places 10 through 19 in the official standings published by LALIGA on May 17. (laliga.com) Those 10 clubs were separated by five points, from Rayo’s 44 down to the 39 held by Mallorca and Levante. Real Oviedo were already adrift. (laliga.com) LALIGA’s table showed Oviedo with 29 points from 36 matches, 10 points behind safety with only six left to play, leaving the promoted side already relegated before Sunday’s games. ### Why was 10th place still part of the conversation? Six points remained available with two rounds left, and that kept even mid-table clubs in the calculation. (laliga.com) AP reported on May 16 that no other team in the bottom half besides Real Oviedo had been mathematically saved at that stage, a reflection of how compressed the standings were near the line. Rayo Vallecano’s position illustrated the margin. The Madrid club were 10th, but only five points ahead of 18th-placed Mallorca and 19th-placed Levante, meaning one bad round combined with results elsewhere could still drag them closer to the final-day fight. ### Which matches mattered most on Sunday? Levante against Mallorca stood out because both clubs entered the day inside the relegation zone on 39 points. (wtop.com) A win for either side would directly damage a rival while potentially lifting the winner above Elche, who began 17th on 39 points, depending on goal difference and other results. Elche’s home match against Getafe also carried immediate stakes. (laliga.com) Elche started the round just one place above the drop zone, level on points with Mallorca and Levante, while Alavés, Girona, Espanyol and Osasuna were only one to three points further clear. Real Oviedo’s game against Alavés still mattered for the visitors. Alavés were 16th on 40 points before kickoff, only one point above Elche and one above the two clubs in the relegation places. (laliga.com) ### How many teams were already safe or already down? Barcelona, Real Madrid, Villarreal, Atlético de Madrid, Real Betis, Celta, Getafe, Real Sociedad and Athletic Club were all above the 44-point mark held by Rayo Vallecano. (laliga.com) Those clubs were outside the bottom-half relegation squeeze shown in the standings, while Real Oviedo were the only side already certain to go down before Matchday 37. Three clubs will be relegated in total from LALIGA EA SPORTS. The official table marked Mallorca, Levante and Real Oviedo in the descenso places before Sunday’s matches, but only Oviedo had no path out with two rounds remaining. ### What comes next after this round? May 17 was the next major checkpoint because LALIGA scheduled the penultimate round that day across the division. (laliga.com) The final standings then move to Matchday 38, the last round of the 2025-26 season, with the league’s official competition page stating the season ends on May 24, 2026. (laliga.com)