La Liga: Which Team Will Clinch a Spot in the Europa Conference League?

Attention on La Liga will be concentrated in the late evening fixtures as six clubs strive to avoid the unthinkable outcome of relegation, and another scuffle which will catch the eye is the one European ticket up for grabs.

The Champions League places, as also the Europa League, are already sorted, but the last remaining European place for Spanish clubs remains open to be snapped up.

Five clubs could still end the season in that spot, which could have implications for the teams’ budgets, squad planning and player retention over the summer.

Here are the teams involved and what they need to feature on Thursday night away days next season:

Osasuna

Osasuna currently occupy the seventh spot with 50 points, ahead of Athletic Club by virtue of their superior head-to-head. Then comes Girona and Rayo Vallecano on 49 apiece, but Girona have a superior overall goal difference.

Sevilla also has 49 points but are below both owing to their poor performance against those promoted sides earlier in the season.

All of these clubs could mathematically finish 7th. It is important to note that Sevilla’s victory in the Europa League final in Budapest changes things.

Their seventh triumph gives them access to Pot One of next season’s Champions League, meaning La Liga will have five clubs in the elite competition once again.

As reported by Football Espana, should Sevilla finish 7th, La Liga’s Conference League spot will disappear, and Spain will stay with seven clubs in Europe.

However, if any of the other sides finish 7th, they would enter the Conference League and Spain would have eight representatives in European competitions – five in the Champions League, two in the Europa League and one in the Conference League.

Mallorca

Mallorca can also reach 50 points but given the fact that two of the other contenders face off, at least one of them will surpass 50 points, meaning Javier Aguirre’s side cannot climb as high as 7th.

However, they will still have a huge say in who can as they host Rayo on Sunday evening.

Andoni Iraola will depart after this game, and he would love to do so having steered Rayo into Europe. For it to become a reality, they need to beat Mallorca, while they need Athletic to fail to win away at Real Madrid and for Osasuna and Girona to draw.

Athletic Club

For Athletic, they need to win and hope Osasuna do not. Girona have to win at El Sadar and hope Athletic fail to win at the Bernabéu. Osasuna have the easiest equation. Win at home to Girona and they will be 7th.

They are the only club in the race who depends on themselves without relying on other results.

Sevilla

Sevilla travel to Real Sociedad for what is set to be a carnival atmosphere all around. Should they win and the other contenders all fail to do the same, Sevilla will take 7th on 52 points and therefore render the entire exercise futile.

Safe in the knowledge they have a place in the Champions League, and undoubtedly feeling the effects of the celebrations, it would be quite a surprise to see Sevilla take all three points.

So, after all the calculations and head-scratching, reports per Football Espana favour Osasuna to be in pole position to seal a place in European football for the first time since 2007.

It would be a reward that would represent an appropriate vindication for the work done by Jagoba Arrasate and his squad. In truth, anything could still happen, with twists, turns and drama almost inevitable on the season's final day.

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Football

La Liga relegation battle

This Sunday, La Liga’s 2022/2023 season will come to an end, with results to reveal which third relegated team is to join Elche and Espanyol in the drop to the second tier as reported by Sports Brief.

The six clubs involved in this life-or-death battle are Cádiz on 41 points, Getafe on 41, Valencia on 41, Almería on 40, Celta de Vigo on 40, and Valladolid on 39.

All these teams depend on themselves to remain in La Liga because if they win, they avoid relegation.