Granada CF and UD Las Palmas are back in LaLiga Santander
Both Granada CF and UD Las Palmas will be playing at LaLiga Santander level in 2023/24, as the Andalusians and Canary Islanders achieved automatic promotion on the final day of this year’s LaLiga SmartBank season. Granada CF have achieved an immediate bounce back promotion and come up as champions, while UD Las Palmas secured second place and their first campaign in the top flight since 2018.
RCD Espanyol have been relegated
On Sunday, it was mathematically confirmed that one of the teams going down to take Granada CF and UD Las Palmas’ spots in the second tier will be RCD Espanyol. The Catalan side conceded a late equaliser to draw 2-2 at Valencia CF in Matchday 37 and that means they join Elche CF in having their fate sealed before the final round.
Real Valladolid enter the final day inside the relegation zone
The third and final place in the relegation zone has still to be decided and six teams could yet go down. Real Valladolid will enter the final round in 18th on 39 points, but they still have a good chance of surviving given that 17th-placed RC Celta are on 40 points, 16th-placed UD Almería are on 40 points, 15th-placed Valencia CF are on 41 points, 14th-placed Getafe CF are on 41 points and 13th-placed Cádiz CF are on 41 points.
Real Sociedad are back in the Champions League
The results of Matchday 37 were also decisive in the race for Europe and Real Sociedad have now booked their ticket to next season’s Champions League. The Basque side are back in the top UEFA competition for the first time in a decade, an achievement Imanol Alguacil and his players can be very proud of.
Five teams will compete for one Conference League berth
Behind Real Sociedad, it has been confirmed that Villarreal CF will finish fifth and Real Betis will finish sixth, with these spots granting access to the Europa League group stages. However, the race for seventh, which brings a ticket to the Conference League, remains wide open. Five teams still have a chance and are separated by just one point, as the table currently has: CA Osasuna in 7th with 50 points, Athletic Club in 8th with 50 points, Girona FC in 9th with 49 points, Rayo Vallecano in 10th with 49 points and Sevilla FC in 11th with 49 points.
Andoni Iraola wins his final match in Vallecas
Rayo Vallecano coach Andoni Iraola confirmed that he won’t stay on as the head coach in Vallecas past this summer, as he looks for a new challenge. The 40-year-old has made a tremendous impact at the club, leading them to promotion and then achieving survival in both his LaLiga Santander campaigns. They could even still qualify for Europe, after defeating Villarreal CF 2-1 in his final home game.
Jordi Alba leaves FC Barcelona as a legend
Jordi Alba announced this past week that he will depart FC Barcelona at the end of this season, after 11 seasons at the Catalan club in which he won 18 titles. The left-back had his last home game for the team on Sunday, in a 3-0 victory over RCD Mallorca, and received a standing ovation when substituted off in the second half. It was also the last game at the Spotify Camp Nou for the departing captain Sergio Busquets, who similarly received an ovation from the crowd.
Enes Ünal begins a lengthy recovery
There was, unfortunately, a serious injury in Spanish football this past week, as Getafe CF’s Enes Ünal has injured his ACL in his right knee. The Turkish striker, who had scored 14 goals this LaLiga Santander season, will be out for most of the rest of 2023. “Life works in mysterious ways,” he wrote on his social media. “I’m staying positive and see this as just another challenge on my journey.”
Óscar de Marcos is staying in Bilbao
He may have just turned 34, but Óscar de Marcos remains one of the most important players in the Athletic Club squad and the right-back has agreed to continue in Bilbao for another season, having signed a contract extension this past week that’ll run to 2024.
The LaLiga SmartBank playoffs are set
While Granada CF and UD Las Palmas have already secured automatic promotion to the top tier, the LaLiga SmartBank playoffs will take place over the coming weeks to work out who’ll join them. Levante UD and Albacete Balompié will meet over two legs in one semi-final, while the other will be a Basque derby between Deportivo Alavés and SD Eibar. Both semi-final first legs will take place on Saturday, June 3rd.
