MADRID, 12 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The duel between Athletic and Atlético de Madrid will be the most attractive match of matchday 23 of the 2023-2024 F League, which returns after a week of international break, and will also do so with a Valencian derby at Mestalla between Valencia and Levante, while that the leader, FC Barcelona, wants to achieve another victory against Villarreal, a week before facing the Champions League semifinals.
The duel between the Basques and Colchoneras will put the third best team face to face in the second round of the competition, which arrives immersed in a great streak of six consecutive victories that have placed it five points behind third place, which The Colchonero team also opts in the second game on Arturo Ruiz’s bench.
Lezama will be the scene of the match in which Athletic Club wants to continue extending its good moment, with Patricia Zugasti on a roll after her three goals in her last game against Levante La Planas. The Bilbao team seeks to get within one point of Atlético de Madrid, which wants to add another victory to continue in the fight for the last possibility of a European place that Levante is now closing.
Precisely, the ‘granota’ team will defend that place from the harassment of Colchonero and the Madrid CFF in the Valencian derby in Mestalla against a Valencia that will seek to give joy to its fans in a complicated season in which they are still fighting to maintain the category. The other Madrid team will try to forget the tough defeat against Granada (3-0) in their second consecutive outing to visit Costa Adeje Tenerife, which arrives at a good time after two consecutive victories that have practically sealed its permanence.
For its part, the current champion and undefeated leader of the competition, FC Barcelona, will play against Villarreal at home in the last game before facing the Champions League semi-finals against Chelsea on Saturday, April 20. Jonatan Giráldez could continue betting on rotations after an international break that Aitana Bonmatí and Cata Coll missed, who also seem to be ready to face a rival who has not won for five days.
Behind the Blaugranas, 12 points away, is Real Madrid, which wants to maintain at least its lead of nine over Levante in the visit of a rising Granada that intends to continue moving away from relegation.
In the rest of the day’s matches, Real Sociedad will seek to return to the path of victory after five games without doing so against last-place Sporting de Huelva, while SD Eibar will try to make Ipurúa a fortress against Sevilla to maintain ‘ away’ (4 points) the ‘burn’ that marks a Betis that needs to put an end to its bad streak of results in its visit to a Levante Las Planas that could get into serious trouble in case of defeat.