Madrid, Jan 8 (NationPress) While much attention will be directed towards Jeddah for the final of the Spanish Supercup on Sunday, showcasing Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, and Athletic Bilbao, the remaining 16 teams in La Liga are gearing up for a crucial weekend.

Villarreal is presented with an excellent opportunity to reduce the deficit against the league leaders as they prepare to face Deportivo Alaves at home. Currently, they trail Barcelona by 11 points and Real Madrid by 7, yet they hold two games in hand.

In recent matches, Alaves has found themselves perilously close to the relegation zone, primarily due to their struggles in front of goal; under the guidance of coach Luis García Plaza, they last managed to score twice in a league match back in early November.

The weekend kicks off on Saturday with Real Sociedad, now managed by Pellegrino Matarazzo, visiting Getafe. Although Real Sociedad showed improvement in Matarazzo's debut, Getafe continues to face challenges, despite salvaging a late equalizer against Rayo Vallecano last weekend.

Coach Pepe Bordalas is burdened with a lengthy injury list, missing three of his primary central defenders — Djene, Domingos Duarte, and Abdelkabir Abqar — along with top scorer Borja Mayoral.

Although Getafe appears to have made strides under new coach Guillermo Fernandez Romo from Valladolid, they still struggle offensively, holding the unfortunate record of matching their red card count (eight) with goals this season. Striker Fede Vico has received three of those red cards and will miss the match against a Betis side currently in sixth place but needing to bounce back after a 5-1 defeat to Real Madrid.

Girona managed to pull away from the relegation zone following a victory in Mallorca last weekend, with a chance to solidify their position against Osasuna, who have achieved only two draws away from El Sadar Stadium this season.

A victory for Girona would increase the pressure on Valencia, who fell into the bottom three after a heavy 4-1 loss to Celta Vigo last weekend. The defeat led to a tense atmosphere, resulting in fans breaking a window on the Valencia team bus upon their return from Vigo.

Valencia hopes to have striker Umar Sadiq available for their crucial home match against Elche after acquiring him from Real Sociedad. However, coach Rubén Baraja will be without first-choice goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili due to suspension, and his substitute, Jaume Doménech, is also doubtful. With top scorer Hugo Duro suspended and key defender Mouctar Diakhaby sidelined with a hamstring injury, this is a must-win situation for Baraja to secure his position.

Rayo Vallecano will host Mallorca on Sunday in a pivotal match to escape the relegation zone, while Levante seeks to build on their impressive 3-0 victory against Sevilla last weekend as they welcome Espanyol, whose five-match unbeaten streak was ended by Barcelona last weekend.

Sevilla will face Celta Vigo on Monday, and coach Quique Sánchez Flores is under pressure to secure a victory to save his job.