Five Things to Look Out for in La Liga This Weekend

Football - La Liga - Atletico Madrid v Celta Vigo - Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain - May 9, 2026 Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann looks dejected after the match. (Reuters)
Football - La Liga - Atletico Madrid v Celta Vigo - Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain - May 9, 2026 Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann looks dejected after the match. (Reuters)
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Five Things to Look Out for in La Liga This Weekend

Football - La Liga - Atletico Madrid v Celta Vigo - Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain - May 9, 2026 Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann looks dejected after the match. (Reuters)
Football - La Liga - Atletico Madrid v Celta Vigo - Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain - May 9, 2026 Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann looks dejected after the match. (Reuters)

With Barcelona crowned champions for a second consecutive season, attention in La Liga turns to other matters in the penultimate round of fixtures, including a gripping relegation battle.

AFP Sport picks out five things to look out for this weekend in the Spanish top flight.

Griezmann's farewell

French forward Antoine Griezmann could not end his time at Atletico brandishing a trophy as he would have loved, but will still receive a warm goodbye from the club's supporters this weekend.

Diego Simeone's side host Girona in their final match at the Metropolitano stadium before Griezmann heads to the United States to play for MLS side Orlando City.

"We have had a genius with us for many years, and hopefully, we can give him a great send-off," said Simeone this week.

Griezmann is Atletico's all-time top goalscorer over two spells at the club totaling a decade in red and white.

Relegation tightrope

La Liga's bottom half is bunched together extremely tightly, meaning several teams are looking over their shoulders at the relegation zone.

Salvation is not guaranteed for teams between 10th and 19th place, with only Real Oviedo so far guaranteed to go down.

Several sides have been in the bottom three in recent weeks and keep changing places.

Record seven-time Europa League winners Sevilla have recently surged towards safety with three straight wins, but face Real Madrid this weekend.

Espanyol failed to win for 18 straight games before beating Athletic Bilbao this week, while Alaves moved out of the drop zone with a win against champions Barca.

Mallorca and Levante start the weekend placed 18th and 19th respectively, but it's anybody's guess who will be in there by Sunday night.

Barca perfect at home

Hansi Flick's newly crowned champions lost at Alaves in midweek to scupper their target of matching the La Liga record of 100 points, but can still finish at home on a high against Real Betis.

The Catalan giants have won every single home match in the top flight this season and would complete the set by beating Manuel Pellegrini's team, who have already sealed qualification for the Champions League.

After playing the first months of the season at Montjuic's Olympic stadium and even hosting a couple of games at the tiny Johan Cruyff training ground stadium, Barca finally returned to their partially rebuilt Camp Nou home in November last year.

This might also be striker Robert Lewandowski's final home match for Barcelona, with the Polish veteran out of contract in the summer.

Getafe Euro charge

Jose Bordalas's Getafe are a team often derided for their direct style of play and physical approach, but despite the limitations of their squad they are on the brink of reaching European competition.

They last competed in the Europa League in the 2019-20 season.

"I have no words to describe the outrageous thing this team is doing," said the proud coach after beating Mallorca on Wednesday.

Getafe are seventh, which would take them into next season's Conference League, but trail sixth-placed Celta Vigo, in a Europa League spot, by just two points with two games to go.

Golden boot battle

Because of injury issues in the second half of the season and Real Madrid's inconsistent form, Kylian Mbappe's lead in the top scorer standings has been whittled down.

The French forward has 24 goals, leading Mallorca target man Vedat Muriqi by just two, with two games remaining.

The islanders are still fighting for survival and Kosovan striker Muriqi is their main weapon in a key battle against Levante.



Italiano Appointed Besiktas Coach

Italian Vincenzo Italiano named Besiktas coach. (Reuters)
Italian Vincenzo Italiano named Besiktas coach. (Reuters)
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Italiano Appointed Besiktas Coach

Italian Vincenzo Italiano named Besiktas coach. (Reuters)
Italian Vincenzo Italiano named Besiktas coach. (Reuters)

Vincenzo Italiano has been appointed coach of Turkish side Besiktas, the Istanbul-based club announced on Saturday.

The 48-year-old Italian will coach the club until the end of the 2027-2028 season, Besiktas said in a statement, AFP reported.

The former coach of Serie A clubs Fiorentina and Bologna, becomes the 11th manager at Besiktas in the past five years, following Frenchman Valerien Ismael, Dutchman Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Norwegian Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Crowned Turkish champions for the 16th time in 2021, Besiktas have since struggled to compete with Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, the two other big Istanbul clubs.


AlUla Designates Scenic Open-Air Venues for 2026 FIFA World Cup Screenings

Fans can watch all Saudi national team matches alongside prominent international, Arab, and Gulf fixtures - SPA
Fans can watch all Saudi national team matches alongside prominent international, Arab, and Gulf fixtures - SPA
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AlUla Designates Scenic Open-Air Venues for 2026 FIFA World Cup Screenings

Fans can watch all Saudi national team matches alongside prominent international, Arab, and Gulf fixtures - SPA
Fans can watch all Saudi national team matches alongside prominent international, Arab, and Gulf fixtures - SPA

AlUla Governorate has prepared several open-air fan zones for residents and tourists to watch 2026 FIFA World Cup matches, blending international football excitement with the region’s renowned natural beauty and unique rock formations while catering to a growing influx of summer visitors.

Fans can watch all Saudi national team matches alongside prominent international, Arab, and Gulf fixtures.

The tournament’s timing in summer boosts AlUla’s appeal, allowing visitors to combine the global sporting event with exploring local heritage sites and participating in outdoor recreational activities during the cooler evening hours, SPA reported.

This viewing experience is fully supported by diverse hospitality options, ranging from luxury resorts and desert accommodations to heritage hotels situated in AlUla Old Town.

These integrated facilities reinforce the region's strategy to expand its tourism and entertainment portfolio, positioning AlUla as a preferred year-round destination.


Iran World Cup Squad Heads to Mexico as US Visa Row Erupts

Iran's Mehdi Torabi, right, poses for a photo with fans after a friendly soccer match between Iran and Mali, in Antalya, southern Türkiye, Thursday, June 4, 2026, ahead of the World Cup soccer tournament. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Iran's Mehdi Torabi, right, poses for a photo with fans after a friendly soccer match between Iran and Mali, in Antalya, southern Türkiye, Thursday, June 4, 2026, ahead of the World Cup soccer tournament. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
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Iran World Cup Squad Heads to Mexico as US Visa Row Erupts

Iran's Mehdi Torabi, right, poses for a photo with fans after a friendly soccer match between Iran and Mali, in Antalya, southern Türkiye, Thursday, June 4, 2026, ahead of the World Cup soccer tournament. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Iran's Mehdi Torabi, right, poses for a photo with fans after a friendly soccer match between Iran and Mali, in Antalya, southern Türkiye, Thursday, June 4, 2026, ahead of the World Cup soccer tournament. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Iran lashed out at the United States on Saturday for refusing visas to some of its World Cup squad support staff as the players were to leave Türkiye for Mexico.

The row erupted just days before the June 11 start of the 2026 World Cup, which is being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The Iranian players, who have been at a training camp in the southern Turkish resort of Antalya since May 18, received their visas late on Friday, Washington's envoy to Türkiye Tom Barrack said on X, hailing the work of the US embassy in Ankara in "processing visas for Iran's national football team".

But Iran's embassy to Türkiye hit back Saturday with a furious response, saying a "large" number of managerial and executive staff and others had been denied visas.

"You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran's national football team to its highest level," the embassy wrote on X.

"FIFA must hold the US accountable for violations of its rules and for the discriminatory treatment of Iran's national football team."

Iran's Football Federation, whose chief Mehdi Taj was reportedly among those denied a visa, also hit out, describing the decision as "political interference in sport in its worst form".

"By extending its hostile behaviour towards the Iranian nation into the field of sport, the ... US government has deprived Iran's national team of.. the opportunity to compete without discrimination," it said, pledging to pursue the matter with FIFA.

Iranian state TV's correspondent in Antalya said the players and their technical staff had received visas, but 15 others on the administrative and management side had not.

It said the matter would be followed up in Mexico.

In April, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said any problem would not be with the Iranian players but "some of the other people (they) would want to bring with them", suggesting they may have ties to the Revolutionary Guards, a group on the US terror blacklist.

Taj himself is a former Guards member, Iranian media in the diaspora have said.

Team Melli were scheduled to leave Antalya for Mexico on a 3:20 pm (1220 GMT) flight that Taj said earlier this week would include a stopover in Spain before arriving in Mexico early on Sunday.

But Iran's state TV gave a later departure time of 5:30 pm.

The team will be based in the northwestern border city of Tijuana for the duration of the tournament, but all three of their group stage matches are due to be held in the United States.

Iran, who are in Group G, will play New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on June 15 and 21, followed by a game against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

Ahead of their departure on Saturday, Iran played a final friendly against Mali in Antalya on Thursday which they won 2-0. They played a first match on May 29, beating Gambia 3-1.