What's left of the championship: two Champions League spots, several Europa League spots, and two relegation spots, still to be decided.

There are still many open trenches with three rounds remaining in the championship. The title is almost wrapped up, with Barcelona still needing a victory in the remaining matches, and three of the four places in next season's Champions League already secured after Atlético de Madrid secured them on Saturday with their thrashing of Real Sociedad. The other two teams, five Spanish teams, are still up for grabs in the top continental tournament. The fight for Europa League qualification is also still open, where even the slumping Gipuzkoan side, currently in twelfth place, could have a chance.

Except for Atlético Madrid, who can now focus on the Club World Cup, every team in the EA Sports League has something at stake in the remainder of the championship. The Rojiblancos would have the added bonus of finishing runners-up.

CHAMPIONS. Athletic, Villarreal, and Betis will battle for two Champions League spots. The Biscayan side, still recovering from their crushing Europa League semi-final exit to Manchester United, a tournament whose final will be played at San Mamés, have reached the final stretch of the season. The 1-0 win against Alavés, thanks to a Sánchez own goal, nevertheless allows them to settle into fourth place, three points ahead of Villarreal and six ahead of Betis. Athletic visits Getafe on Thursday and Valencia on Sunday. They close out the season against Barcelona at San Mamés.

Villarreal is in strong contention after their victory at Montilivi. They host Leganés on Wednesday, visit Barcelona on Sunday, and close out their home game on the 25th against Sevilla.

Betis, euphoric after qualifying for the Conference League final, where they will face Chelsea, only managed to draw against Osasuna (1-1). They travel to Valllecas on Thursday and to the Metropolitano on Sunday, and close out the match at Villamarín against Valencia.

EUROPA LEAGUE. In principle, unless Betis wins the Conference and the highly unlikely scenario of them falling to ninth place, in which case there would be nine Spanish teams in Europe, there will be a total of eight. The race is wide open here. In addition to the team excluded from the Champions League race, Celta Vigo, Rayo Vallecano, Mallorca, Valencia, Osasuna, and Real Sociedad are all in contention.

RELEGATION. Leganés' 3-2 victory over Espanyol keeps them in the hunt for survival. Few are free of trouble at the relegation zone, where the turmoil, while limited for the Madrid side, extends to Getafe, who are thirteenth with 39 points. Leganés struggled against Espanyol after leading 3-0 until the 79th minute, when Cabrera scored the first for the Catalans, who then scored again thanks to Milla in the 98th minute. Cissé (33rd minute), Diomandé (41st minute) and Kumbulla (63rd minute, own goal) had given Borja Jiménez 's team a comfortable lead. Capable of defeating Barcelona at Montjuïc and Atlético de Madrid at Butarque, and challenging Real Madrid in both the League and Cup, Leganés is struggling to compete with rivals of its own caliber. Yesterday, they responded in a crucial match to stay alive, benefiting, moreover, from Alavés' defeat. Everything indicates that Alavés, Leganés, and Las Palmas will be the two teams that will join Valladolid in the Second Division. But Sevilla, Girona, Espanyol, and even Getafe cannot afford to let their guard down.