Bruised after a match in Andorra where they started out winning, Las Palmas tarnished their record and complicated their promotion hopes. It is true that for 31 of the 39 matchdays played so far, they have been in one of the top six positions, and with three rounds remaining, they remain fifth with 66 points. With nine points still up for grabs, they are five points adrift of direct promotion and just two points above seventh-placed Eibar.
Thus, in the upcoming matchday, where they play in Almería, they could either be knocked out of the fight for an automatic promotion spot or stay in contention a little longer. There is no middle ground: the extremes are served, as they could also find themselves outside the playoffs. What Las Palmas does from now on will not only depend on promotion but also on the positions of the teams below, even if they seem far from the interests of the Gran Canaria side.
The team coached by Luis García will face, consecutively, Almería, Zaragoza, and Deportivo. The first and third are direct rivals in the promotion battle, both now and throughout the season, while the Aragonese side is fighting for survival, which remains possible for now.
To start, Las Palmas faces more than three points this Saturday on the shores of the Mediterranean. Almería already beat them 0-1 in Gran Canaria, so the goal average is at stake, which will be decisive given how tight the top part of the table remains. No result will be definitive, but certainly, it will be more than decisive.
A little later, on May 24, the island team hosts Zaragoza, who could confirm their relegation to Primera RFEF on the island. That is, if they do not seal it beforehand during the matchday between May 15 and 18, when they host Sporting.
Las Palmas closes the season visiting Deportivo on the weekend of May 30-31, with the day and time still to be determined. In the first-leg match, which also took place in Gran Canaria like the one against Almería, they drew 1-1. So promotion, even direct promotion, could be decided based on the result of that day. This double trial involving the yellow team may see its schedule changed, as La Liga, depending on what happens in the penultimate and antepenultimate matchdays, may unify the kick-off times of the matches where something is at stake.