Athletic juggernaut comes to a halt

Title hat-trick
The Basque side have carried all before them since joining the Superliga in 2002/03, winning the championship in each of their three attempts and drawing impressive crowds to the San Mamés stadium.

Disastrous campaign
Yet the present season has been a disaster by recent standards, with the team losing six of their first 14 games and falling 17 points behind leaders RCD Espanyol. With ten matches remaining Athletic have no realistic chance of retaining their title, and Espanyol, Sevilla FC and Levante UD look set to battle it out for top honours.

Sánchez injury
A weak defence and poor away form have proved the champions' undoing. They have conceded goals at a rate of two per game, and suffered five defeats on their travels, including 4-2 and 3-1 reverses against Sevilla and Espanyol. They have also been without the services of veteran midfielder Lorena Sánchez, whose long-term knee injury has restricted her to just two appearances.

Prolific Espanyol
Espanyol have rattled in 54 goals in 15 outings, and owe much of their success to striker Adriana Martí Santamaría who has already registered 20. The Barcelona-based side were in scoring form again on Sunday, brushing aside strugglers Transportes Alcaine 4-0.

Levante lurking
Levante were the dominant force in domestic football before the Basques burst on to the scene, and will be confident of bridging the five-point gap behind Espanyol if they maintain their tight defensive record that has seen them concede nine goals in 15 matches.