La Liga Fixtures 2015 Week 18: Schedule, Live Stream Info, Picks and Key Players
The clash between defending La Liga champions Atletico Madrid and crisis-ridden Barcelona headlines the fixture list of Week 18 of the 2014-15 season, as the two giants of Spanish football will go head-to-head to keep up with league-leaders Real Madrid.
Los Blancos' lead has shrunk to just a single point, but at least one of their direct competitors for the title will drop a result on Sunday, giving Real some breathing space over at least one squad if they take care of business against Espanyol.
Slumping Celta Vigo will host Valencia, and Sevilla will receive a visit from Almeria. Here's the full schedule for Week 18, including full picks and live stream info:
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| Friday, Jan. 9 | 7.45 p.m. | Levante | Deportivo La Coruna | BeIN Sports Connect (US) | Draw |
| Saturday, Jan. 10 | 3 p.m. | Real Madrid | Espanyol | Sky Go (UK)/BeIN Sports Connect (US) | Real |
| Saturday, Jan. 10 | 5 p.m. | Malaga | Villarreal | Sky Go (UK)/BeIN Sports Connect (US) | Villarreal |
| Saturday, Jan. 10 | 7 p.m. | Celta Vigo | Valencia | Sky Go (UK)/BeIN Sports Connect (US) | Valencia |
| Saturday, Jan. 10 | 9 p.m. | Eibar | Getafe | BeIN Sports Connect (US) | Eibar |
| Sunday, Jan. 11 | 11 a.m. | Almeria | Sevilla | BeIN Sports Connect (US) | Sevilla |
| Sunday, Jan. 11 | 4 p.m. | Athletic Bilbao | Elche | BeIN Sports Connect (US) | Draw |
| Sunday, Jan. 11 | 6 p.m. | Granada | Real Sociedad | Sky Go (UK)/BeIN Sports Connect (US) | Sociedad |
| Sunday, Jan. 11 | 8 p.m. | Barcelona | Atletico Madrid | Sky Go (UK)/BeIN Sports Connect (US) | Atletico |
| Monday, Jan. 12 | 7.45 p.m. | Rayo Vallecano | Cordoba | BeIN Sports Connect (US) | Draw |
To access BeIN Sports' Connect app, click here.
For Sky Go, click here.
Key players
Lionel Messi, Barcelona
To say the past few days have been rough on the Catalans would be an understatement. The past few days have seen Andoni Zubizarreta and Carles Puyol leave the club, Luis Enrique come under fire for his tactical switches and a reported falling out between the manager and his star forward Lionel Messi.
And when I say falling out, I'm putting it lightly. According to Marca (h/t Bleacher Report UK), Neymar had to stop the duo from having it out after a recent training session:
There have been numerous reports from incidents between Messi and Enrique in the past few days, with AS' Santi Gimenez suggesting the Argentina international missed training after Sunday's match without informing his manager and even handed the Blaugrana board an ultimatum calling for his sacking.
For those thinking the media are overreacting: Enrique isn't even denying the reports, per AS English:
Barcelona need some positivity in the worst way, and a big win on Sunday could be a first step in the right direction. Unfortunately, the Blaugrana will be facing Atletico Madrid, the reigning Spanish champions.
The Atleti are exactly the kind of team Barcelona have struggled against in recent times: physical, tough and fast on the counter-attack. Diego Simeone knows how to frustrate opponents like no other, and you can bet he's ready to take advantage of the controversy engulfing the Catalans.
Messi is one of the greatest players ever to grace this planet—now is the time for him to show it. The 27-year-old needs to rise above the commotion and lead his squad like the true stars do. Then and only then will Barcelona put in a fine performance and keep up with Los Blancos in the title race.
Antoine Griezmann, Atletico Madrid
Mario Mandzukic may not be enjoying the greatest run of form, but Atletico have found a new scorer to rely on in recent weeks: France international Antoine Griezmann.
The former Real Sociedad man appeared an odd fit during his first couple of months in the Spanish capital, putting in a handful of average performances that had some wondering whether Atleti overspent to bring him to the Vicente Calderon.
As shared by Squawka Football, those concerns have all but evaporated in recent weeks:
The 23-year-old winger is in scorching form, and knowing Simeone, he will be putting the Frenchman in the one spot where he can do most damage: up against Barcelona's right-back.
Dani Alves has barely recovered from injury, Martin Montoya was embarrassed time and time again against Real Sociedad and Douglas is hardly a world-beater. No matter the opposition, Griezmann appears to be in line to win the battle.
Fernando Torres might be given the nod to start on Sunday, but as shared by AS' Nicholas Rigg, it's highly unlikely that means Griezmann will be relegated to the bench:
One could argue no player in football is playing better than Griezmann right now, and he'll have a very winnable matchup on Sunday. Barcelona's collection of right-backs better strap in tight—they could be in for a very long night.
