La Liga Fixtures 2015 Week 20: Schedule, Live Stream Info, Picks and Key Players
Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid will be forced to share some of the spotlight in Week 20 of the La Liga season, as Sevilla travel to the Mestalla to tackle Valencia in what's undoubtedly the match of the weekend.
The aforementioned sides—fourth and fifth respectively in the Spanish top flight—are both enjoying exceptional campaigns. And with the battle for a spot in the top four hotting up—Villarreal are just three points behind Los Che in sixth—this is set to be a vital match-up.
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The race for the title will also be closely observed, however, as Real and Barcelona face away trips to Cordoba and Elche respectively. Atletico face city rivals Rayo Vallecano at the Vicente Calderon.
Here's a rundown of where you can catch the action and a look at a couple of key players who are primed to make an impact this weekend:
| Saturday, Jan. 24 | 3 p.m. | Cordoba | Real Madrid | Sky Go (UK)/BeIN Sports Connect (US) | 0-3 |
| Saturday, Jan. 24 | 5 p.m. | Elche | Barcelona | Sky Go (UK)/BeIN Sports Connect (US) | 0-2 |
| Saturday, Jan. 24 | 7 p.m. | Atletico Madrid | Rayo Vallecano | Sky Go (UK)/BeIN Sports Connect (US) | 3-0 |
| Saturday, Jan. 24 | 9 p.m. | Villarreal | Levante | BeIN Sports Connect (US) | 3-1 |
| Saturday, Jan. 24 | 9 p.m. | Real Sociedad | Eibar | BeIN Sports Connect (US) | 2-1 |
| Sunday, Jan. 25 | 11 a.m. | Deportivo La Coruna | Granada | BeIN Sports Connect (US) | 2-1 |
| Sunday, Jan. 25 | 4 p.m. | Athletic Bilbao | Malaga | BeIN Sports Connect (US) | 2-2 |
| Sunday, Jan. 25 | 6 p.m. | Espanyol | Almeria | Sky Go (UK)/BeIN Sports Connect (US) | 1-1 |
| Sunday, Jan. 25 | 8 p.m. | Valencia | Sevilla | Sky Go (UK)/BeIN Sports Connect (US) | 2-1 |
| Monday, Jan. 26 | 7:45 p.m. | Getafe | Celta Vigo | BeIN Sports Connect (US) | 0-0 |
To access beIN Sports' Connect app, click here
For Sky Go, click here
James Rodriguez
The formidable triumvirate of Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo is often cited as the hallmark of Real's recent successes. But this season Rodriguez has come into the side and adapted to life in La Liga superbly.
For all the goals notched by the revered "BBC" combination, the Colombian plays an understated supporting role. As noted here by the club's official Twitter account, he's a player who not only chips in with plenty of goals but creates in spades, too:
Here's a look at some of his highlights from the relative infancy of his Los Blancos career:
With Real likely to face a packed Cordoba defence in their upcoming clash, the skills of Rodriguez—perhaps even more so than the revered trio—will be critical. The No. 10 has the class to conjure up space in these tight areas and thread intricate passes into dangerous areas for Real's effervescent attacking talent.
If Rodriguez sees enough of the ball in these areas, it should be an easy day's work for Los Blancos. For the likes of Ronaldo, having a player who possesses such vision and a wholesome appreciation of the game must be an absolute dream.
Nicolas Otamendi
While Los Che have been an entertaining team to watch throughout this season, much of their success has been based upon an underpinning solidity.
The baulk of that fortitude—something that assisted the team in ending Real Madrid's record-winning run—has been established thanks to the stellar defensive work put in by Nicolas Otamendi, but it'll intriguing to see how he fares against an effervescent Sevilla attack this weekend.
The Argentina man has been touted as a potential target for Manchester United in the days leading up to the game, but Valencia will be hoping his focus remains intact for this one. As noted by Bleacher Report's Spanish football expert Guillem Balague (h/t football writer samuelJayC), the player is valued very highly by the Mestalla outfit:
With an average of 2.5 tackles, 3.5 interceptions and 6.7 clearances every game, per WhoScored.com, it's easy to see why:
Sevilla have reams of attacking talent at their disposal and Otamendi will be key to keeping them out.
Providing a solid foundation should allow Valencia—who can leapfrog the Andalusians in the table with a win—to establish a strong foothold in the contest and take a vital three points.
