6 Storylines to Follow in La Liga for Weekend of Jan. 31 to Feb. 2
Spanish football has dominated most of the second part of the week with cup football and another weekend of Liga action is just around the corner, with some fantastic matches set to take place and some intriguing storylines within Gameweek 21.
We've taken a look at all the biggest headline matches and moments, identifying where key clashes might be or who could be without key personnel and how they might cope.
It's our La Liga series storylines, and these are the most important ones for the upcoming weekend.
Real Madrid Coping Without Cristiano Ronaldo
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For Real Madrid, this was always going to be a difficult couple of matches anyway: Their next two opponents in La Liga are Real Sociedad (home) and Sevilla (home).
Now, though, it will be an even more testing run: Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off at Cordoba last time out and faces a two-match suspension, per BBC Sport, though he is certainly lucky the ban wasn't extended after he kicked and punched one player and had slapped another earlier which the referee did not see.
That means Ronaldo returns in time for the derby against Atletico—but Real Sociedad have been excellent defensively of late, and Real struggled in attack, even with Ronaldo at the weekend, narrowly beating Cordoba 2-1 with a late, late penalty.
Barcelona's Unstoppable Front Line vs. Villarreal's Top-4 Challenge
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Leo Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar are all starting to click as a trio in attack now, with the Brazilian having particularly upped his game of late and looking a genuine threat on goal every time he takes the pitch.
Indeed, Neymar has seven goals in his last seven Barca matches, even having faced Atletico Madrid three times in that period. With Luis Enrique finding more confidence in selecting his perceived best XI and the team's good run of form, it will be hard for any team to stop them at present.
They face, however, another in-form side: Villarreal, who are chasing down fourth place with their own brand of attacking football, technical players and a licence to create and shoot at will. The Yellow Submarine are an exciting side to watch and can fashion chances against anybody; they are unbeaten in 17 matches in all competitions and are just three points off the top four at present.
It should be a tremendous match.
Basement Battles
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Down at the bottom end of La Liga, of the last six teams, only Elche have managed a win in the last two rounds of league games. Two of the sides in that group play each other this weekend, with bottom-placed team Granada facing Elche, who had won two and drawn one in their last three prior to a thumping by Barcelona last week.
Taking points off direct relegation rivals is always all-important, and a victory for either side would be a huge boost.
While three points separates that group from 15th to 20th, two clubs are just two points above it: The 13th-placed team Athletic Bilbao and 14th-placed Getafe, both on 20 points, face Levante (19th) and Almeria (18th), respectively, this weekend, with the two sides in the relegation zone at home.
A win for the away team surges them away from the drop zone and creates a noticeable gap; a defeat will drag them right back into the mix for a long, hard, second half to the season.
Two Poor Runs with an Opportunity
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Athletic Bilbao, as discussed, play Levante away from home. The early Sunday morning kick-off looks difficult for the Basque club as they're on such a poor run of form—one win in eight, none in five—but Levante themselves have been atrocious for much of the season, even at home.
Just six goals scored in nine home matches, with two wins, points to where Levante's problems lie.
With Miki San Jose protecting the centre-back duo of Aymeric Laporte and Xabier Etxeita, Athletic should have enough defensive prowess about them to repel the small threat of Levante's blunt attack. Do the business at the other end, and a long-awaited three points could be there.
The same can be said of Celta Vigo, favourites for a European spot early in the season for some, but on a woeful run of 10 league games without a win, scoring just twice in that time. They have slipped to 12th but face Cordoba at home, who have only won twice away this season.
Cordoba have improved immensely of late, but Celta must still see this as yet another opportunity to end their awful run of form.
The Last Unbeaten Home Record in La Liga
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The only unbeaten team at home in La Liga is...Sevilla!
The Andalucians have won seven and drawn three of their 10 games at the Sanchez Pizjuan, conceding only five goals in the process—only Barcelona can better that defensive tally.
Sevilla play at home this weekend to Espanyol, who will go into the game feeling they can challenge their hosts—especially as they beat them 3-1 in the Copa del Rey quarter-final first leg last week, with the second leg to be played Thursday night.
Espanyol are on a great run of four consecutive wins, are full of confidence and have moved back into the top half. They could be a big threat on Sevilla's home record.
How Atleti Bounce Back and Can They Close the Gap?
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Atletico Madrid's form has been rather patchy of late, winning just two of their past six matches in all competitions, being knocked out of the Copa del Rey and falling slightly behind in the race to defend their own league title.
Diego Simeone also saw captain Gabi and central midfielder Mario Suarez sent off in the cup quarterfinal against Barcelona, as his team against lost their discipline and shape in the face of defeat.
The manager needs to get his side back on track quickly, piling on the wins in consistent fashion between now and late February when the Champions League starts back up. If he doesn't, then silverware is going to elude Atleti this time around—the league still looks like their best chance of success.
They face Eibar away this weekend.
