La Liga Fixtures 2015 Week 24: Schedule, Live Stream Info, Picks and Key Players
Barcelona will hope for a rare slip from Real Madrid in Week 24 of the La Liga season. Table-toppers Los Blancos will be on away soil when they battle Elche.
Barca can apply plenty of pressure on their archrival 24 hours earlier if an in-form attack overwhelms Malaga. Given the current form of Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr. and Luis Suarez, it's a good bet they will.
Here are the complete fixtures, along with schedule and viewing information, as well as picks:
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| Date | Time | Match | Live Stream | Pick |
| Friday, Feb. 20 | 7:45 (GMT) / 2:45 p.m. (ET) | Getafe vs. Espanyol | Sky Go / beIN Sports Connect | 0-1 |
| Saturday, Feb. 21 | 3 p.m. (GMT) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Barcelona vs. Malaga | Sky Go / beIN Sports Connect | 4-0 |
| Saturday, Feb. 21 | 5 p.m. (GMT) / 12 p.m. (ET) | Cordoba vs. Valencia | Sky Go / beIN Sports Connect | 1-2 |
| Saturday, Feb. 21 | 7 p.m. (GMT) / 2 p.m. (ET) | Atletico Madrid vs. Almeria | Sky Go / beIN Sports Connect | 2-1 |
| Saturday, Feb. 21 | 9 p.m. (GMT) / 4 p.m. (ET) | Deportivo La Coruna vs. Celta Vigo | Sky Go / beIN Sports Connect | 2-2 |
| Sunday, Feb. 22 | 11 a.m. (GMT) / 6 a.m. (ET) | Real Sociedad vs. Sevilla | Sky Go / beIN Sports Connect | 1-2 |
| Sunday, Feb. 22 | 4 p.m. (GMT) / 11 a.m. (ET) | Athletic Bilbao vs. Rayo Vallecano | Sky Go / beIN Sports Connect | 1-0 |
| Sunday, Feb.22 | 6 p.m. (GMT) / 1 p.m. (ET) | Villarreal vs. Eibar | Sky Go / beIN Sports Connect | 1-0 |
| Sunday, Feb,22 | 8 p.m. (GMT) / 3 p.m. (ET) | Elche vs. Real Madrid | Sky Go / beIN Sports Connect | 0-3 |
| Monday, Feb. 23 | 7:45 p.m. (GMT) / 2:45 p.m. (ET) | Levante vs. Granada | Sky Go / beIN Sports Connect | 0-0 |
Barcelona vs. Malaga
Luis Enrique's Barca squad is hitting a rich vein of form at a good time in the season. The foundation of the successful run is the increasing symmetry between Neymar, Messi and Suarez.
It's a uniquely complementary trio, as these figures from Opta Jose indicate:
And for good measure:
The trio forms the perfect blend of pace, trickery, creative intent and tenacity. This front three lets Barcelona play in a variety of ways.
Gone are the days when the Catalan club needed to own the ball every game to win. They can now strike on the break and their quality in attack means they only need limited opportunities to score.
Suarez had made a relatively slow start to life in Spain's top flight. But the mercurial Uruguayan has gradually turned things around, as statistics from Opta Jose prove:
Barca just have too many weapons for Malaga to contain. Midfield battler Ignacio Camacho will put up a fight, but the skilled destroyer is likely to be outnumbered in dangerous areas.
Count on Barcelona's scoring run to continue and leave Malaga shellshocked.
Elche vs. Real Madrid
After Barca have thrown down the gauntlet, Madrid's best way to answer the challenge will be turning their own fluid forward line loose. That shouldn't be a problem with the pace of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale to aim for.
But the really important figure could occupy a deeper area of the pitch. Cerebral playmaker Toni Kroos is the brain of manager Carlo Ancelotti's team.
He keeps Real on the ball and is the supply line to Ronaldo, Bale and company. Kroos is a model of technical guile and efficiency.
The latter quality is best depicted by this statistic from WhoScored.com:
Letting Kroos dictate play is a necessity for Madrid away from home. Ancelotti's squad still lacks a naturally destructive powerhouse to play the role of enforcer and ball-winner in the middle.
Los Blancos' best defence on their travels is to own the ball. That's usually what happens when Kroos is on form.
One Elche player worth watching is midfielder Adrian. He was once on the books for Los Merengues and plays a key role in Elche's attack.
This one will be slow during the opening stages, but Madrid will soon establish control. The first goal will be the cue for more to soon follow.
Best of the Rest
The clash between nearby foes Celta Vigo and Deportivo La Coruna bears watching. The former recently scored a thoroughly convincing win over reigning champions Atletico Madrid.
A catalyst for the win was quick and tricky wide forward Nolito. He was on the scoresheet and routinely tied the Atleti defence in knots as Opta Jose showed:
Celta have the resources in attack to cause problems for any defence. What manager Eduardo Berizzo's squad really needs is some genuine consistency. Building on the win over Madrid by beating Deportivo would be a step in the right direction.
Finally, David Moyes' Real Sociedad may find it difficult to subdue a talented Sevilla side led by live-wire striker Carlos Bacca. The tireless and tricky Colombian has a knack for scrapping his way to goals. Expect Bacca to do the same again.
The result will maintain Sevilla's challenge for a place in next season's UEFA Champions League.
By the end of Week 24, the big two will still be within a whisker of one another at the top of the table. Barca are the team in form, while Madrid are under increasing pressure to match their great rival's efforts.
Ancelotti's men will stay in control for another week. But sooner or later, they could buckle under the strain.
