La Liga Table: Updated Standings and Complete Outlook After Week 26
Week 26 of the 2014-15 La Liga season saw Real Madrid drop out of first place in the standings for the first time in months, as Los Blancos suffered a shock 1-0 loss at the San Mames to Athletic Bilbao.
Barcelona answered by pulverising Rayo Vallecano 6-1, and they now hold a one-point lead in the title race heading into Week 27. Both teams face winnable matches next weekend, setting up an epic Clasico at the Camp Nou on Matchday 28.
Here are the full results of Week 26, with one match left to be played on Monday:
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
| Friday, March 6 | Levante | 2-1 | Eibar |
| Saturday, March 7 | Deportivo La Coruna | 3-4 | Sevilla |
| Saturday, March 7 | Athletic Bilbao | 1-0 | Real Madrid |
| Saturday, March 7 | Elche | 1-0 | Almeria |
| Saturday, March 7 | Granada | 1-0 | Malaga |
| Sunday, March 8 | Barcelona | 6-1 | Rayo Vallecano |
| Sunday, March 8 | Real Sociedad | 1-0 | Espanyol |
| Sunday, March 8 | Villarreal | 4-1 | Celta Vigo |
| Sunday, March 8 | Atletico Madrid | 1-1 | Valencia |
| Monday, March 9 | Cordoba | TBD | Getafe |
The current La Liga standings:
| 1 | Barcelona | 26 | 20 | 2 | 4 | 76 | 16 | +60 | 62 |
| 2 | Real Madrid | 26 | 20 | 1 | 5 | 75 | 24 | +51 | 61 |
| 3 | Atletico Madrid | 26 | 17 | 4 | 5 | 51 | 23 | +28 | 55 |
| 4 | Valencia | 26 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 46 | 22 | +24 | 54 |
| 5 | Sevilla | 26 | 15 | 4 | 7 | 46 | 33 | +13 | 49 |
| 6 | Villarreal | 26 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 43 | 24 | +19 | 48 |
| 7 | Malaga | 26 | 12 | 5 | 9 | 29 | 30 | -1 | 41 |
| 8 | Athletic Bilbao | 26 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 23 | 31 | -8 | 33 |
| 9 | Celta Vigo | 26 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 32 | 37 | -5 | 32 |
| 10 | Espanyol | 26 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 27 | 29 | -2 | 32 |
| 11 | Real Sociedad | 26 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 29 | 36 | -7 | 30 |
| 12 | Ray Vallecano | 26 | 9 | 2 | 15 | 29 | 49 | -20 | 29 |
| 13 | Eibar | 26 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 26 | 36 | -10 | 27 |
| 14 | Elche | 26 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 23 | 45 | -22 | 27 |
| 15 | Getafe | 25 | 7 | 5 | 13 | 22 | 35 | -13 | 26 |
| 16 | Deportivo | 26 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 23 | 42 | -19 | 25 |
| 17 | Levante | 26 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 23 | 49 | -26 | 25 |
| 18 | Almeria | 26 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 22 | 40 | -18 | 24 |
| 19 | Granada | 26 | 4 | 10 | 12 | 17 | 40 | -23 | 22 |
| 20 | Cordoba | 25 | 3 | 9 | 13 | 18 | 39 | -21 | 18 |
The Title Race
As much as we'd like to believe defending champions Atletico Madrid are still title contenders, their 1-1 draw against Valencia on Sunday means they've likely dropped out of the race. They trail Real by six points and Barcelona by seven, so the Atleti would need both sides to enter something of a slump heading into the final weeks.
Instead, it now seems Spain's two biggest clubs will once again go head-to-head, and after Saturday's upset in the Basque Country, the Catalans hold the advantage. Goal UK believe the battle has now truly begun:
Los Blancos have won just two of their last five matches, so the momentum is clearly with the Blaugrana. Luis Suarez has completely integrated into Luis Enrique's squad, and Lionel Messi seems to have found his best form at just the right time.
As shared by the cub's official Twitter account, the manager thinks the duo can still do even better:
Barcelona have a wealth of attacking options—Neymar didn't even play Sunday. But main title rivals Real aren't too far behind.
Two months ago, the attacking machine from the capital was nearly unstoppable. Teams endure slumps all the time, and as we're seeing now, even the very best can fall victim to it. That doesn't mean the title race is over, however, and the Clasico could provide the perfect opportunity for Los Blancos to bounce back.
Bleacher Report's Nick Dorrington thinks the team could find its feet again once midfield general Luka Modric returns to the pitch:
Looking ahead at the schedule, Real have a slight advantage, with Barcelona still facing Valencia at home and defending champions Atletico at the Vicente Calderon:
At this point, it's nearly impossible to predict the outcome of this year's title race. All we can say is this: Cancel anything you have planned for Sunday, March 22, because that Clasico will be must-watch TV.
The Race for Europe
Much like the title race, it looks as if the final players for the European tickets separated themselves from the pack in Week 26. Malaga's shock loss against Granada means they now chase Villarreal by seven points for the final Europa League ticket, and the Yellow Submarine have looked excellent in recent weeks.
As shared by OptaJose, their home record is outstanding right now:
Valencia have won four of their last five and appear to have overcome their struggles away from the Mestalla; and while there's plenty of football left to be played, it seems very likely they will join Barcelona, Real and Atletico in next year's Champions League—assuming they survive qualification.
The Battle Against Relegation
What is going on with Levante? Les Granotes have won three of their last five out of nowhere and have climbed out of the relegation zone, defying all odds. Their resurgence is a fantastic story, but looking at the bottom of the standings, fans shouldn't get too excited.
Eibar sit in 13th, which would be a relatively safe spot in most European leagues; but in Spain, that means sitting just three points out of the relegation zone. Seven-match losing streaks will do that for you, via OptaJose:
The margin at the bottom of the standings is incredibly slim right now, so the likes of Getafe and Deportivo La Coruna should pick up the pace as soon as possible. The Galicians, in particular, have disappointed, after last year's excellent campaign.
Cordoba have the look of a likely candidate for relegation, while Almeria have also disappointed on too many occasions. But the 2014-15 campaign has already seen its fair share of twists and turns, so at this point, anything could happen.
