La Liga Fixtures 2015 Week 28: Schedule, Live Stream Info, Picks and Key Players
Week 28 of the 2014-15 La Liga season is all about Sunday's Clasico, pitting league leaders Barcelona against Champions League holders Real Madrid in a battle for the top spot.
The Blaugrana are in top form, while Los Blancos limp into the match having won just one of their last three matches. But none of that will matter on Sunday—with so much history and bad blood between these two teams, every Clasico is a match that really stands apart.
Elsewhere, defending champions Atletico Madrid will try to get back to their winning ways against Getafe, while Sevilla and Villarreal will meet for the third time in two weeks. The full schedule for Week 28:
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| Friday, March 20 | 7.45 p.m. | Elche | Valencia | BeIN Sports Connect (US) | Valencia |
| Saturday, March 21 | 3 p.m. | Atletico | Getafe | Sky Go (UK)/BeIN Sports Connect (US) | Atletico |
| Saturday, March 21 | 5 p.m. | Rayo Vallecano | Malaga | BeIN Sports Connect (US) | Draw |
| Saturday, March 21 | 7 p.m. | Levante | Celta Vigo | BeIN Sports Connect (US) | Celta Vigo |
| Saturday, March 21 | 9 p.m. | Athletic | Almeria | BeIN Sports Connect (US) | Athletic |
| Saturday, March 21 | 9 p.m. | Granada | Eibar | BeIN Sports Connect (US) | Draw |
| Sunday, March 20 | 11 a.m. | Deportivo | Espanyol | BeIN Sports Connect (US) | Espanyol |
| Sunday, March 20 | 4 p.m. | Villarreal | Sevilla | Sky Go (UK)/BeIN Sports Connect (US) | Villarreal |
| Sunday, March 20 | 6 p.m. | Real Sociedad | Cordoba | BeIN Sports Connect (US) | Real Sociedad |
| Sunday, March 20 | 8 p.m. | Barcelona | Real Madrid | Sky Go (UK)/BeIN Sports Connect (US) | Draw |
Key Players
Toni Kroos, Real Madrid
Cristiano Ronaldo would be the obvious choice here, but going into Sunday's Clasico, it's time to highlight some other players as well, starting with Los Blancos' Toni Kroos.
We endlessly debated the signings of Kroos and Ivan Rakitic during the summer transfer window, analysing which team had got the better deal and which player would have a bigger impact, via ESPN FC's Lee Roden.
At the time, Rakitic appeared the better fit for Barcelona's system, but there's no denying Kroos has had the far bigger impact. As shared by the club's official Twitter account, he quickly established himself as a key component of Real's midfield:
The Germany international has played an incredible amount of minutes so far this season, in part due to the injury to Luka Modric, and at times, he has looked fatigued and slower on the ball due to the heavy workload.
He should be well rested after sitting out against Levante, however, per ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan:
Kroos works as a calming presence in a Real team obsessed with pushing the ball forward at pace, and his ability to play both the decisive pass and help out defensively is crucial to Carlo Ancelotti's team. Barcelona's front three are very dangerous in space—blocking through balls and limiting their touches will be key for the visitors.
Los Blancos have the defensive quality to match up with the likes of Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar, but stopping them from seeing too much of the ball to begin with is a far safer approach.
Gerard Pique, Barcelona
Similar to Ronaldo, Messi is the obvious choice here, and there's no denying the incredible form the Argentina international is currently in.
He's not the only Barcelona star entering the match on a hot streak, however. As incredible as it may sound after his early-season struggles, Gerard Pique has been among the club's top performers in recent weeks.
Even BBC Sport's Andy West was a little shocked when he saw the Spain international playing with confidence and leading the team from the back:
Pique may only be 28 years old, but he's one of the most experienced defenders in the game today. The centre-back has been key to the Catalans' defensive rebirth in the 2014-15 season, and the club has conceded just 16 goals in La Liga so far, via WhoScored.com.
He's seen it all and has faced Real's vaunted attack dozens of times already. Pique doesn't fear Los Blancos' threat, but via Soccer Laduma, he knows exactly what Ronaldo is capable of and isn't afraid to admit he hates playing against him:
Ronaldo may be going through a rough stretch of matches, but Real still boast plenty of scoring potential. The Blaugrana defence has been almost an impenetrable fortress this season, but it hasn't faced a test as stern as the one it will go undergo on Sunday.
Concentration and communication will be key, and as good as Pique is, those happen to be the two areas where he has shown signs of weakness in the past. If the Spaniard is on his game, Barcelona have a strong chance of preserving the clean sheet. If not, the hosts could be in for a rude shock against one of the top attacking units in all of Europe.
