La Liga Table 2015: Updated Standings Following Matchday 36 Results

Barcelona opened up a four-point lead over rivals Real Madrid with just two matches left to play in the 2014-15 La Liga season, as Los Blancos could manage only a draw against Valencia in Week 36. The Catalans beat Real Sociedad and are now heavy favourites for the title, needing just two more points from their last two matches.

Fans may have to wait to see how the race plays out if the planned strike goes through, per Sky Sports, but as things stand, the Blaugrana could win the La Liga crown against Atletico Madrid next week.

Here's the full schedule for Week 36:

Date	Home	Score	Away
Friday, May 8	Eibar	0-2	Espanyol
Saturday, May 9	Granada	2-0	Cordoba
Saturday, May 9	Barcelona	2-0	Real Sociedad
Saturday, May 9	Real Madrid	2-2	Valencia
Saturday, May 9	Bilbao	1-1	Deportivo
Sunday, May 10	Levante	2-2	Atletico Madrid
Sunday, May 10	Villarreal	1-0	Elche
Sunday, May 10	Almeria	1-2	Malaga
Sunday, May 10	Celta Vigo	1-1	Sevilla
Monday, May 11	Rayo Vallecano	2-0	Getafe

The current La Liga standings:

R	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Barcelona	36	29	3	4	107	19	+88	90
2	Real Madrid	36	28	2	6	107	34	+73	56
3	Atletico Madrid	36	23	8	5	67	28	+39	77
4	Valencia	36	21	10	5	66	29	+37	73
5	Sevilla	36	21	7	8	66	42	+24	70
6	Villarreal	36	15	12	9	46	32	+14	57
7	Malaga	36	14	8	14	39	43	-4	50
8	Espanyol	36	13	10	13	44	44	0	49
9	Athletic Club	36	14	10	12	35	39	-6	49
10	Celta Vigo	36	12	11	13	43	41	+2	47
11	Rayo Vallecano	36	14	4	18	42	63	-21	46
12	Real Sociedad	36	10	13	13	40	46	-6	43
13	Elche	36	11	7	18	33	59	-26	40
14	Getafe	36	10	6	20	29	56	-27	36
15	Levante	36	9	9	18	34	65	-31	36
16	Almeria	36	8	8	20	32	59	-27	32
17	Eibar	36	8	7	21	30	54	-24	31
18	Deportivo La Coruna	36	6	13	17	31	58	-27	31
19	Granada	36	6	13	17	26	64	-38	31
20	Cordoba	36	3	11	22	21	63	-42	20

Monday Recap

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Only one fixture was left to play on Matchday 36, and Getafe couldn't capitalize on their chance to put some distance between themselves and relegation with a 2-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano at Campo de Futbol de Vallecas.

The road hasn't been kind to the Deep Blues all season. They've won just four games away from home and proved to be no match for their superior adversary.

OptaJose highlighted how tough of a go Getafe have had against their intracity rivals:

Manucho put Rayo Vallecano on the board in the 28th minutes, and that wound up being the game-winning goal. Miku added insurance in the 73rd minute to dash any aspirations the visitors had of salvaging a point.

Tensions boiled over late between the two sides. Rayo's Javier Aquino got into an altercation with Roberto Lago, and both players were dismissed from the pitch. It marked Aquino's second red card of the season, which was really the only negative for the home team in this one.

Rayo have ascended to 11th alone in the league table. At this point nothing of serious consequence is to be gained, but they can still build on the foundation they've established with an eye towards a bigger step forward next season.

The stakes are a bit higher for Getafe moving forward. A favorable matchup with Eibar is probably their last chance to get three points, because Real Madrid looms in the season finale.

Sunday Recap

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Champions Atletico Madrid had to twice come from behind as they drew 2-2 with a defensively stubborn Levante. David Barral gave the hosts the lead just after the half-hour mark after an error by Miranda, but Diego Simeone's team took just two minutes to level the scores through a Guilherme Siqueira effort.

In the second half, Levante's defence remained solid as the Rojiblancos pressed, and they took full advantage in the 63rd minute, as Kalu Uche grabbed the lead, bundling the ball over the visitors' line.

Levante goalkeeper Diego Marino was in fantastic form, saving well from Mario Mandzukic and Arda Turan. But the stopper was finally beaten for a second time, as Fernando Torres headed home a corner with 10 minutes to spare.

The final moments were all about Atleti as they looked for a winner, but the Calderon team were unable to find what they were searching for. The Ciutat de Valencia stadium is somewhat of a bogey venue for Simeone, who has failed to win there during his tenure with Atletico. 

The point gained is useful for the champions, who now need just one victory to guarantee third spot—from their final two games. 

Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

In Sunday's other games, Villarreal secured sixth place in La Liga, as they narrowly edged out Elche, winning 1-0 at El Madrigal. Joel Campbell's solitary goal was enough for Marcelinho's team, who will play in next season's Europa League.

Malaga tightened their grip on seventh place after travelling to Almeria to inflict a 2-1 defeat. An own goal from Jose Manuel Casado gave the visitors the lead after 23 minutes, but midfielder Thomas levelled the score eight minutes later.

However, on-loan striker Javi Guerra gave Malaga the points after finishing his effort on 69 minutes. The win sees Malaga jump above Athletic Bilbao and Espanyol after failing to win in their previous eight matches, per Squawka.com. 

Sevilla's chances of fourth place took a huge hit as they could only draw 1-1 at Celta Vigo. Kevin Gameiro had given the visitors the perfect start to take an eighth minute lead, but a penalty from Santi Mina in the second half ended the game as draw. 

Sevilla now sit three points behind fourth placed Valencia, with an inferior goal difference also hindering their hopes of a positive finish.

Saturday Recap

Valencia managed to steal a point from the Bernabeu in a 2-2 draw with Real Madrid, handing Barcelona a four-point lead with just two matches left to be played after the Blaugrana managed to beat Real Sociedad earlier on Saturday.

Eurosport.com's celebrations may be a bit premature, but it seems unlikely Los Blancos will return from such a big deficit:

Paco Alcacer and Javi Fuego gave Valencia a 2-0 lead over Los Blancos on a day where nothing went right for the Champions League holders. Toni Kroos left the pitch with an injury, the team hit the woodwork an incredible three times in the first half alone and Cristiano Ronaldo even missed a penalty after a great save from Diego Alves.

In the second half, Pepe managed to pull a goal back before Isco scored a fantastic effort from range, but despite their best intentions, Real simply couldn't find a winner.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Los Blancos need a miracle to stop their Catalan rivals from winning the title:

Real Sociedad gave the Blaugrana all they could handle early but finally cracked when Neymar found space early in the second half, and Pedro secured the win for his club with a sensational bicycle kick late in the match.

Manager Luis Enrique gave the Spain international a ton of credit after the match:

The Blaugrana now lead Real by four points and need just two more points to be mathematically certain of the title. They'll meet Atletico Madrid and Deportivo La Coruna to end the season, and should manage to win at least one of those matches.

Real will face Espanyol and Getafe in the final two weeks of the campaign.

Oscar del Pozo/Associated Press

Granada kept their hopes of staying in La Liga alive with a 2-0 win over Codoba, who already know they'll be relegated. The visitors finished the match with nine players.

Jose Ramon Sandoval knows he still has his work cut out for him, per footballespana:

Aritz Aduriz and Alberto Lopo both scored as Athletic Bilbao and Deportivo La Coruna played out a 1-1 draw.

Friday Recap

Eibar's campaign continues to slide further and further, as the Armeros lost 2-0 at home against Espanyol to take their losing streak to an incredible six matches. For the first time this season, the Basques no longer have their fate in their own hands, and if Deportivo La Coruna win on Saturday, they'll finally leap over the Basques in the standings.

Sergio Garcia was given far too much space to open the score in the first half, carefully placing the ball in the top corner with ease, per AS English:

The Catalans, who have enjoyed a quiet season in La Liga, were hardly ever under pressure and easily controled the match. Eibar displayed little creativity and threw long ball after long ball forward, but at half-time, that had hardly led to chances.

The second half played out in a similar matter, and while the hosts had a goal disallowed that would have given the team fresh life, Cristian Stuani's after 60 minutes effectively ended their hopes of grabbing a win.

Stuani has been in excellent form this season, per MailOnline Sport's Chris Moar:

"

Stuani's highest goal scoring season (10 goals). He's been excellent - matching that 12/13 'masked' season. Very physically imposing forward

— Chris (@MoarFootball) May 8, 2015"

Desperate to make up for the deficit, Eibar committed men forward but Espanyol were happy to defend their box, and while the visitors ran into a number of late yellow cards, they easily held off all attacks until the final whistle.

As shared by author Sid Lowe, the result means Eibar are in trouble:

The Basques were one of the feel-good stories earlier this campaign for their wide-open approach to the game, but two long losing streaks have seen the team drop down the standings like a brick.

Depotivo La Coruna can pass the side in the standings with a win over Athletic Bilbao on Saturday, and Granada sit just three points back as well. With two matches left on the schedule, the race to avoid the drop will be a tight one.

When these sides will have the chance to play out said race is another matter. Real manager Carlo Ancelotti is convinced the impending strike can be averted, as he told Sky Sports: "I think La Liga will continue normally. I think the parties involved will find a solution."

But as of right now, it looks as if we'll have no football in Spain next week. There's plenty of time left for the powers that be to come to some kind of compromise, so fans better pray for a swift resolution.