La Liga Fixtures 2016 Week 27: Schedule, Live Stream Info, Picks and Key Players
Barcelona will break the Spanish club record for consecutive matches unbeaten in Week 27 of La Liga's 2015-16 campaign as long as they can avoid defeat at Rayo Vallecano on Thursday.
The Primera Division leaders have gone 34 matches unbeaten across all competitions since losing to Sevilla back in October, and the opportunity to stretch their eight-point lead at the summit only provides further motivation to win.
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Atletico Madrid will first have their chance to close the gap on Tuesday evening, however, when they host Real Sociedad fresh from Saturday's 1-0 derby win over fierce rivals Real Madrid.
Los Merengues are now 12 points behind Barca in third, and they travel to face Levante on Wednesday night in the hope they can resurrect their campaign.
Barca are running free, but Spain's top contenders won't let Luis Enrique's titans make history just yet, and we provide the Week 27 schedule in full, complete with a breakdown of which players to watch out for.
| Tuesday, March 1 | 8 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. ET | Atletico Madrid | 2-0 | Real Sociedad |
| Tuesday, March 1 | 9 p.m. GMT/4 p.m. ET | Las Palmas | 1-0 | Getafe |
| Wednesday, March 2 | 7 p.m. GMT/2 p.m. ET | Sevilla | 2-1 | Eibar |
| Wednesday, March 2 | 7 p.m. GMT/2 p.m. ET | Malaga | 2-2 | Valencia |
| Wednesday, March 2 | 7 p.m. GMT/2 p.m. ET | Athletic Bilbao | 2-1 | Deportivo La Coruna |
| Wednesday, March 2 | 7 p.m. GMT/2 p.m. ET | Celta Vigo | 1-1 | Villarreal |
| Wednesday, March 2 | 8 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. ET | Levante | 1-3 | Real Madrid |
| Thursday, March 3 | 7 p.m. GMT/2 p.m. ET | Granada | 2-2 | Sporting Gijon |
| Thursday, March 3 | 7:30 p.m./2:30 p.m. | Espanyol | 1-0 | Real Betis |
| Thursday, March 3 | 8 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. ET | Rayo Vallecano | 1-3 | Barcelona |
All matches can be streamed live via Sky Go, FuboTV or beIN Sports Connect.
Antoine Griezmann
Atletico Madrid ace Antoine Griezmann picked the opportune moment to rediscover his shooting boots on Saturday, ending his five-game goal drought to net the winner at the Santiago Bernabeu.
As special as that win was to the Frenchman, another fixture of personal significance awaits him as he faces former club Real Sociedad on Tuesday.
Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC highlighted just how badly Los Rojiblancos needed a goal prior to Saturday's Madrid derby:
With Griezmann back among the goals, Atleti manager Diego Simeone can again rely on his attacking spearhead to lead the assault against La Real, having scored in two of the three games in which he's faced his old club.
A return to the Vicente Calderon Stadium would signal good omens to most, but as OptaJean recently noted, the 24-year-old has had more fortune scoring away from home of late:
The France international has netted 13 of Atletico's 36 La Liga goals this term—equal to 36 percent of their overall goal tally—a similar contribution to the 37 percent that Barca's 25-goal Luis Suarez has recorded this season.
With only two goals scored in their last four games, Simeone's side are in dire need of improvement in attack, and Griezmann will look to once again down Sociedad, whom Atleti defeated 2-0 in the reverse fixture.
Bruno Soriano
Villarreal midfielder Bruno Soriano has gone under the radar as something of an underrated asset this season—a veritable jack of all trades whose influence at El Madrigal is nothing short of tremendous.
Although 11 points separate Marcelino's fourth-placed side from Celta Vigo in fifth, Wednesday's trip to Galicia nevertheless threatens to derail their plans of cracking La Liga's higher order this season.
Spanish football writer Chris Moar even sounded Villarreal metronome Bruno out as one of Spain's brightest talents in his position:
"Bruno Soriano. Very few midfielders better than him in the country.
— Chris (@MoarFootball) February 28, 2016"
Per WhoScored.com, the Spaniard's passing accuracy of 84.2 percent is the highest of any regular starter, while his contribution of five goals is the second highest in the squad and his average of 3.7 interceptions per game can't be bested.
Only four teams have scored fewer away goals in La Liga this season than Villarreal (11), but Bruno has helped shield a back four that's also conceded only 11 on foreign territory, level with leaders Barcelona.
