Ultimate Guide to La Liga Weekend: European Priorities and Barcelona's Bad Run

Is the title race in La Liga really back open again?

On Saturday, March 19, after Atletico Madrid heard the final whistle go to consign them to a 2-1 defeat at Sporting Gijon, Barcelona were looking at the possibility of going 11 points clear at the top—but two matches and one international break later, Luis Enrique's men haven't won to make the most of Atleti's slip-up and the difference is down to six points.

It's still a significant gap, but next up for the reigning titleholders is a trip to Anoeta, a typically difficult place for Barcelona over the past few seasons. Barca have lost four of their last five games at Real Sociedad, and for a side that beats everybody more often than not, that counts as a terrible run for the Catalan outfit.

For La Real's part, a win at Sevilla last time out moved them into the top half, and they could still manage a top-eight finish with a strong end to the campaign.

Real Madrid and Atletico will both expect to take positive results from their respective matches against Eibar and Espanyol, feasibly leaving the title race closer than ever heading into the final five weeks of the season.

Jornada 32 (kick-off times available on Soccerway)

Friday

Granada vs. Malaga

Saturday

Real Madrid vs. Eibar

Espanyol vs. Atletico Madrid

Real Sociedad vs. Barcelona

Real Betis vs. Levante

Sunday

Sporting Gijon vs. Celta Vigo

Valencia vs. Sevilla

Villarreal vs. Getafe

Athletic Bilbao vs. Rayo Vallecano

Monday

Deportivo La Coruna vs. Las Palmas

What to Watch Out for this Weekend

Part 1: Rotation?

Where do the priorities lie for La Liga's top teams? Does Luis Enrique think the lead at the top—effectively seven points given his side's superior head-to-head record, therefore a three-game minimum swing—is enough to be able to rotate and rest players ahead of the second leg of Barca's UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday?

Will Atleti, in turn, rotate and give a breather to some of their hardworking midfielders or forwards in anticipation of the big second leg at home, or is the possibility of chasing down Barcelona in La Liga too much to ignore?

Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

Real Madrid are third but have a two-goal deficit to claw back in Europe, Sevilla and Athletic Bilbao face off against each other in the UEFA Europa League but are both chasing a top-four finish and Villarreal are in fourth but are also chasing European success.

Big squads, fitness, keeping a good run going—there's a lot to consider and balance for the managers at the top in Spain, and one single error of judgement could bring the whole season to a shattering, early end.

Part 2: Escaping the Battle

For a few weeks, the relegation fight has looked like being comprised of five teams: Levante, Sporting Gijon, Granada, Getafe and Rayo Vallecano. That's still the case. The two teams above that group, Valencia and Real Betis, should be fine. However, neither looked as though they would be in this much of an anxious place a month ago.

Betis' three-game loss streak could be brought to a timely end at home to the bottom club, but if Levante managed to win, it would accordion the bottom six to within six points of each other—or even the bottom seven if Valencia lose again too.

Points taken off each other at this point are so crucial; not only does it stop the rival side gaining any ground, but there's also one game less remaining in which to scrape back the difference.

If you're looking for a prediction about which team will be the big winner in that group this time around, we're sticking with Real Betis, who have a lot of quality in midfield—but just lack a finishing touch in the attacking third.

La Liga Stat Watch

• Sevilla will play their 16th away game of the season on Sunday and have yet to win one.
• Getafe are the only team to still be in single figures for goals scored away from home.
• Cristiano Ronaldo is one goal away from reaching 30 for the season.
• Antoine Griezmann is one goal away from reaching 20 for the season.
• Getafe have failed to score in 14 of their 31 games, more than any other side.
• No club is on a two-game (or better) clean-sheet streak.
• Real Madrid have won five in a row, the best current streak.
• Valencia have lost four in a row, the worst current streak in the league.
• The longest current winless streak belongs to Getafe, who haven't won in 11.

Player to Watch: Diego Reyes, RSO

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

After a spell in a holding-midfield role, Diego Reyes will move back into central defence with Real Sociedad, partnering Inigo Martinez.

He was fantastic in the opening month or two of the season before injury and the team's inconsistency ruined the burgeoning partnership at the back, but Reyes is a fantastic reader of the game, quick across the ground and plays the ball well out of the back line. He's also the more dominant of the two in the air.

If La Real are to keep their good streak up against Barcelona and push themselves higher into the top half of the table, they'll need to be near-perfect at the back. Geronimo Rulli is an athletic but erratic goalkeeper, so the team will be hoping for Reyes to be at his best and shutting down anything that comes into the box on his side.

Game of the Weekend: Valencia vs. Sevilla

This would have been expected to be a fixture that helped determine the battle for fourth spot at the start of the season, not one that had a floundering side battling against relegation fears on their third manager of the season against one that can't win away and is outside the Europa League spots—a competition Sevilla have won the past two seasons.

It will be far more tense and scrappy, direct and attritional than full of flair, confidence and expensive attacking players, but it will be no less watchable for that.

Los Che need to take something from the game, and Sevilla would probably take a draw given their ineptitude on the road this term, so stick your money on a 1-1 or 2-2. Neither is particularly capable of a clean sheet at present.

Predictions and Tips

• Home wins for Granada, Real Madrid, Betis, Villarreal, Athletic.
• Away wins for Atletico and Las Palmas.
• Over 2.5 goals in RMA-EIB, BET-LEV, VAL-SEV, VIL-GET, DEP-LPA.

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