La Liga Table 2017 Week 33: Updated Standings Following Friday's Result

Tony Adams suffered his second consecutive defeat as Granada manager on Friday, as his team were beaten 2-0 by Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.

It was Ganso who did the damage for the hosts, as he struck early on in both halves to put Jorge Sampaoli's side in a commanding position. The win sees Sevilla take another big step towards securing a top-four finish, as they moved to level points with Atletico Madrid in third and 11 ahead of Villarreal in fifth.

Later this weekend, all eyes will be on the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, as Real Madrid and Barcelona meet in what promises to be a crucial Clasico showdown. Atletico will visit Espanyol on Saturday evening.

Here is how the table is shaping up after a big win for Sevilla, a recap of Friday's action and a look ahead to one of the most important weekends of the La Liga season so far.

Date	Time (BST)	Fixture
Friday, April 21	8 p.m.	Sevilla 2-0 Granada
Saturday, April 22	12 p.m.	Malaga vs. Valencia
Saturday, April 22	3:15 p.m.	Villarreal vs. Leganes
Saturday, April 22	5:30 p.m.	Osasuna vs. Sporting Gijon
Saturday, April 22	7:45 p.m.	Espanyol vs. Atletico Madrid
Sunday, April 23	11 a.m.	Real Sociedad vs. Deportivo
Sunday, April 23	3:15 p.m.	Celta Vigo vs. Real Betis
Sunday, April 23	5:30 p.m.	Las Palmas vs. Alaves
Sunday, April 23	7:45 p.m.	Real Madrid vs. Barcelona
Monday, April 24	7:45 p.m.	Eibar vs. Athletic Bilbao

#	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Real Madrid	31	23	6	2	82	33	+49	75
2	Barcelona	32	22	6	4	91	30	+61	72
3	Atletico Madrid	32	19	8	5	59	24	+35	65
4	Sevilla	33	19	8	6	58	39	+19	65
5	Villarreal	32	15	9	8	46	26	+20	54
6	Athletic Club	32	16	5	11	45	37	+8	53
7	Real Sociedad	32	16	4	12	48	45	+3	52
8	Eibar	32	14	8	10	52	44	+8	50
9	Espanyol	32	13	10	9	44	42	+2	49
10	Celta Vigo	31	13	5	13	48	51	-3	44
11	Alaves	32	11	10	11	31	39	-8	43
12	Valencia	32	11	7	14	47	54	-7	40
13	Las Palmas	32	10	8	14	51	57	-6	38
14	Real Betis	32	9	7	16	35	51	-16	34
15	Malaga	32	8	9	15	36	49	-13	33
16	Deportivo La Coruna	32	7	10	15	35	50	-15	31
17	Leganes	32	6	9	17	26	49	-23	27
18	Sporting Gijon	32	5	7	20	34	64	-30	22
19	Granada	33	4	8	21	27	70	-43	20
20	Osasuna	32	3	8	21	32	73	-41	17

Friday Recap

Having fallen to a 3-0 defeat in his first game as manager against Celta Vigo, Adams would have been hoping for a strong start from his side at a testing venue. But he didn't get it.

Within four minutes they were behind, as Ganso was fed by Stevan Jovetic and struck home from inside the box. As noted by football journalist Nick Dorrington, the notoriously laid-back Brazilian looked to be up for it:

After that initial setback, Granada did knuckle down, although Sevilla always looked in danger of scoring again.

Jovetic and Pablo Sarabia went close, although the finest opportunity fell to Mariano, who couldn't make the most of the space and time he found in the area. Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez almost snuck an equaliser for the visitors just before the break, but Sergio Rico dropped to his left to keep his strike out.

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Sevilla would have felt disappointed not to have been further ahead at half-time, but within seconds of the restart, Granada had a mountain to climb.

And it was Ganso once again with the finishing touch, this time benefitting from smart work from Sarabia and slotting home from close range.

Per Metro's Jay Jaffa, the goal was scored so quickly, Adams didn't even see it:

From that point on, the match was all but over. As Sport's Rik Sharma noted midway through the second period, having taken a two-goal lead, Sevilla were really beginning to enjoy the game:

Indeed, in the final stages, there was a control exerted by the hosts, although they didn't strain themselves in pursuit of another goal. 

With a tricky fixture for Atletico to come on Saturday, Sampaoli will be delighted his players were able to apply some pressure with this performance. Granada, meanwhile, look consigned to relegation, as they remain seven points from safety having played a game more than their positional rivals.

Weekend Preview

Alex Caparros/Getty Images

When Clasico weekends do roll around, they tend to dwarf everything else in the Spanish top flight. Although with so much at stake in this meeting between Real Madrid and Barcelona, the focus on the contest is understandable.

Arguably, this one is more important for the Blaugrana, as they have a lot of ground to make up at this stage in the season. Madrid have a three-point lead at the top having played a game less, meaning a win here is surely required if Luis Enrique's men are to have a say in the title race.

And as centre-back Gerard Pique suggested after Barcelona's UEFA Champions League elimination in midweek against Juventus, there's confidence in the group:

Madrid will relish the chance to put an end to their rivals' chances of glory, though, which they surely would do with victory here.

While Barcelona were dumped out by Juve in midweek, Los Blancos continued their quest for a 12th European Cup in morale-boosting fashion, coming through 6-3 on aggregate after a thrilling period of extra time against Bayern Munich.

Chris Brunskill Ltd/Getty Images

Once again, their talisman Cristiano Ronaldo proved to be the difference, as he tucked away a perfect hat-trick on the night. He's enjoyed a much better week than his rival, Barcelona's Lionel Messi:

Atletico also booked their place in the last four of the Champions League but will have to switch their focus back to domestic matters this weekend at Espanyol.

Diego Simeone will be desperate to see his side clinch third place and avoid the playoff round of Europe's elite competition. After Sevilla's victory on Friday night, the onus is on them to take three points from a tricky test in Catalonia.