La Liga Table 2018: Latest Standings Following Friday's Week 22 Results
Real Sociedad ended a four-game losing run in style Friday in La Liga as they hammered Deportivo la Coruna 5-0 at the Anoeta.
Willian Jose continued his excellent recent form, putting the hosts ahead before the break. An Asier Illarramendi brace, plus goals from Sergio Canales and Aritz Elustondo, added the gloss in the second period.
Sociedad move nine points clear of the drop zone with this win, while Depor remain in 17th and in real danger of relegation on this evidence.
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On Sunday, runaway leaders Barcelona make the trip to local rivals Espanyol, who are the only team to have beaten the Blaugrana in any match in 2017-18. Real Madrid visit Levante on Saturday, while the standout fixture of the weekend sees Atletico Madrid, in second, welcome Valencia, in third, to the Wanda Metropolitano.
Read on for the Week 22 schedule in full, a recap of Friday's action and a look at what's to come this weekend.
Friday
Real Sociedad 5-0 Deportivo La Coruna
Saturday
Eibar vs. Sevilla
Real Betis vs. Villarreal
Alaves vs. Celta Vigo
Levante vs. Real Madrid
Sunday
Getafe vs. Leganes
Espanyol vs. Barcelona
Girona vs. Athletic Bilbao
Atletico Madrid vs. Valencia
Monday
Las Palmas vs. Malaga
For the league table in full, visit Sky Sports.
Friday Recap
Given their torrid recent form and the shock sale of Inigo Martinez to rivals Athletic Bilbao, Sociedad were in desperate need of a win Friday.
Although the opening stages were cagey, the hosts were carving out the best opportunities and finally got the goal their dominance deserved in the 32nd minute. It was Jose on target again, as he finished coolly past Ruben.
As noted by OptaJose, despite their poor run, the striker has been a big positive for the Basque outfit:
Chances kept coming in the second period for the home side as Xabi Prieto turned a cross onto the post from 12 yards out. It wasn't long until Sociedad got some breathing room in the game, though.
In fairness, there was little Deportivo's outfield players could do about it as Illarramendi smashed a free-kick in from long range. Journalist Simon Harrison commented on some poor goalkeeping from Ruben:
The goal effectively ended the clash as a contest, and La Real started to play with freedom in the latter stages. Canales capitalised on more bright passing in the 75th minute, latching on to Jose's through ball and finishing calmly.
In the latter stages, there were calamitous moments aplenty in the Deportivo defence as Elustondo capitalised on their failure to clear a routine corner into the box to make it four for Sociedad. Illarramendi then stroked into an open goal after Real won the ball back high up the pitch.
Weekend Preview
Barcelona have lost only once in all competitions in the current campaign, as Espanyol beat them 1-0 in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey.
In the end, the win meant little in the grand scheme as the Blaugrana overturned the deficit in the second leg to progress. Even so, there'll be some confidence among the Espanyol fans and players as Barcelona head to the RCDE Stadium.
Taming Barcelona, who are 11 points clear at the top, will be a challenge. As noted below, star men Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez are in sensational form at the moment:
Atletico Madrid are in closest proximity to Barca, although at this point, they will surely be focused on securing second as opposed to winning the title.
Three points against Valencia on Sunday would go a long way towards them doing so. Marcelino's side have exceeded expectations this season and will be desperate to emerge from the Wanda with a positive result to ensure they stay in touch with the capital club.
Los Che have struggled lately, suffering three defeats in their last four. David Cartlidge did see some improvement Thursday in the Copa loss to Barcelona, though:
With at least one of those sides guaranteed to drop points, Real Madrid can move closer to the top three with a win at Levante on Saturday.
While Los Blancos suffered the ignominy of a Copa exit to Leganes recently, they've put in solid performances either side of that loss, beating Deportivo 7-1 and winning 4-1 at Valencia last weekend. It'd be a surprise if there were any major slip-ups here.
