La Liga Table 2018 Week 13: Updated Standings Following Friday's Results
November 23, 2018
Alaves missed the chance to move to the top of La Liga table on Friday, as they were beaten 1-0 by Leganes at Butarque.
The victory came after Youssef En-Nesyri's 42nd-minute goal for the home side, and the three points put Leganes out of the relegation zone ahead of the rest of the weekend's action. Alaves remain in fourth, a point behind leaders Barcelona having played a game more.
On Saturday, all eyes will be on the capital, as Atletico Madrid welcome Barcelona in a heavyweight showdown.
Here's a recap of the action from a crucial night at both ends of the La Liga table, as well as a look at what else is to come this weekend.
La Liga Fixtures - Week 13
Friday, November 23
Leganes 1-0 Alaves
Saturday, November 24
Eibar vs. Real Madrid
Valencia vs. Rayo Vallecano
Huesca vs. Levante
Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona
Sunday, November 25
Athletic Bilbao vs. Getafe
Sevilla vs. Real Valladolid
Espanyol vs. Girona
Villarreal vs. Real Betis
Monday, November 26
Real Sociedad vs. Celta Vigo
The full La Liga table can be found on the competition website.
Friday Recap
Given both of these sides operate with caution in terms of style, it wasn't a major surprise to see little goalmouth action in the first period. However, Leganes did most of the pressing and took a deserved lead before half-time.
A deep cross was diverted back into the box by Jonathan Silva, where En-Nesyri was on hand to bundle home from close range:
It was enough to put the home side 1-0 up at the break, and Spanish football journalist Simon Harrison commented on how well Leganes were performing:
Even though they knew a win would've taken them to the top of the table, Alaves were struggling to find much in attack in response in the second period, with the hosts still showing more of a threat in the final third and strong defensive cohesion.
In the end, they should've improved their position late on, as Guido Carrillo failed to beat Fernando Pacheco with a header from close range. Nevertheless, the home supporters went home happy as the final whistle blew not long after.
Weekend Preview
The showpiece game at the weekend comes from the Wanda Metropolitano, as Atletico host Barcelona knowing three points would be enough for them to usurp the defending champions and table-toppers.
While the Blaugrana welcomed Lionel Messi back last time out and he didn't look like he'd been away, the forward was unable to do much about some horrendous defending in the 4-3 home loss to Betis.
Even for Messi and his remarkable career, the fixture churned out some firsts:
A trip to Atletico is far from ideal for Barcelona if they are feeling a little vulnerable following that home defeat. Especially after Atletico rallied late on to grab a galvanising win over Athletic in their last match.
In that encounter, a stricken Diego Godin was tossed forward as an emergency striker and scored deep into injury time with the game level at 2-2.
Per The Spanish Football Podcast, the Uruguayan was clearly not in the best of condition when he did snaffle the winner:
On the back of that, the Wanda will be pumped for this encounter. Atletico midfielder Saul Niguez posted this clip of the home supporters on the eve of the game:
Earlier in the day, Real Madrid will look to continue their resurgence under Santiago Solari when they travel to Eibar.
Sevilla were in second spot heading into this round of fixtures and will hope to capitalise on Saturday night's big game when they host Valladolid on Sunday. Later that day, Villarreal's game against Betis is another eye-catching encounter.