La Liga Table 2019: Latest Standings Following Friday's Week 20 Results
Getafe continued their fine 2018-19 La Liga campaign on Friday, as they hammered Alaves 4-0 at Coliseum Alfonso Perez.
A first-half penalty from Jaime Mata and a brace after the break from Jorge Molina put the home side in a commanding position before Mata grabbed his second in the final stages. Despite this loss, Alaves remain in fifth place, but Getafe now trail them by just a point in sixth.
Later this weekend leaders Barcelona will be in action against Leganes at the Camp Nou on Sunday. The most intriguing fixture of the round will see Sevilla visit Real Madrid, with both sides deadlocked on the 33 points.
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Here is how the weekend is shaping up, the La Liga standings in full after Friday's match and a recap of the action from this big win for Getafe.
Week 20 Fixtures
Friday, January 18
Getafe 4-0 Alaves
Saturday, January 19
Real Madrid vs. Sevilla
Huesca vs. Atletico Madrid
Celta Vigo vs. Valencia
Sunday, January 20
Real Betis vs. Girona
Villarreal vs. Athletic Bilbao
Rayo Valecano vs. Real Sociedad
Levante vs. Real Valladolid
Barcelona vs. Leganes
Monday, January 21
Eibar vs. Espanyol
La Liga Table (matches played, goal difference, points)
1. Barcelona 19, +33, 43
2. Atletico Madrid 19, +14, 38
3. Sevilla 19, +11, 33
4. Real Madrid 19, +4, 33
5. Deportivo Alaves 20, -1, 32
6. Getafe 20, +9, 31
7. Real Betis 19, -1, 26
8. Real Sociedad 19, +1, 25
9. Girona 19, -2, 24
10. Espanyol 19, -6, 24
11. Valencia 19, 0, 23
12. Levante 19, -5, 23
13. Leganes 19, -4, 22
15. Real Valladolid 19, -4, 22
15. Athletic Bilbao 19, -5, 22
16. Eibar 19, -7, 22
17. Celta Vigo 19, -1, 21
18. Rayo Vallecano 19, -12, 19
19. Villarreal 19, -5, 17
20. SD Huesca 19, -19, 11
Friday Recap
Few would have anticipated Alaves and Getafe occupying fifth and sixth at this stage of the La Liga term. Both sides looked to continue to upset the odds on Friday after excellent campaigns.
On the night, it was Getafe who proved to be the dominant outfit though, as they deserved to be ahead before Mata eventually tucked home a penalty in the 33rd minute. From there, Jose Bordalas' side took over.
After the break, they stamped their authority on the game, with Molina grabbing his first a minute after half time with a brilliant long-range effort.
He then got his second of the game nine minutes later, meaning he has already eclipsed his goal tally from the previous campaign:
Sid Lowe of the Guardian commented on how well the home side performed and noted they are rubbing shoulders with some of La Liga's elite:
Alaves, who have been so efficient in both defence and attack this season, had been a long way short of their usual standards and were demoralised on the pitch at this juncture.
They failed to muster a single shot on target, allowing Getafe to see out the final stages with ease. With the clock ticking down the home side even added some gloss to the scoreline, with Mata able to notch his second of the night.
Weekend Preview
With Atletico Madrid visiting bottom club Huesca on Saturday, there's a chance Barcelona's advantage at the summit of the La Liga standings will have been cut down to two points come Sunday.
While that may apply a little more pressure to the Blaugrana, they will still be heavy favourites against Leganes. The visitors may be underdogs, but Mauricio Pellegrino's team have shown this season they are capable of mixing it with the best, with wins over Barcelona and Real Madrid already registered in 2018-19.
After advancing in the Copa del Rey against Levante in midweek Ernesto Valverde's team should be in high spirits. Ousmane Dembele was on the scoresheet twice in that encounter and will surely feature from the start here as a result.
Per Spanish football journalist Rik Sharma, the young Frenchman is starting to win supporters over after a challenging start to life at the club:
As for Real Madrid and Sevilla, their match has extra significance after Alaves slipped up on Friday, meaning one team can put distance between themselves and the nearest challengers for fourth with a win.
Los Blancos continue to find it difficult to build momentum though and defensively they remain especially ropey, as was evidenced in their Copa del Rey defeat to Leganes in midweek:
Sevilla will hope to capitalise on those issues, although they haven't been at their best as of late either, losing twice in succession to Athletic Bilbao in their previous two matches.
There'll be another intriguing clash on Sunday, as a rejuvenated Athletic seek to pull away from relegation trouble and plunge a toiling Villarreal team into a position of further peril.
