La Liga Preview: Decisive Gameweek In The Spanish Title Race
Reuters / Albert Gea
It comes as no surprise that the La Liga is ready to be contested between two top teams from the country, namely Real Madrid and Barcelona, obviously, and this weekend’s football could prove to be vital, if not decisive, in choosing the probable winners of the La Liga for the 16-17 season.
Both Barcelona and Real Madrid face tough and tricky opponents and the matches they face are as follows:
Atletico Madrid.vs Barcelona
Reuters / Lee Smith
Probably the defining match of the season already, this is a must win for both the teams to stay in contention for the title and within reach of Real Madrid for the battle of the league title. With Real’s recent unsure form, it is highly essential to earn maximum points from this encounter for either team involved.
It is the battle of third vs fourth with six points separating the two with The Catalans having the upper hand in that category. It will be a battle of an innovative and successful attacking force of Barcelona facing a steady and solid defensive shield of Atletico Madrid and no matter the result, the fixture is and will be mouth watering.
The match between 1st and 6th takes place at 1:15 am IST on Monday morning while Barcelona take in the other half of Madrid easily on Sunday with an 8:45pm IST kick off.
The rest of the leagues can take a back seat this weekend as its the time of the La Liga to take the spot light and treat us with two games that are not only exciting and beautiful but also season defining.
Villarreal vs Real Madrid
REUTERS/Javier Barbancho
Zidane’s men are currently under the pump after not having the brightest starts in 2017 so far and facing another loss in their recent outing against Valencia in the La Liga, thus raising a few eyebrows and attracting following clubs with a sniffing chance at the title of the Spanish League.
Real Madrid currently sit on top of the pile with a points total of 52 in 22 games while Barca stand third with 51 in 23 games and Sevilla a shocking yet temporary second with 52 in 24 games.
Such a close gap at the summit and teams catching up thick and fast, it is of utmost important for Real to win this tie and maintain a healthy lead at the peak but with opponents being the size of Villarreal who currently are in 6th place and will have home advantage, the superstars from Real Madrid surely have their task cut out.
The return of Gareth Bale is a boost for the team and the likes of Benzema and Ronaldo will be looked upon to bang in the goals and help build a breathing gap between them and the chasing pack.