The Spanish top-flight gets more exciting by the week! Matchday 16 in La Liga is upon us, and what a round this is promising to be, as both Real Madrid and Barcelona gear up for tricky fixtures this weekend.
The Blaugrana, who have won back-to-back games under Xavi, are slowly but surely working their way back up the table. The Catalan giants will take on a top-five rival on Saturday in a game that could either bring them back down to Earth or shoot up their confidence.
Los Blancos, on the other hand, are top of the table, having overcome Sevilla and Athletic Club in their last two outings. Unfortunately, things don't get easier for the Madrid giants as they will be facing a fellow title challenger over the weekend.
Atletico, meanwhile, climbed up to the no.2 spot thanks to an amazing run as of late. Given that Simeone's side will be taking on 14th-placed Mallorca, Los Rojiblancos will fancy their odds of maintaining their unbeaten run. Sevilla, on the other hand, need to return to winning ways in La Liga but will be in for another difficult test. Here's everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming Spanish top-flight round.
La Liga standings ahead of Matchday 16?
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid | 36 | 29 | 6 | 1 | 83 | 22 | +61 | 93 | WWWWW | |
| 2 | Barcelona | 35 | 23 | 7 | 5 | 72 | 43 | +29 | 76 | WLWLW | |
| 3 | Girona | 36 | 23 | 6 | 7 | 75 | 45 | +30 | 75 | LDWWW | |
| 4 | Atlético Madrid | 35 | 22 | 4 | 9 | 64 | 39 | +25 | 70 | WWWLW | |
| 5 | Athletic Club | 35 | 17 | 11 | 7 | 57 | 35 | +22 | 62 | DWLDD | |
| 6 | Real Betis | 35 | 14 | 13 | 8 | 46 | 41 | +5 | 55 | WWDWW | |
| 7 | Real Sociedad | 35 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 48 | 37 | +11 | 54 | LWLDD | |
| 8 | Villarreal | 36 | 14 | 9 | 13 | 60 | 60 | 0 | 51 | WWLWW | |
| 9 | Valencia | 35 | 13 | 9 | 13 | 37 | 39 | -2 | 48 | DLLLW | |
| 10 | Getafe | 35 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 41 | 48 | -7 | 43 | LLWDD | |
| 11 | Deportivo Alavés | 36 | 11 | 9 | 16 | 34 | 45 | -11 | 42 | LDWWW | |
| 12 | Sevilla | 35 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 47 | 49 | -2 | 41 | LWDWW | |
| 13 | Osasuna | 36 | 11 | 8 | 17 | 40 | 54 | -14 | 41 | DDLLL | |
| 14 | Las Palmas | 35 | 10 | 7 | 18 | 30 | 44 | -14 | 37 | LLLLL | |
| 15 | Mallorca | 36 | 7 | 15 | 14 | 29 | 41 | -12 | 36 | DWLDL | |
| 16 | Rayo Vallecano | 35 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 27 | 43 | -16 | 35 | DLLWD | |
| 17 | Celta de Vigo | 35 | 8 | 10 | 17 | 40 | 53 | -13 | 34 | LWLWL | |
| 18 | Cádiz | 35 | 5 | 14 | 16 | 24 | 49 | -25 | 29 | WLDLL | |
| 19 | Granada | 35 | 4 | 9 | 22 | 36 | 68 | -32 | 21 | LLWDW | |
| 20 | Almería | 35 | 2 | 11 | 22 | 35 | 70 | -35 | 17 | LWLLD |
Top games to watch on Matchday 16 in La Liga
Sevilla vs Villarreal: Lopetegui's men head into the upcoming Spanish top-flight round having failed to win their last two fixtures. First came a 2-2 draw with Alaves, a disappointing result that was quickly followed up on with the 2-1 loss to Real Madrid. Those back-to-back slip-ups have now left Sevilla in fourth, with Los Hispalenses sitting only a single point ahead of fifth-placed Real Betis. Unfortunately, their next fixture is a tie with Villarreal. While Unai Emery's side lost 3-1 to Barcelona over the weekend, the Yellow Submarine came out of that match with a performance worthy of respectt. Unfortunately, last season's Europa League winners couldn't come away with anything more than that, but will be back on the hunt for three points when they visit the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium.
Barcelona vs Real Betis: Back-to-back wins is a great way to start life as a manager at Barcelona, but Xavi will enter this round with concern regarding their most recent performance against Villarreal. Despite the victory, the Catalan giants left a lot to be desired. Next up is Real Betis, who sit in fifth. The visitors will arrive with confidence, having beaten Elche 3-0 over the weekend, and will thus target a victory at the Camp Nou. The Blaugrana must do everything in their power to avoid this. Momentum is key for Depay and Co, especially given that they will be heading to the Allianz Arena for their decisive sixth and final game of the UEFA Champions League group stage straight after that.
Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid: The tough fixtures continue on rolling for Real Madrid. After crucial successive wins over Sevilla and Athletic Club, Los Blancos will now have to shift focus to their upcoming trip to Real Sociedad. La Real are currently third in the league, having drawn with Valencia and lost 1-0 to Espanyol in their last two fixtures. Isak and Co. have thus fallen seven points behind Los Merengues but will get the perfect opportunity to slash that lead.
Who's in and who's out?
Here are the list of players ruled out for the upcoming round from La Liga's top clubs:
Barcelona: Braithwaite, Fati, Pedri, Dani Alves, and Aguero
Real Betis: Sabaly and Fekir (out); Pezzella, Bravo, and Montoya (out)
Sevilla: En-Nesyri and Navas (out); Lamela and Suso (doubtful)
Villarreal: None
Real Madrid: Bale and Ceballos
Atletico Madrid: Trippier (out); Lodi and Felix (doubtful)
