Matchday 20 in La Liga is upon us, with the upcoming round kicking off on Saturday with Mallorca's trip to Levante. The title race was in risk of becoming a one-horse race, but due to an unfortunate result for Real Madrid, things are slowly getting heated once again.
Los Blancos will be in for a crucial showdown this weekend, with Ancelotti's men hosting Valencia on Saturday. Their biggest rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid won't have it easy as well as they look to exorcise their own demons during this matchday.
As for Sevilla, the club hottest on Real Madrid's heels, they will welcome Getafe on Sunday with the sole aim of maintaining their tight pursuit of the current league leaders. Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming round in La Liga.
La Liga standings ahead of Matchday 20?
| Pos. | Equipo | PJ | G | E | P | GF | GC | DIF | P | Racha | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid | 34 | 27 | 6 | 1 | 74 | 22 | +52 | 87 | GGGGG | |
| 2 | Girona | 34 | 23 | 5 | 6 | 73 | 42 | +31 | 74 | GGGPG | |
| 3 | Barcelona | 34 | 22 | 7 | 5 | 70 | 43 | +27 | 73 | PGPGG | |
| 4 | Atlético Madrid | 34 | 21 | 4 | 9 | 63 | 39 | +24 | 67 | GGPGG | |
| 5 | Athletic Club | 34 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 55 | 33 | +22 | 61 | GPEEP | |
| 6 | Real Sociedad | 34 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 48 | 35 | +13 | 54 | GPEEG | |
| 7 | Real Betis | 34 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 43 | 39 | +4 | 52 | GEGGP | |
| 8 | Valencia | 34 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 37 | 39 | -2 | 47 | PPPGG | |
| 9 | Villarreal | 34 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 56 | 58 | -2 | 45 | PGGEP | |
| 10 | Getafe | 34 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 41 | 47 | -6 | 43 | PGEEP | |
| 11 | Deportivo Alavés | 34 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 32 | 38 | -6 | 41 | GGGPP | |
| 12 | Sevilla | 34 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 45 | 46 | -1 | 41 | GEGGG | |
| 13 | Osasuna | 34 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 37 | 51 | -14 | 39 | PPPPG | |
| 14 | Las Palmas | 34 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 30 | 43 | -13 | 37 | PPPPP | |
| 15 | Celta de Vigo | 34 | 8 | 10 | 16 | 40 | 52 | -12 | 34 | GPGPE | |
| 16 | Rayo Vallecano | 34 | 7 | 13 | 14 | 27 | 43 | -16 | 34 | PPGEE | |
| 17 | Mallorca | 34 | 6 | 14 | 14 | 27 | 40 | -13 | 32 | PEPPE | |
| 18 | Cádiz | 34 | 4 | 14 | 16 | 23 | 49 | -26 | 26 | PEPPG | |
| 19 | Granada | 34 | 4 | 9 | 21 | 36 | 64 | -28 | 21 | PGEGP | |
| 20 | Almería | 34 | 2 | 11 | 21 | 33 | 67 | -34 | 17 | GPPEP |
Top games to watch on Matchday 20 in La Liga
Granada vs Barcelona: The Catalan giants have worked themselves back up the table, with the Blaugrana sitting a mere point behind fourth-placed Atletico in the race to qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League. However, this does not mean Barcelona are out of the woods yet. Xavi's men won their first two games of 2022, but on both occasions, the Spanish giants triumphed courtesy of a one-goal margin, the most recent being against third-tier Linares Deportivo in the Copa del Rey. Their opposition, Granada, are unbeaten in their last six games and could thus present a tough test for the struggling heavyweights.
Real Madrid vs Valencia: Los Blancos entered 2022 as the Spanish top-flight leaders, boasting a five-point advantage at the top. However, Ancelotti's men did not kick off the new calendar year in excellent form, losing 1-0 against Getafe. As a result, Sevilla, who have a game in hand, could move within two points of Benzema and Co. Real Madrid did bounce back, beating Alcoyano 3-1 in the Copa del Rey. However, next up is a home clash with Valencia, which will be no walk in the park. Los murciélagos sit down in ninth but they remain within the hunt for European football as they are only four points behind fourth-placed Atletico. Can José Bordalás's side pull off a victory at the Bernabeu? Tune in to find out.
Villarreal vs Atletico: Unai Emery's Yellow Submarine racked up a lovely four-game winning streak in La Liga but their recent hiccup in the Copa del Rey has brought their confidence back down to Earth, with the Europa League holders losing 2-1 to Sporting Gijon. Nonetheless, Villarreal, who are eighth in the table, remain in the race for European football next term but will need to keep the positive results coming. Unfortunately, Atletico Madrid will do everything in their power to prevent this from occurring. Simeone's side have won their last two games but lost three in a row in the league in the matches leading up to 2022 and will thus need overall improvement.
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: Sergi Roberto, Ronald Araujo, Ferran Torres, Martin Braithwaite (out); Ansu Fati, Pedri, Memphis Depay (doubt)
Real Sociedad: Carlos Fernández, Nacho Monreal, and Ander Barrenetxea (injured); Andoni Gorosabel and Julen Lobete (doubtful)
Sevilla: Erik Lamela, Thomas Delaney, and Jesús Navas (out); Rafa Mir, Suso, and Youssef En-Nesyri (doubtful)
Villarreal: Francis Coquelin, Ruben Pena, and Paco Alcacer (injured); Arnaut Danjuma (doubtful); Aissa Mandi, Boulaye Dia, Samuel Chukwueze, and Serge Aurier (all away at AFCON 2021)
Real Madrid: Gareth Bale and Luka Jovic (out); Dani Ceballos (doubtful)
Atletico Madrid: Jose Gimenez and Luis Suarez (suspended); Stefan Savic (doubtful)
