Matchday 30 of the ongoing La Liga season promises some high-octane battles with the international break all done and dusted. With just nine gameweeks left to play, it looks certain that Real Madrid will be running away with yet another league title although the prospect of a late twist cannot be ruled out. Los Blancos will feature in one of the four games scheduled for Saturday and will travel to the Municipal de Balaidos to battle with Celta Vigo.
Essentially, Carlo Ancelotti's side will set their sights on bouncing back to winning ways after their humiliating defeat to Barcelona in El Clasico. In the absence of the talismanic Karim Benzema, the Merengues barely turned up for the show, conceding four times against Xavi's high-flying side as they picked up their first loss in seven league outings. Should they beat Celta, Real Madrid will put themselves 12 points above second-place Sevilla.
On Sunday, the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán outfit will travel to Barcelona with the hope of consolidating their status among the top three with a favorable result. Julien Lopetogui's men will approach the game with the sole objective to turn their recent form around, having picked up three draws in succession. However, the task will not be an easy one considering how impressive the Catalans have been in recent months. The latter will come into the game on the back of a 12-game unbeaten run in all competitions, having last lost a game in January.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid will add to their bid to secure a top-four place when they take on Deportivo Alaves. Los Rojiblancos have impressed in their recent outings, winning all but one of their last seven matches across all competitions. At the moment, they are being rivalled in their quest to finish in the fourth place by Real Betis and Real Sociedad who will take on Osasuna and Espanyol respectively.
La Liga standings heading into matchday 30
| Pos. | Squadra | PG | V | P | S | GF | GS | DR | Pt | Forma | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid | 33 | 26 | 6 | 1 | 71 | 22 | +49 | 84 | VVVVV | |
| 2 | Girona | 33 | 22 | 5 | 6 | 69 | 40 | +29 | 71 | VVSVS | |
| 3 | Barcelona | 32 | 21 | 7 | 4 | 64 | 37 | +27 | 70 | SVVVV | |
| 4 | Atlético Madrid | 32 | 19 | 4 | 9 | 59 | 38 | +21 | 61 | SVVSS | |
| 5 | Athletic Club | 32 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 52 | 30 | +22 | 58 | PPSVV | |
| 6 | Real Sociedad | 33 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 46 | 35 | +11 | 51 | SPPVV | |
| 7 | Real Betis | 32 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 40 | 38 | +2 | 48 | VVSSS | |
| 8 | Valencia | 32 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 35 | 34 | +1 | 47 | SVVPS | |
| 9 | Getafe | 33 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 41 | 45 | -4 | 43 | VPPSV | |
| 10 | Villarreal | 32 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 51 | 55 | -4 | 42 | VPSVV | |
| 11 | Osasuna | 32 | 11 | 6 | 15 | 37 | 46 | -9 | 39 | SSVSS | |
| 12 | Deportivo Alavés | 33 | 10 | 8 | 15 | 31 | 38 | -7 | 38 | VVSSS | |
| 13 | Sevilla | 32 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 41 | 45 | -4 | 37 | VVVSP | |
| 14 | Las Palmas | 33 | 10 | 7 | 16 | 30 | 41 | -11 | 37 | SSSSS | |
| 15 | Rayo Vallecano | 32 | 7 | 13 | 12 | 27 | 39 | -12 | 34 | VPPVS | |
| 16 | Mallorca | 32 | 6 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 38 | -12 | 31 | SSPVS | |
| 17 | Celta de Vigo | 33 | 7 | 10 | 16 | 37 | 50 | -13 | 31 | SVSPV | |
| 18 | Cádiz | 32 | 4 | 13 | 15 | 22 | 45 | -23 | 25 | SSVSV | |
| 19 | Granada | 32 | 3 | 9 | 20 | 33 | 61 | -28 | 18 | PVSSS | |
| 20 | Almería | 33 | 1 | 11 | 21 | 32 | 67 | -35 | 14 | SSPSV |
Team news for matchday 30
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Athletic Bilbao: Yeray Álvarez (suspended) Inigo Lekue (phy discomfort) Julen Agirrezabala (knee injury)
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Atletico Madrid: Angel Correa (suspended), Koke (suspended), Mario Hermoso (phy discomfort), Hector Herrera (thigh injury)
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Barcelona: Nico Gonzalez (Covid-19), Sergino Dest (hamstring), Sergi Roberto (tendon injury)
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Real Madrid: Luka Jovic (ankle injury), Isco (back injury), Eden Hazard (ankle injury)
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Real Sociedad: Adnan Janzuaj (suspended), Mikel Oyarzabal (ACL injury), Nacho Monreal (knee injury), Carlos Fernandez (ligament injury), Ander Barrenetxea (hamstring injury)
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Sevilla: Marcos Acuña (hamstring injury), Dario Gomez (muscle injury), Karim Rekik (muscle injury), Suso (Ankle injury), Fernando (ankle injury), Bono (head injury), Thomas Delaney (calf injury), Rafa Mir (muscle injury)
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Villarreal: Alberto Moreno (ACL injury)
