Only a major catastrophe could see Barcelona losing the 2018-19 La Liga title after what happened this weekend. Los Blaugranas managed to beat Simeone's Atlético Madrid with a couple of late goals by Messi and Suárez, and they have a commanding 11-point lead over Los Colchoneros with 21 points left for all La Liga teams to fight for.
Winning two more games would almost end Atlético's chances of winning the title, and now, Los Colchoneros will try to secure the second place in the Spanish top flight, since Real Madrid is once again breathing down their neck.
La Liga standings after 31 games
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid | 31 | 24 | 6 | 1 | 67 | 20 | +47 | 78 | WWWWD | |
| 2 | Barcelona | 31 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 62 | 34 | +28 | 70 | WWWWD | |
| 3 | Girona | 31 | 20 | 5 | 6 | 63 | 39 | +24 | 65 | LWLWL | |
| 4 | Atlético Madrid | 31 | 19 | 4 | 8 | 59 | 36 | +23 | 61 | WWLLW | |
| 5 | Athletic Club | 32 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 52 | 30 | +22 | 58 | DDLWW | |
| 6 | Real Sociedad | 31 | 13 | 11 | 7 | 45 | 33 | +12 | 50 | DWWWL | |
| 7 | Valencia | 31 | 13 | 8 | 10 | 34 | 32 | +2 | 47 | WWDLW | |
| 8 | Real Betis | 31 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 38 | 37 | +1 | 45 | WLLLL | |
| 9 | Villarreal | 31 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 49 | 54 | -5 | 39 | DLWWW | |
| 10 | Getafe | 31 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 37 | 43 | -6 | 39 | DLWLD | |
| 11 | Osasuna | 31 | 11 | 6 | 14 | 36 | 44 | -8 | 39 | LWLLW | |
| 12 | Las Palmas | 31 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 29 | 35 | -6 | 37 | LLLLD | |
| 13 | Sevilla | 31 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 39 | 44 | -5 | 34 | WWLDW | |
| 14 | Deportivo Alavés | 31 | 8 | 8 | 15 | 26 | 38 | -12 | 32 | LLLWL | |
| 15 | Mallorca | 31 | 6 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 36 | -11 | 31 | LDWLW | |
| 16 | Rayo Vallecano | 31 | 6 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 38 | -13 | 31 | DDWLD | |
| 17 | Celta de Vigo | 31 | 6 | 10 | 15 | 33 | 46 | -13 | 28 | LDWLW | |
| 18 | Cádiz | 31 | 4 | 13 | 14 | 21 | 41 | -20 | 25 | LWLWD | |
| 19 | Granada | 32 | 3 | 9 | 20 | 33 | 61 | -28 | 18 | DWLLL | |
| 20 | Almería | 31 | 1 | 11 | 19 | 30 | 62 | -32 | 14 | DLWDL |
Messi, Suárez and Benzema hit positive milestones
Needless to say, Barcelona fans were treated to a record-breaking evening at Camp Nou, thanks to Messi's display. The Blaugrana ace became the most winning player in La Liga history, surpassing Iker Casillas' tally with Real Madrid. The real question we need to ask ourselves is: how many more games will Messi win before his career comes to an end?
During that same game, Luis Suárez reached new heights with his goalscoring prowess, achieving a milestone that some would find curious for a top-rated striker.
2 - Luis Suárez has scored two goals from the outside box in a row for the first time for @FCBarcelona in all competitions. Sniper pic.twitter.com/6hxgYp6PP0
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) April 6, 2019
Now, off to Madrid, as Karim Benzema has cemented his reputation as Los Blancos' best player in what has been a dismal season. The French striker has found the back of the net 26 times in all comps for Los Blancos, and while it hasn't been enough to replace Cristiano Ronaldo's impressive numbers, he seems to have earned the trust of the fickle Real Madrid crowd at the Bernabeu.
Karim Benzema: By scoring twice in Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Eibar, Benzema has scored more league goals this season (17) than he did in the previous two La Liga seasons combined (16)
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) April 8, 2019
For more player stats -- https://t.co/dD8lwvV1vt pic.twitter.com/iPzCHFly4g
But it was not all good in the Spanish top flight this weekend. One coach that really needs to find a way to beat Barcelona in league games is Diego Simeone, because even if he has been a La Liga boss since 2011, he has never claimed a single win against Los Blaugranas in La Liga matches.
Deigo Simeone's La Liga record against FC Barcelona as Atletico's coach
— Tempobet (@Tempobet) April 8, 2019
15
10
5
Cholo#FCBarcelona#AtleticoMadrid#LaLiga pic.twitter.com/PCMCYLmMs2
