La Liga 2019/20 statistics ahead of June 11 return date

Football is returning in Spain! After suspending play back in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, La Liga is preparing to resume the 2019/20 season, much to the joy of football lovers. LaLiga 2 kicks things off on Wednesday, June 10 with Rayo Vallecano vs Albacete but all eyes are on the Spanish top-flight, with Sevilla vs Real Betis on Thursday, June 11 getting things back underway.

Two games will take place on Friday, with Valencia's clash with Levante being one of them. Come the weekend is when the country's top dogs will be in action, with Messi's Barcelona facing off against Mallorca on Saturday and Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid locking horns with Eibar and Athletic Club, respectively, on Sunday.

Excited for the return of La Liga? Are you anxiously waiting to see the likes of Leo, Hazard, Koke, and Ødegaard on the pitch and back in action? Here's everything you need to know about the Spanish top-flight and how the 2019/20 campaign left off.

Who are the title contenders?

Here's how things left off

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

While third-placed Sevilla are only 11 points adrift of the top, they are nine points off of second place. As a result, it is safe to say the 2019/20 La Liga season is a two-horse race between Barcelona and Real Madrid for the title.

The Catalan giants boast the advantage heading into Matchday 28 with a two-point lead at the top. This is due to Los Blancos' 2-1 defeat at Real Betis in the round preceding the coronavirus suspension. In 2020, the Catalan giants have been involved in nine league games, winning all but three of those ties (D1, L2). Similarly, the Madrid giants have lost only twice and drawn once in 2020. However, the Blaugrana have won four of their last five Liga ties while Zidane's men enjoyed only two victories during that exact time frame.

On the flip side, having beaten Barcelona in the recent El Clasico, Real Madrid need only to be level on points with Messi and Co. to win the title. This is because as stipulated by La Liga, if two clubs end the season equal on points, their head-to-head record is used as the tiebreaker. The first of their two league encounters in 2019/20 ended in a goalless draw; the second ended in a 2-0 victory for Los Merengues.

Who are the favorites to qualify for next season's Champions League?

While neither Barcelona nor Real Madrid have mathematically booked their tickets to next season's Champions League, Spain's two biggest clubs are all but destined to make UEFA's premier club competition in 2020/21. The final two spots are up for grabs and everyone from third-placed Sevilla on 47 points to seventh-placed Valencia on 42 points stands a reasonable chance of earning a ticket.

In fourth is Real Sociedad on 46 points but they hold the final Champions League spot due merely to a superior goal difference over fifth-placed Getafe, who are also on 46 points. Atletico Madrid are in fifth which means they will have to turn things around if they wish to remain in the Champions League. Los Rojiblancos are through to the quarter-finals after eliminating Liverpool in the last 16 and should they go on to win the title, Simeone's men will secure a spot for next season regardless of their 2019/20 La Liga finish.

Who are the favorites to qualify for next season's Europa League?

The teams that finish in fifth to seventh earn a ticket to the Europa League – the seventh-placed team only makes the qualifying round, though. As a result, every team besides Barcelona and Real Madrid that are in the race to make the Champions League – Sevilla, Real Sociedad, Getafe, Atletico Madrid, and Valencia – are also at risk of dropping into the Europa League.

12th-placed Real Betis are nine points behind Valencia, which isn't an impossible deficit to overcome, but bar a miracle, don't expect to see Fekir and Co. in Europe next season. Villarreal and Granada, who are in eighth and ninth respectively, are tied on 38 points and are only four points off of Los Che and the final Europa League ticket. Athletic Club, who are in 10th, boast 37 points and thus need to overcome a five-point deficit which is manageable. 11th-placed Osasuna have an eight-point deficit but given that they have won only three league games in 2020, they stand an outside chance of making it to Europe.

Which teams are fighting relegation and who are the favorites to go down?

Espanyol are the favorites to go down this year as they sit dead bottom in the standings on 20 points. Leganes and Mallorca are in 19th and 18th with 23 and 25 points respectively and will also get relegated to LaLiga 2 if they don't climb out of the bottom three. Celta Vigo are hovering close to the danger zone and are only safe by a mere point. 16th-placed Eibar and 15th-placed Real Valladolid, who are on 27 and 29 points respectively, could find themselves in hot water should they go on a poor run of results and thus must be wary. Deportivo Alaves are in 14th with a seven-point cushion and thus should be safe.

Who are the top 5 goalscorers?

1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona): 19 goals

2. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid): 14 goals

3. Luis Suarez (Barcelona) 11 goals

4. Lucas Perez (Alaves): 11 goals

5. Gerard Moreno (Villarreal): 11 goals

Who are the top 5 assist makers?

1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona): 12 assists

2. Portu (Real Sociedad): 8 assists

3. Luis Suarez (Barcelona): 7 assists

4. Roberto Torres (Osasuna): 7 assists

5. Rodrigo (Valencia): 7 assists

Not only is Lionel Messi the leading goalscorer this season but the Argentine is also La Liga's leading assist provider. Of course, this has happened before, with Leo proving to be both the deadliest attacker and most creative playmaker in the Spanish top-flight. The soon-to-be 33-year-old is trailing in the European Golden Boot race, however, with Lewandowski (30 goals) and Ciro Immobile (27 goals) leading that campaign. The six-time Ballon d'Or winner scored five goals in the three games preceding the suspension but it should be noted that four of those strikes came in a single game – the 5-0 thrashing of Eibar. The Argentine has failed to score in five of his last seven league matches but after getting much-needed rest, the South American should be ready to play catch-up in the Golden Boot race.