Topics: La Liga, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona
It was great weekend for Real Madrid and Barcelona as the two La Liga giants picked up wins to close in on leaders Atletico Madrid.

A late Karim Benzema goal and a bit of Lionel Messi magic were enough to inspire both Real Madrid and Barcelona to respective wins as Atletico Madrid suffered another setback in the title race. While the Colchoneros struggled and had to settle for stalemates against a 10-man Getafe side, Los Blancos secured a 2-1 comeback win in the weekend's meeting with Elche to take them within six points of their rivals.

Relatively, Barca reduced the points deficit between them and Diego Simeone's men to just four by defeating Huesca 4-1 at Camp Nou on Monday. Meanwhile top-four contenders Sevilla also saw off Real Betis via a 1-0 scoreline to widen the gap between them and fifth-placed Real Sociedad who lost by a lone-goal against Real Betis.

Top five teams in La Liga

Despite the weekend's draw, Atletico Madrid maintained their status as leaders in La Liga. On the contrary, Barcelona and Real Madrid gained significant grounds on them with the win they picked up while Sevilla consolidated their top-four status for the time being after Sociedad's slip-up.

La Liga Top 3 scorers

Lionel Messi leads the pack with 21 goals after hitting a brace in Barcelona's 4-1 demolishing of Huesca on Monday. Luis Suarez remains second although he could not find the back of the net in the draw with Getafe. Similarly, Gerard Moreno kept his position in third after only managing two assists in Villarreal's 3-1 win over Eibar.

La Liga - Top headlines

Lionel Messi equals Xavi's all-time games record: Lionel Messi matched former teammate and Barcelona skipper Xavi's record for the most appearances in the club's history with his appearance in Monday's win over Huesca. The 33-year-old Argentine marked the milestone with top performance, scoring twice and assisting a goal in the night's 4-1 win. With his first goal, the forward notched his 20th goal of the season, becoming the only player in La Liga history to score 20 or more goals in 13 successive seasons.

 

Eden Hazard suffers another injury relapse after Madrid return: A report from Spain has indicated that Eden Hazard could undergo surgery again to solve the persistent ankle problems. The Belgian star featured in Los Blancos' 2-1 win over Elche but could not last the full 90 minutes after suffering another injury setback. The attacker was replaced by Vinicius Jr in the 75th minute and a report by Marca has stated that he could well go under the knife in the coming weeks to deal with the persistent issue.

Zidane hints at Ronaldo's Real Madrid return: Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane has intensified speculations about Ronaldo to Real Madrid links by revealing that the Portuguese superstar could return to Los Blancos. In an interview with Sky Italia on Sunday, the French coach declared that a reunion with his side's former star is possible for the foreseeable future but acknowledged the fact that he is currently a Juventus player.

Top matches to watch in La Liga from March 17 to March 21, 2021

  • Celta Vigo vs Real Madrid: Real Madrid will look to close in league leaders Atletico Madrid by extending their impressive unbeaten run when they travel to Celta Vigo on March 20. On the contrary, the Sky Blues will be keen on improving their form with a Europa League spot still within reach.

  • Deportivo Alaves vs Atletico Madrid: Alaves will aim at salvaging their season with a win when the face league-leaders Atletico Madrid. The former is currently locked in a relegation battle and would fancy being party-poopers against Diego Simeone's title-contending side.

  • Real Sociedad vs Barcelona: Having made significant progress in their pursuit of Atletico Madrid at the top of the league table, Barcelona face a tough test against top-four chasing Real Sociedad.

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