With many weekend games in the Premier League being suspended due to COVID-19, lovers of the beautiful game can simply switch channels and tune in to La Liga, with the latest round in the Spanish top-flight set to kick off on Friday.
Espanyol's trip to Celta Vigo gets things underway but all eyes will be on the weekend, as the country's top teams take to the field immediately after Friday, starting with Real Sociedad's clash with Villarreal on Saturday.
Barcelona, who have suffered slip-ups in their past few games, will also be in action on Saturday as Xavi's men look to return to winning ways in a bid to secure UEFA Champions League football next season. Meanwhile, Real Madrid, fresh off their Madrid Derby victory over Atletico, enter this round with one goal and one goal only: to stretch their excellent winning streak.
Speaking of Simeone's side, Los Rojblancos will be in for another tricky test, with the Spanish giants set to face second-placed Sevilla in the upcoming round. Here's everything you need to know about Matchday 18 in La Liga.
La Liga standings ahead of Matchday 18?
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid | 33 | 26 | 6 | 1 | 71 | 22 | +49 | 84 | WWWWW | |
| 2 | Barcelona | 33 | 22 | 7 | 4 | 68 | 39 | +29 | 73 | WLWWW | |
| 3 | Girona | 33 | 22 | 5 | 6 | 69 | 40 | +29 | 71 | WWLWL | |
| 4 | Atlético Madrid | 33 | 20 | 4 | 9 | 62 | 39 | +23 | 64 | WLWWL | |
| 5 | Athletic Club | 33 | 16 | 10 | 7 | 53 | 33 | +20 | 58 | LDDLW | |
| 6 | Real Sociedad | 33 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 46 | 35 | +11 | 51 | LDDWW | |
| 7 | Real Betis | 33 | 12 | 13 | 8 | 41 | 39 | +2 | 49 | DWWLL | |
| 8 | Valencia | 33 | 13 | 8 | 12 | 37 | 38 | -1 | 47 | LLWWD | |
| 9 | Villarreal | 33 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 54 | 55 | -1 | 45 | WWDLW | |
| 10 | Getafe | 33 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 41 | 45 | -4 | 43 | WDDLW | |
| 11 | Osasuna | 33 | 11 | 6 | 16 | 37 | 49 | -12 | 39 | LLLWL | |
| 12 | Deportivo Alavés | 33 | 10 | 8 | 15 | 31 | 38 | -7 | 38 | WWLLL | |
| 13 | Sevilla | 33 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 42 | 46 | -4 | 38 | DWWWL | |
| 14 | Las Palmas | 33 | 10 | 7 | 16 | 30 | 41 | -11 | 37 | LLLLL | |
| 15 | Rayo Vallecano | 33 | 7 | 13 | 13 | 27 | 42 | -15 | 34 | LWDDW | |
| 16 | Mallorca | 33 | 6 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 39 | -12 | 32 | DLLDW | |
| 17 | Celta de Vigo | 33 | 7 | 10 | 16 | 37 | 50 | -13 | 31 | LWLDW | |
| 18 | Cádiz | 33 | 4 | 14 | 15 | 23 | 46 | -23 | 26 | DLLWL | |
| 19 | Granada | 33 | 4 | 9 | 20 | 36 | 61 | -25 | 21 | WDWLL | |
| 20 | Almería | 33 | 1 | 11 | 21 | 32 | 67 | -35 | 14 | LLDLW |
Top games to watch on Matchday 18 in La Liga
Barcelona vs Elche: The Blaugrana enter their weekend clash on the back of a poor run, having failed to win any of their last three games across all competitions. In fact, Barcelona boast a mere victory from their last five fixtures, with that being their frantic 3-1 triumph over Villarreal in La Liga. Their recent 2-2 draw vs Osasuna and 1-0 loss to Real Betis have left them in eighth, a whopping 18 points behind league leaders Real Madrid and five adrift of fourth-placed Atletico Madrid. Xavi's men must turn things around starting with Saturday's clash with relegation-battling Elche.
Sevilla vs Atlético Madrid: Back-to-back defeats in La Liga have left Atletico's title defense on the edge as Simeone's men now find themselves 13 points behind Real Madrid. After losing to Mallorca, Simeone's men locked horns with Los Blancos in the Madrid Derby knowing a win over Benzema and Co. would have reignited the title race. Unfortunately, the reigning champions were unable to do that, instead losing 2-0 at the Bernabeu. Next up is a showdown with Sevilla, who sit second in the table. Lopetegui's side have triumphed in their last two league outings, beating Athletic Club and Villarreal, and will now be aiming to bring down Atletico.
Real Madrid vs Cádiz: Los Blancos are in the form of their life, winning their last 10 games across all competitions, seven of which came in La Liga. However, an external force looks to threaten this run and that is COVID-19. The Spanish giants recently announced that five players have tested positive for the virus, including Asensio, Rodrygo, Marcelo, and Modric. Fortunately, they will be facing a Cadiz side that sit in the bottom three. Will Ancelotti's men navigate this fixture just fine in the absence of such key players? Tune in to find out.
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: Sergino Dest, Memphis Depay, Jordi Alba, Sergi Roberto, Pedri, Ansu Fati and Martin Braithwaite (out); Ousmane Dembele (doubt)
Real Sociedad: Carlos Fernández and Nacho Monreal (injured); David Silva, Mikel Merino, and Ander Barrenetxea (doubtful)
Sevilla: Erik Lamela, Youssef En-Nesyri, Jesús Navas, and Suso (injured); Fernando (suspended
Villarreal: Arnaut Danjuma, Francis Coquelin, Sergio Asenjo, and Serge Aurier (all doubtful)
Real Madrid: Rodrygo, Marcelo, Luka Modric, Marco Asensio, Andriy Lunin, and Gareth Bale (COVID-19), Dani Ceballos (doubtful)
Atletico Madrid: Sime Vrsaljko, Antoine Griezmann, and Jose Gimenez
