Matchday 27 will have plenty of interesting matches in store, including reigning champs Atleti facing a potentially tricky away test against a Real Betis side who have been one of the season's surprise packages, a recently revitalized Barcelona traveling to battle Elche, and league leaders Real Madrid welcoming Real Sociedad. Los Blancos have a fairly comfortable lead over the chasing pack, but Carlo Ancelotti's side will nonetheless still be keeping an eye on Sevilla, who've also had a standout season so far.
Here's all you need to know ahead of matchday 27.
La Liga standings heading into matchday 27
Here's how the table looks ahead of the next round of fixtures.
| 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 | 31 | 16 | 9 | 6 | 51 | 29 | +22 | 57 | DLWWD | |
| 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 | 31 | 3 | 8 | 20 | 32 | 60 | -28 | 17 | WLLLL | |
| 20 | Almería | 31 | 1 | 11 | 19 | 30 | 62 | -32 | 14 | DLWDL |
La Liga games you won't want to miss on matchday 27
Deportivo Alaves vs Sevilla: The team second from last in the table will welcome the team second from the top on Friday to kick start matchday 27. It's safe to say that Deportivo Alaves and Sevilla have had very contrasting fortunes this season. The hosts have picked up just four points from their last five games and have won just five times all term. Their head to head record against Sevilla isn't great, with six wins, six draws, and 11 losses from their prior 23 meetings, and it's been four years since they were able to beat their upcoming visitors.
By contrast, Sevilla, who sit in second, have been quite impressive so far and have lost just twice in La Liga. Julen Lopetegui's side come into this contest pretty much at full strength, with only Suso missing out, so they'll surely be fancying their chances at picking up three points and temporarily narrowing the gap on league leaders Real Madrid.
Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad: Los Blancos continue to march ahead towards the league title, but they could face a tricky test when Real Sociedad come to town. Although they've seen a slight dip in form lately, the visitors have been another team who've had a standout campaign so far this season. That being said, Ancelotti will be able to field his strongest side as he has no injuries, suspensions, or COVID-19 issues of note and the fact that the league leaders will be playing at home will certainly tip the scales in the favor.
Indeed, Real Madrid have lost just four of their last 74 meetings with Real Sociedad on home turf, while winning a whopping 53 times and drawing 17, albeit their last loss to their upcoming opponents at the Santiago Bernabeu was in January 2019 - so given Sociedad's strong form this season, Los Blancos won't be taking this game lightly. Especially considering that Sevilla, who are the heavy favorites against Deportivo Alaves, could've narrowed the gap between the two sides to just three points by the time Real Madrid take to the pitch.
Elche vs Barcelona: Under Xavi's tenure, Barcelona have now awoken from their earlier slumber and are finally getting back on track. The Blaugrana come into their upcoming match with Elche having dumped Napoli out of the Europa League, and on the domestic front, have won four of their last five games. Their uptick in form has helped them to rise to fourth spot in the table, and while the league title is a foregone conclusion, at the very least, the Catalan giants could put themselves in good stead to secure Champions League football next term by grabbing a spot in the top four.
They have Atleti also breathing down their necks, so they will obviously look to take advantage of Elche's struggles and pick up a vital road win over the weekend - despite still missing a few key players due to injury.
Real Betis vs Atletico Madrid: Real Betis are another of the sides who've been punching well above their weight this term, and impressively, sit in third spot, ahead of big teams like Barcelona as well as reigning La Liga champs Atletico Madrid, the team they'll be facing this weekend. Meanwhile, Los Rojiblancos have won two on the trot and will be looking to put their difficulties behind them as they aim to consolidate their spot in the top four.
Team news for matchday 27
*All info as of 04 March 2022
Real Madrid: No injuries or suspensions
Barcelona: Álex Balde (Ankle injury), Ansu Fati (Hamstring injury), Sergi Roberto (Hamstring injury), Samuel Umtiti (Fractured toe), Moussa Wagué (Ineligible)
Atletico Madrid: Daniel Wass (Ligament injury), Koke (Muscle injury), Matheus Cunha (Knee injury)
Sevilla: Suso (Ankle injury)
Real Betis: Martín Montoya (Achilles tendon problems)
Real Sociedad: Nacho Monreal (Knee injury), Carlos Fernández (Knee injury), Ander Barrenetxea (Thigh injury)
