By G9ija
After an unusually competitive first three months of the La Liga season, where Sevilla led the table in November and Real Madrid were outside the top four, things are now starting to return to the norm.
La Liga – like the Premier League – has a three-way battle for the top spot. With three familiar names: Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real involved.
It’s shaping up to be a race that – unlike in previous seasons – could go down to the final few games.
For the Spanish big boys, February is when the season really starts. The key fixtures are starting to mount up both domestically and in Europe.
Who will flourish under the pressure?
Here, we guide you on what to look out for between now and the end of the season at the top.
La Liga table
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal diff | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Barcelona | 22 | 15 | 5 | 2 | +37 | 50 |
| 2. Atletico | 22 | 12 | 8 | 2 | +18 | 44 |
| 3. Real | 22 | 13 | 3 | 6 | +11 | 42 |
Barcelona: 50 points
The defending champions have been the team to grab this title race by the horns in the past two months. With their rivals dithering, they put together a run of eight straight wins to seemingly end any excitement for the neutrals regarding the destination of the league winners.
However, a surprising 2-2 draw with Valencia this weekend, where Lionel Messi scored twice to salvage a point, has opened the door for Atletico and Real to potentially get onto their coattails.
It was an opportunity that was passed up by Atletico on Sunday when they slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Real Betis, missing the chance to close the gap to just three points. Real Madrid did their bit, winning 3-0 at Alaves, hauling themselves back to within eight points of the league leaders.
After a wobbly start to the season, drawing against Girona, Athletic Bilbao and Valencia and losing at home to Leganes, Barcelona have found their stride with Messi rampaging all over La Liga opponents. The Argentine has netted 21 goals in La Liga this season having appeared in only 20 games. You can add 12 assists to his record this season which equates to his overall goal involvement standing at 33.
Barcelona’s reliance on their main man has never been more apparent – the hush that descended across the Nou Camp when he hobbled off against Valencia spoke volumes. Ernesto Valverde revealed Messi will be fit for the midweek Copa del Rey El Clasico first leg, but with big fixtures on the horizon in the Champions League and La Liga, Valverde will need others to step up.
Luis Suarez has been in fine form alongside Messi in recent weeks, and Barca will be boosted by the news Ousmane Dembele has overcome injury in time for the Clasico, but the defeats at Levante and Sevilla indicated the gulf in quality between Valverde’s starting XI and his back-up options.