SOCCER SPANISH LEAGUE ARTICLES

Through the first two weeks of the 2019-20 La Liga campaign, two of the other major clubs not named Real Madrid and Barcelona are atop the table. Sevilla and Atletico Madrid are the only two teams to win both of their matches. Sevilla went on the road to beat Espanyol and Granada to nil, while Atletico Madrid played to their status quo, winning both of their matches 1-0. For now, Real Madrid and Barcelona are playing catch-up and looking to avoid another stumble. ... 

This year’s La Liga race is already off to a sizzling start. The first week of action gave us plenty of excitement as defending champions Barcelona were stunned by Athletic Bilbao on a late goal from Aritz Aduriz, Villarreal and Granada played to a 4-4 draw, and six red cards were doled out. Barcelona’s loss is the big story though as the Blaugrana lost just four league matches in the last two seasons. That puts the defending champions in a bit of a hole.... 

Real Madrid and Barcelona are the two heavy favorites to win La Liga this season, and they will be the visiting teams in the first two games of the year. The Blaugrana will head to the Basque Country to take on Athletic Bilbao, while Real Madrid will face a Celta Vigo side that finished just outside the relegation zone. They are the only two odds-on favorites away from home in Matchday 1 of La Liga.... 

Barcelona and Real Madrid have ruled over La Liga for the last two decades. Every other club in Spain’s resources pale in comparison to these two juggernauts, and both sides have become significantly better this offseason. The Blaugrana spent $290 million on new players, while Real Madrid doled out nearly $350 million and might spend more after an underwhelming 2018-19 season. These two clubs have won 14 of the last 15 titles and are heavy favorites per the La Liga betting odds to win again this... 

Barcelona have dominated the Copa Del Rey more than any other club. The Blaugrana have won the Copa Del Rey 30 times in their history, and they are looking to win their fifth consecutive Spanish cup and win their fourth domestic double in the last five years this Saturday. Valencia are out to stop them. The Bats are riding high after ensuring a return to the Champions League on the last week of the La Liga season, and they are looking to win their first Copa Del Rey since 2008.... 

Barcelona has locked up its 26th La Liga title (and fourth in five years), but there is still plenty of drama going into the last week of the Spanish domestic campaign. The fourth Champions League spot in La Liga is up for grabs, and the final Europa League spot is in play too. There’s even a slight chance for some drama in the bottom three, so we will still see some drama on the last weekend of La Liga.... 

Last weekend was a week for the home teams in La Liga. Home teams were a combined 5-4-1 with the one loss being Girona’s defeat at the hands of Villarreal. Girona have been the worst team in the league at home this season with a 2-6-9 record in 17 matches, so that was pretty much expected. There were some surprising results for home teams that shook up the table though, and that will make matches interesting this weekend.... 

Barcelona’s 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid last week essentially sealed Barca’s fourth La Liga title in the last five seasons. The Blaugrana are now 11 points ahead of second-place Atletico with seven matches to go in the season, and it’s nearly impossible to see them blowing that kind of lead. The battle for fourth place remains interesting after some surprising results last week though, and that will be the main thing to watch down the stretch.... 

We haven’t had many mid-week matches in La Liga so far this season, but we had some great games in the middle of this past week. Villarreal and Barcelona exchanged multiple goal leads before settling for a 4-4 draw, and Valencia grabbed a huge win against Real Madrid. Even bottom of the table teams got in on the action with Huesca and Celta Vigo dueling to a 3-3 draw, and that bodes well for the excitement level of the matches this weekend.... 

The race for the last La Liga Champions League spot hit a big speedbump last weekend. The teams that were fourth, fifth, and sixth in the league all lost at home, and none of those three teams even managed to score a goal. Getafe were blanked by Leganes, Alaves were hammered 1-0 by Atletico Madrid, and Sevilla fell to a Valencia side that is now level with them on points. Those results have only upped the stakes, and now we have a four-way race for the final Champions League spot in Spain.... 

Once again, Barcelona have run away with La Liga. The Blaugrana are set to raise the league trophy once again with a 10-point edge over Atletico Madrid, and they are heavy favorites to win a double when they take on Valencia in the Copa Del Rey at the end of May. Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid look set to finish in second and third in some order, but Spain’s fourth Champions League spot is completely up for grabs at the moment. Familiar names like Sevilla and Valencia are battling upstarts Geta... 

The big story coming into Matchday 28 in La Liga is the return of Zinedine Zidane. Real Madrid parted ways with one of the most decorated managers in club history this offseason after a power struggle with club president Florentino Perez. The club thought they could get similar results with Julen Lopetegui but sacked him after their worst El Clasico loss ever, and they looked to move on from Santi Solari after Real Madrid were knocked out of the Champions League after a 4-1 loss in the ... 

It looks like Barcelona are set to win La Liga for the fourth time in five years. The Blaugrana are seven points up on second-place Atletico Madrid and a dozen points up on third-place Real Madrid with 12 games left to play. The real intrigue is when it comes to the battle for Spain’s final Champions League spot though. Currently, two teams that have never played in the Champions League (Getafe and Alaves) are in fourth and fifth place in the table, and they have the inside track on grabbing tha... 

Real Sociedad are holding out hope that they can make it to the Champions League for the first time in six seasons with a finish in the top four of La Liga. While the top three spots in Spain are pretty much set, the fourth is up for grabs, and the next few weeks of action should be riveting with just nine points separating fourth place from 14^th in the table. Real Sociedad are currently just four points behind fourth place Getafe, and a win over Atletico Madrid this week would be hug... 

A piece of hardware will essentially be on the line in this season’s third El Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona. The two clubs that have largely dominated soccer in Spain since their inception were drawn together in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey, and the winner will be a heavy favorite against either Real Betis or Valencia in the final on March 31. The first leg between these two teams ended in a 1-1 draw, so the second leg is a virtual toss-up.... 

It looks like Barcelona are set to win La Liga for the fourth time in five seasons. They are currently seven points ahead of Atletico Madrid and nine points ahead of Real Madrid in the table, but they face a bit of a test this week. The Blaugrana must travel south to take on a Sevilla club that has given other top teams issues at home. Sevilla are in fourth in the table and they are 7-3-1 at home this campaign. ... 

Both Alaves and Real Betis have their sights set on a place in Europe next year. Alaves currently have 35 points and are sitting at sixth in the table. That would earn them a spot in the Europa League if the season were to end today, but the Babazorros are just two points behind Sevilla for a spot in the top four, and they are holding out hope for what would be their first Champions League appearance. Meanwhile, Real Betis are three points behind Alaves and are looking to qualify for Eu... 

The two titans in the Spanish capital will square off in an important La Liga match this Saturday when Atletico Madrid hosts Real Madrid. Currently, Atletico are in second place in the standings with 44 point, but Real are right behind them with 42 points. Both teams are still well behind front-runners Barcelona, yet a win for either side would make them the top contender going forward. Incredibly, Real Madrid have won just once in their last 11 league matches with Atletico, and they know this i... 

Despite losing just once in league play, Atletico Madrid are five points behind Barcelona in the race to win La Liga. Atletico are 12-8-1 and dominating with their defense once again, but their defensive style has led to a lot of draws. They are looking to score enough to get the full three points this Sunday against Real Betis. Betis started the season strong, but they have since faded and they enter this match just outside a potential spot in the Europa League. ... 

Real Madrid may finally flipped a switch. The club put together one of their most impressive performances last week in a 2-0 win over Sevilla, and they are now looking to build off of that victory. It’s still a long haul to catch league leaders Barcelona, but they can’t be ruled out just yet with the league season just a little more than halfway over. This Sunday, Real Madrid will head to Catalonia to take on Barcelona’s city rival Espanyol. Espanyol have seen their fortunes wane over the last c... 

Winter might be upon us, but the La Liga race is only getting hotter. Sevilla and Real Madrid are currently tied for third place with both teams sitting on 33 points halfway through the season, and a number of teams are just behind them. They both have a long way to go to catch Barcelona, but the most realistic goal for both sides at this point is to finish in the top four in order to ensure a spot in the Champions League next season.... 

The Kings of Europe have had a rough year. Real Madrid have won the last three Champions League competitions, but it has been an uphill struggle since Zinedine Zidane and the club parted ways. Julen Lopetegui’s short tenure was disastrous and the club got off to a rough start, and that has continued despite promising early returns under Santi Solari. Real Madrid are fifth in the La Liga table, and they are looking to crack into the top four before the official halfway point of the year. This wee... 

Spain has had plenty of time to celebrate the holidays and the new year. La Liga took a three-week break starting in mid-December, and that gave players, coaches, and fans alike time to rest and spend time thinking on something other than football. Now, after three weeks off, we are set to reach the halfway point of the season, and two of the top teams in Spain will clash when Sevilla hosts Atletico Madrid. Atletico are currently second in the table and just three points behind Barcelona, while ... 

No one thought that Villarreal’s struggles would continue for this long. Villarreal somehow find themselves in the relegation zone despite being fifth in La Liga last season, and there is a real chance they go down. The club has been in La Liga for the better part of two decades, and the Yellow Submarine always seem to be contending for a spot in the top five. This year, Villarreal will be content with simply staying afloat, and they hope that the new year will bring a change of fortune when the... 

Atletico Madrid have had one of the most airtight defenses in soccer for a while now. Manager Diego Simeone has had Atletico prioritize defense ahead of offense the last few years with Jan Oblak in net, and that has helped the club compete with heavyweights Barcelona and Real Madrid. Atletico are in the thick of things once again this year, and they are currently tied with Sevilla for second place in La Liga. They are three points back of Barcelona and will want to hold their ground when they ho...