Up until a few weeks ago, the La Liga title race appeared to be not so close. Barcelona had looked imperious, and at one stage, they were nine points clear of closest challengers Real Madrid. However, a run of one win in six matches has meant that they are only top on goal difference – not only that, they have played a game more than Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.
As such, things are very tight now, and it would be no surprise if there was much rise and fall in the remaining months of the season, like you would see in cryptocurrency – and if crash crypto games are your thing, there are options out there.
There is no doubt that Barcelona are going through a very tough spell, having lose matches against Real Sociedad, Las Palmas and Leganes in the last few weeks. It has still been a very impressive start to the season by Hansi Flick’s side, although they will be keen to get to the winter break in order to reset ahead of the second half of the campaign. Flick’s side are ahead of schedule taking into account expectations at the start of the season, but having built a lead that at one point measured nine points, doubts are starting to set in with that gap obliterated in the space of just six games.
However, they face a mouth-watering fixture before it gets to that point. On Saturday, Barcelona will host Atletico Madrid at the Estadi Olimpic in a match that will see the top two in La Liga face off. Diego Simeone’s side will arrive in Catalonia with a lot of confidence, having won their last 11 matches across all competitions – a 12th would see them finish 2024 as league leaders. Atletico Madrid invested heavily in the summer to bring in Conor Gallagher and Julian Alvarez this summer, but four draws in their opening nine games lowered expectations dramatically. Alvarez is now hitting his stride though, as is the rest of the team.
It has been a remarkable turnaround from Atletico Madrid. They had looked in shambles at the end of October after one win in five (D1, L3), but they look imperious now. Barcelona will be up against it to get a much-needed win, especially as they will be without the services of the injured Lamine Yamal.
Real Madrid currently sit third, albeit they are only a point further back from Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti’s side have had a lot of struggles this season, particularly with injuries – despite this, they have managed to keep pace in La Liga, which could be an ominous sign for when they do get going. Kylian Mbappe has been below par by his own high standards, and David Alaba is on his way back from injury to aid Ancelotti’s ailing backline.
There is no doubt that the second half of the season should be very exciting. La Liga always delivers, although this title battle looks to be the closest in recent years. Who will be on top come May – Barcelona, Atletico Madrid or Real Madrid?
