After the March international break, the 20 clubs of LALIGA EA SPORTS will face the final nine games of the season, nine matchdays in which all clubs will either have to defend their position or fight to improve it. From the title race to the issue of avoiding last place, every single team has something to play for during the final stretch of the campaign, making these last nine matchdays very interesting and nerve-wracking for fans.
FC Barcelona are hunting down Real Madrid in the title race
Following their 3-0 win over Atlético de Madrid at the Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano, Xavi’s side are now second in the standings, having overtaken Girona FC. They are now the main pursuers of Real Madrid, who hold an eight-point lead and who must face Los Azulgranas at the Bernabéu on April 21st, in Matchday 32, with that ELCLASICO a potential championship-decider.
Los Blancos have only lost one game in the entire competition and that was in September. Since then, they have managed to catch Girona FC, open up a gap in the table and, in the last few games, consolidate that advantage. They’ll have to keep winning in the remaining nine matches if they want to take back the title that FC Barcelona snatched from them last year.
Several contenders to play Champions League football
Surprisingly, Atlético de Madrid will spend the international break outside of the top four. Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, first and second, are currently joined in the Champions League places by Girona FC and Athletic Club, third and fourth in the LALIGA EA SPORTS standings. The third-placed Catalan side are seven points clear of Diego Simeone’s squad, but must face them in the capital on April 13th in a key Champions League-calibre clash, while Atlético de Madrid vs Athletic Club will take place at the same stadium two weeks later between two sides who are currently separated by one point. Those two matches will be like Champions League playoffs for Atleti.
The Europa League and Conference League are up for grabs
The European places for next season will depend on what happens in the final of the Copa del Rey. If RCD Mallorca win the final then they would go to the Europa League alongside the fifth-placed team, while the sixth-placed team would play in the Conference League. If Athletic Club win the cup final and stay in the top five, then the sixth-placed team would join them in the Europa League and the seventh-placed team would make the Conference League. Right now, Real Sociedad, in sixth, have 46 points and are battling with Real Betis, who have 42 points, and Valencia CF, who have 40 points and a game in hand.
Drama in the relegation battle for weeks to come
Things are no clearer at the bottom. UD Almería, who just won their first game of the season, and Granada CF may be a little further behind, with 13 and 14 points respectively. But, then there is a group of teams that will surely fight to avoid relegation up until the last day. The final relegation position is currently held by Cádiz CF, with 22 points, while above them they’re chasing RC Celta, on 27, Sevilla FC, on 28, Rayo Vallecano, on 29, and RCD Mallorca, on 30. None of these teams can afford to slip up in the final stretch.
The individual awards are more open than ever
It is also far from clear who will win the individual trophies for the season’s top scorer and the goalkeeper with the fewest goals, two battles that are as wide open as ever. The Pichichi table is led by Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham with 16 goals. He is followed by an injured Borja Mayoral, who can’t currently add to his 15-goal tally, and Ante Budimir, with 15 goals too. Then, Atlético de Madrid’s Álvaro Morata and Girona FC’s Artem Dovbyk, while Villarreal CF’s Alexander Sørloth, FC Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski and Athletic Club’s Gorka Guruzeta are also in the fight with 13 goals each. Some of those even further behind could yet enter the race.
The ranking for the Zamora Trophy, for the top goalkeeper, is currently led by Unai Simón of Athletic Club, as he has a ratio of 0.90 goals conceded per game, but Real Sociedad’s Álex Remiro, with 1.04 goals conceded per game, is hot on his heels. Furthermore, Marc-André ter Stegen could still retain his prize from last season, as his current average is 0.89 goals per game. However, there is a rule that a goalkeeper must play 28 games to qualify and the German, who has missed games through injury, would have to play every match between now and the end of this exciting LALIGA EA SPORTS season.
