Eighteen rounds in to the 2023/24 LALIGA EA SPORTS season, teams are currently enjoying the Christmas break, with players and coaches recharging their batteries before their much-anticipated return to action in the new calendar year.
This campaign has already offered fans many exciting moments, with surprises at the top of the table, entertaining duels, players who have stood out and an intense relegation battle. Here’s a look at how LALIGA EA SPORTS stands at the Christmas break.
Girona FC’s season: A big surprise at the top
Girona FC have hit the ground running this season, producing some sublime football and currently topping the table along with Real Madrid, as both sides have 45 points. Míchel’s squad boast the finest attack in the league with an average of 2.3 goals scored per game (42 in total) across their first 18 matches of the season.
Los Blanquivermells are level on points with Real Madrid, with these two teams having recorded 14 wins, three draws and one defeat each. Los Blancos, meanwhile, boast the best defence in the competition, having conceded just 11 goals so far this season.
The two LALIGA EA SPORTS leaders are followed by Atlético de Madrid and FC Barcelona, with these two title contenders sitting seven points behind Real Madrid and Girona FC. When discussing this thrilling title race, Athletic Club deserve a special mention too, as they sit fifth, just three more points adrift of the top-four spots. The Basques have picked up 35 points from 18 games, which is their best tally over the last four decades.
Jude Bellingham and the other top performers so far
Having joined Real Madrid in the summer, Jude Bellingham has taken LALIGA EA SPORTS by storm. Featuring behind the two strikers in a playmaking role, the 20-year-old midfielder has shined under Carlo Ancelotti and currently tops the competition’s scoring charts with 13 goals in 16 games.
He is followed by Getafe CF’s in-form striker Borja Mayoral, who has netted 12 times. It has to be noted that Mayoral’s best tally of top-flight goals scored in a single season was 10 with Roma in 2020/21.
Meanwhile, it’s no surprise that the top-scorer charts include a Girona FC player. As many as 13 Girona FC footballers have netted at least one goal this season, but Artem Dovbyk is the one standing out with 15 goal contributions (11 goals and four assists).
Sitting third in the list of top scorers, Dovbyk is followed by Atlético de Madrid’s fantastic attacking duo of Antoine Griezmann (11) and Álvaro Morata (9), who have scored a combined 20 goals so far. In fact, no player has netted more match-winners than the Frenchman (seven) this season, with Griezmann having just made history by becoming Atlético de Madrid’s joint-top scorer of all time.
So many goals, especially in the big games
Matchday 3, which took place in late August, saw LALIGA EA SPORTS teams score a combined 35 goals (an average of 3.5 goals per game). This round included FC Barcelona’s 4-3 win at Villarreal CF, Athletic Club’s 4-2 victory over Real Betis and Atlético de Madrid’s 7-0 thrashing of Rayo Vallecano on the road.
The two highest scoring games this season have been Real Sociedad and Girona FC’s 5-3 victories over Granada CF (Matchday 4) and RCD Mallorca (Matchday 6), respectively.
As for other games which stood out, Atlético de Madrid beat Real Madrid 3-1 in the first Madrid Derby courtesy of a Morata brace and a Griezmann goal on Matchday 6, while Bellingham netted twice to lead Los Blancos to a 2-1 comeback win away at FC Barcelona in the first ELCLASICO of the season on Matchday 11.
Another big moment came when João Félix scored the winner in Barça’s 1-0 win over his parent club, Atleti, on Matchday 15, before Girona FC pulled off a huge 4-2 victory away at the Blaugrana in a Catalan derby that their fans will never forget.
It’s interesting to note that this current LALIGA EA SPORTS season has been producing 2.67 goals per game, on average. That’s the most since 2017/18 and it is six percent more than were being scored last term.
An intense relegation battle
LALIGA EA SPORTS fans have experienced some exciting relegation battles over the last few years and this season’s promises to be one that will go down to the wire too. UD Almería may not have grabbed any victory yet this term, but they showed in their 3-2 defeat at FC Barcelona on Matchday 18 that they are not willing to give up.
The Andalusian outfit sit bottom of the table with five points, but that’s just three behind newly promoted Granada CF. RC Celta are third-bottom with 13 points, with as many as six teams (Cádiz CF, Deportivo Alavés, Sevilla FC, RCD Mallorca, Villarreal CF and CA Osasuna) currently within six points of the relegation zone.
Another special mention should go to newly promoted UD Las Palmas, as the Canary Islanders are well clear of the drop zone thanks to their extraordinary start to the campaign. They currently sit ninth in the table with 25 points and are even dreaming of Europe.
When the teams return from the festive pause, there will be so much still to play for, from the title race to the European qualification zone to the relegation battle.
