(Football news) The 20 clubs of LALIGA EA SPORTS have just seven games remaining this season across seven matchdays in which all teams 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 seven matchdays very interesting and nerve-wracking for fans.
FC Barcelona are hunting down Real Madrid in the title race
FC Barcelona have won five and drawn one from their past six, and haven’t conceded a single goal during this run. As a result, they’re now into second place and are pursuing Real Madrid, who hold an eight-point lead and who must face Los Azulgranas at the Bernabéu this Sunday, 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 seven matches if they want to take back the title that FC Barcelona snatched from them last year.
Several contenders to play Champions League football
Atlético de Madrid have moved back into fourth place in recent weeks and opened up a four-point advantage over fifth-placed Athletic Club. But, Los Colchoneros must take on the Basques at the Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano in Matchday 33.
Meanwhile, third-placed Girona FC are four points clear of Diego Simeone’s squad, despite losing to Atleti last weekend. The Catalan club hope to finish in the Champions League positions for the first time ever and they’re moving ever closer to that objective with each matchday.
The Europa League and Conference League are up for grabs
The fact that Athletic Club have won the Copa del Rey while already sitting in the European qualification places means that seventh place in the standings would now give access to next season’s Conference League. As such, the battle to play continental football has been extended even further.
As it stands, Real Sociedad are sixth and have 50 points, which would send them to the Europa League, but just behind them are seventh-placed Valencia CF with 47 points, which would mean a Conference League ticket, and eighth-placed Real Betis with 45 points. Interestingly, Valencia CF and Real Betis face off against each other this next matchday.
Drama in the relegation battle for weeks to come
Things are no clearer at the bottom. UD Almería and Granada CF may be a little further behind, with 14 and 17 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 25 points, while above them they’re chasing RC Celta, on 28, and RCD Mallorca and Rayo Vallecano, on 31 each. 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 Girona FC’s Artem Dovbyk, who has scored 17 goals, but just behind are Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham and CA Osasuna’s Ante Budimir on 16 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 and Valencia CF’s Giorgi Mamardashvili, with 1.03 goals conceded per game, are hot on his heels. Furthermore, Marc-André ter Stegen could still retain his prize from last season, as his current average is 0.81 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.
