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The LaLiga Santander title race is as thrilling as ever with rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid going head to head for the Spanish crown. While the defending champions have maintained a slender lead for a considerable while, the dynamic of the 2019/20 league season has now drastically shifted.
Barcelona succumbed to the building pressure of the title race after a dire 0-0 draw away at Sevilla on Saturday. This allowed Real Madrid to go to the top of the table for the first time in months. They navigated past stern opposition away at Real Sociedad on Sunday and fired themselves to the top in thrilling fashion.
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With eight rounds of fixtures to play, both Barcelona and Real Madrid — tied at the top with 65 points apiece — would hope to pick up wins in all the remaining eight games. If the point tallies are level by the end of the season, Real Madrid will be crowned champions due to a superior head-to-head record.
On that note, let us take a look at five fixtures that could be decisive matches in the context of the LaLiga title.
1. Barcelona vs Atletico
Perhaps the most obvious fixture on this list, Atletico Madrid's trip to Barcelona on July 1 will be a crucial game in the champions' path. Comfortably the trickiest fixture of the remaining ones, Diego Simeone's side could deliver a killer blow to their title ambitions.
Atletico sit 13 points behind Barcelona on the table, and despite their stature and ambitions, they are firmly out of the title race. However, Los Rojiblancos are on an eight-game unbeaten run the league stretching from early February. And Simeone sure loves his side causing an upset upon the likes of the Clasico rivals.
They sit third on the league table with 52 points and have conceded 22 goals this campaign — a figure only bettered by leaders Real Madrid. Barcelona needed an 86th minute winner from Lionel Messi to get past Atleti the last time they met. They could possibly need a lot more this time around especially given the return of Atleti star Joao Felix.
2. Real Madrid vs. Getafe
While they aren't a side who would usually walk out onto the Santiago Bernabeu as favourites to win the game, Getafe present a tricky opposition for Los Blancos. Jose Bordalas' men currently sit in fifth place on the LaLiga table and were set to play Inter Milan in the Europa League knockout stages prior to COVID-19.
Getafe are a well-drilled side and have already registered wins over Real Sociedad, Valencia, Ajax, and others across LaLiga and in Europe. The Azulones have conceded just 28 goals this term, the fourth-best record in the league.
Even dropping two points in such a crucial situation could be catastrophic for either side, and Getafe have already shown their resilience on several occasions this year. Although their form since the restart might not be too impressive, they could potentially be a difficult opponent to navigate past for Real Madrid.
3. Barcelona vs Athletic
Athletic Bilbao reminded the Spanish giants of their quality with a superb 1-0 win on the opening day of the LaLiga season. Barcelona travelled to San Mames and saw a significant chunk of the possession in their favour. However, club legend Aritz Aduriz came off the bench and scored a dramatic late winner for the historical Spanish club and gave them a flying start to the season.
Although Athletic sit ninth on the LaLiga table, on their day the Basque club pose a threat to any club. If not for their horrendous away form — two wins in 15 games — perhaps they would have been higher up on the table. However, it is worth noting that they did hold Real Madrid to a 0-0 draw away from home back in December.
The Basque giants would hope to breach into the top five on the table. With just eight games left to play and six points to make up for; Athletic could cause an upset at the Nou Camp.
4. Real Madrid vs Villarreal
The Yellow Submarine have an exciting season so far. Santi Cazorla's resurrection after his move from Arsenal along with exciting additions such as Paco Alcacer and have propelled the club's ambitions this year.
Villarreal have made a superb start to the post-lockdown with three successive 1-0 wins over Mallorca, Celta Vigo, and Granada. Sitting in sixth place with 47 points this season, Javier Calleja's men are on the cusp of qualifying for European competitions next year.
With top scorer Gerard Moreno looking to improve his tally of 12 LaLiga goals and Cazorla in excellent touch, Villarreal could pose a threat to Real Madrid at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano. Their hunt for European places could provide them with the incentive to grind out a result in Madrid.
5. Barcelona vs Alaves
In the likelihood that the title race goes down till the last day of the season, Barcelona's away game at Alaves could be of paramount importance. The home side have had a difficult season so far as they sit in 13th place on the LaLiga table with just 35 points and a goal difference of minus 14.
That being said, a trip to Alaves on the final day of the season could be a crucial test of Barcelona's title credentials. The Catalans have already lost five league games on the road this year. On the other hand, Alaves have fought tooth and nail to register home wins against the likes of Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao.
Nothing short of a win would be acceptable for Barcelona as Real Madrid are almost guaranteed to seal three points on the final day as they face relegation-threatened Leganes. The pressure of the title race could further make this match the ultimate test for Barcelona.
