This Week in LaLiga…

Barcelona go top of the league

Barça’s 5-0 win over Eibar coupled with Levante’s shock victory over Real Madrid saw the blaugrana move top of the table. Lionel Messi’s four-goal haul ensures that Quique Setien’s men will travel to the capital for ElClasico next weekend with a two-point cushion at the top of the table.

Barça overtake Real Madrid in all-time goals scored

This weekend’s results not only put Barcelona top of the LaLiga Santander standings but also mean that the blaugrana now lead Spanish football’s all-time goals scored rankings. In total, Barcelona have now netted 6,151 LaLiga goals to Real Madrid’s 6,150.

Another injury for Hazard

Match night wasn’t just another frustrating night for Real Madrid because of their unexpected defeat. Belgian superstar Eden Hazard returned from a three-month layoff with an ankle injury just last week but limped off in the second half after reinjuring the ankle. He’s now set for another extended layoff and will miss both the Champions League clash with Manchester City and ElClasico this coming weekend.

Martin Braithwaite makes an immediate impact

Barça’s emergency new signing Martin Braithwaite made an instant impact after coming on as a substitute on his blaugrana debut. The Dane set up Lionel Messi for Barça’s fourth after coming on as 72nd-minute substitute for Antoine Griezmann before seeing his shot saved and turned in by Arthur Melo for the fifth. Quique Setien will hope that Briathwaite can continue to contribute meaningfully as the season reaches its climax in the coming months.

Put the date in your diaries, the schedule for the Seville derby is set

The kickoff time for the long-awaited second Seville derby (“El Gran Derbi”) of the season has been set: Sunday March 15th at 9pm local time at Sevilla’s Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan stadium. The teams clashed at the Benito Villamarin earlier in the season with Sevilla claiming a 2-1 win. Both teams are still in contention for a European spot, so the derby will take on even more importance next month.

A tribute to Markel Bergara

Longtime LaLiga midfielder Markel Bergara returned to his former side Real Sociedad this weekend after he recently announced his retirement from football due to persistent injuries. Bergara made 212 appearances for the Basque side between 2005 and 2018 and was presented with a gold plaque in tribute before the txuri-urdin’s convincing 3-0 win over Valencia at the Reale Arena.

A new date for Eibar vs Real Sociedad

After Eibar and Real Sociedad’s Matchday 24 meeting was postponed due to concerns over the air quality in the region following a nearby fire, a new date has now been set. The two Basque sides will now go up against each other at Ipurua at 8pm local time on Tuesday, March 10th.