Real Madrid is still atop the La Liga standings but following its first draw of the season, combined with a Barcelona win, their lead has been reduced to just two points. There’s a lot of soccer left to play and both teams have designs on the La Liga title as well as a Champions League trophy. Considering all that we have seen from these teams so far this season, we should be in for plenty of drama the rest of the way. Here is a look at the three best La Liga games for this weekend.
Athletic Bilbao vs. Real Madrid – Saturday, 12:00 p.m. ET
La Liga Odds: Real Madrid -228, Bilbao +520, Draw +370
For the first time this season, Real Madrid is coming off a draw and it’s clear that neither the club nor its fans are happy about the 1-1 result with Villarreal. Cristiano Ronaldo once again helped save a point as his penalty kick goal in the 30th minute was the only one that Real Madrid would score in the game. Suddenly, there is a sense of urgency after the team failed to win two of its previous four games as well. The status of James Rodriguez is still up in the air but there is enough talent on this Real Madrid roster that it shouldn’t matter all that much when they travel to Athletic this weekend. The home side is just 4-3-5 at home this season and they’ll struggle to contain Ronaldo and the rest of the Real Madrid attack in a game the visitors know they need to win in order to get back on track. Pick: Real Madrid
Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano – Sunday, 7:00 a.m. ET
La Liga Odds: Barcelona -4472, Rayo Vallecano +2382, Draw +1857
Barcelona took advantage of the Real Madrid draw with its 19th win of the season as they beat Granada to close the gap to two points in the La Liga table. Lionel Messi added to his goal total with his 27th of the league season and he is now just three back of Ronaldo for the league lead but the bigger story might have been the play of Luis Suarez as he played an integral role in the win. Suarez scored one and added an assist on the Messi goal to help secure an important three points. Along with Neymar, they could be the most lethal attacking trio in all of soccer.
It’s also worth mentioning that goalkeeper Claudio Bravo has been one of the team’s biggest stars all year and was again versus Granada. Barcelona will have an excellent opportunity to keep pace with Real Madrid when it hosts Rayo Vallecano this weekend as they look to build on their 10-0-2 record at home. The oddsmakers clearly aren’t giving Rayo Vallecano much of a shot in this one. Pick: Barcelona
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Atletico Madrid vs. Valencia – Sunday, 4:00 p.m. ET
La Liga Odds: Atletico -186, Valencia +513, Draw +290
A scoreless draw with Sevilla has raised serious concerns about the defending champions and their ability to consistently score goals. They are running out of time to make their move. A single point kept Atletico seven points back of Real Madrid for the top spot in the table and while there is still a lot of soccer left to play, there isn’t much room for error with the teams ahead of them in the standings showing no signs of slowing down.
It won’t get any easier for Atletico at home this weekend as they clash with Valencia in a game that will – at least temporarily – determine which side has the hold on third place. Valencia has been the hottest team in La Liga of late with four straight wins despite not having a single player ranked in the top 10 in goals. While they will be in tough to extend their string of victories this weekend, a draw would have to be considered a moral win for a club that is suddenly right there challenging for a top three seed despite their relative lack of star power. Pick: Draw
