Real Madrid’s recent slump has allowed Barcelona and Atletico Madrid to keep pace in La Liga. It’s been a somewhat stunning turnaround as Real Madrid was unbeatable in 2014. However, this year has been another story entirely. They actually haven’t won since February 22nd (three matches), which is simply stunning for a team as loaded as this. That’s allowed Barca to take over the top spot in the table after the 26th round of league matches with Atletico hanging around nearby in third. The trio are in the spotlight once again this weekend with Atletico and Barca on the road, while Real tries to get back on track at home where they have been getting hammered by their supporters.
Atletico Madrid at Espanyol – Saturday, 11:00 AM ET
La Liga Odds: Atletico +101, Espanyol +281, Draw +222
Atletico drew 1-1 at home with Valencia to stay in third by a point over their opponents. That was a decent result but this is also a team that’s somewhat lost their way. They upended Real Madrid 4-0 on February 7th but they’ve registered just one win in their five games since. While they might have bigger things on their mind as they host Bayer Leverkusen in the second leg of their Champions League next Tuesday, they better focus on the task at hand first. Espanyol will hope Atletico isn’t as they sit in 10th after a 1-0 loss at Real Sociedad. They’re just trying to stay away from the drop zone, which they’re clear of by eight points.
Atletico has won the last two meetings between the two, including a 2-0 victory at home in October, but Espanyol won the last home meeting by a score of 1-0 in October 2013. This should be a spot where they get the full three points. Pick: Atletico Madrid
Barcelona at Eibar – Saturday, 1:00 PM ET
La Liga Odds: Barcelona -957, Eibar +2064, Draw +748
Barca took advantage of Real’s poor result, stomping Rayo Vallecano 6-1 to move into first place. Now they’ve won four in a row since that shocking loss to Malaga last month. However, like Atletico, Barca has to keep their eye on this match as they have Manchester City coming to town next week for the second leg of their Champions League tie, which Barca leads 2-1. Eibar has to get it together as they fell to 14th with a 2-1 loss at Levante, their seventh loss in a row. After a brilliant start to their debut campaign in La Liga, survival is on their mind as they’re just three points above the drop zone.
Barca won the first meeting 3-0 at home, so Eibar has to hope that they’re looking past them to the Champions League to have a chance. Pick: Barcelona
Levante at Real Madrid – Sunday, 4:00 PM ET
La Liga Odds: Real Madrid -3012, Levante +2667, Draw +1426
Levante’s win over Eibar at home has them in 17th, just one point ahead of the relegation zone and they’ll be looking to add to their total of home wins as five of their six victories have come on their own pitch. However, that might be tough considering who is coming to town. Or is it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VX8M_OlwLk
Madrid dropped to second with a 1-0 loss at Athletic Bilbao, who is eight in the table. Even though they progressed in the Champions League on a 5-4 aggregate score, losing 4-3 at home to Schalke 04 isn’t what their fans had in mind. They let the players know about it, showering them with boos and whistles. Real hasn’t played well yet in 2015 and a loss to Levante would signify a crisis – especially a loss at home.
Real has won the last six meetings with Levante, including a 5-0 road thrashing in October, but Levante is catching them at a vulnerable time, so Real could be ripe for a huge upset. Still, given that Eibar has only scored 12 away goals and Real has outscored opponents 36-8 at home, it’s hard to see anything but a Real Madrid win. Pick: Real Madrid
