The Champions League results count for nothing when it comes to their direct impact on the La Liga standings. Even so, seeing Real Madrid settle for another draw with rivals Atletico Madrid while Barcelona cruised to a seemingly easy win over PSG in the first legs of quarterfinal action, it felt as though it could be an indication of what to expect from all three Spanish teams heading in to the final stretch of the season.
Real Madrid should be able to bounce back this week in La Liga when they host Malaga, but that doesn’t mean Barcelona will be slowing down when they battle Valencia. Here is a look at the best starting lineup for La Liga for daily fantasy leagues for this weekend.
GK: Miguel Angel Moya, Atletico Madrid
Moya ranks among the top fantasy keepers in La Liga despite the team’s inconsistent play this season and following a strong performance against Real Madrid in the Champions League, it will be Atletico looking to build on that momentum. Deportivo La Coruna is barely treading water just above the relegation line this season and it wouldn’t be a shock if Moya and company were able to shut them down with a potential clean sheet bonus in play for this pick.
D: Diego Godin, Atletico Madrid
Godin played an integral role in Atletico, holding off the mighty Real attack in the first leg of their Champions League action. He should put up a quality stat line again when they visit Deportivo La Coruna this Saturday. Atletico’s recent plight in La Liga has completely turned around their outlook for this season but they are still alive in the Champions League and have everything to play for at home where they will look to try and continue to turn things around in pursuit of Barcelona and Real Madrid.
D: Nico Pareja, Sevilla
It makes sense to build this lineup with a focus on matchup as much as talent and production and when it comes to Pareja, we get the full package. He’s Sevilla’s most productive fantasy defender heading in to a matchup against lowly Cordoba that could bring the clean sheet bonus in to play.
M: Antoine Griezmann, Atletico Madrid
Griezmann has been excellent for Atletico all season and after finishing with the second-best fantasy line among all La Liga midfielders a week ago, he should be primed for another big performance as Atletico looks to rally around their Champions League win with Valencia right behind them in the standings.
M: Pablo Sarabia, Getafe
Sarabia wasn’t very good from a fantasy perspective against Villarreal last week but he remains Getafe’s most productive fantasy midfielder. He’s a strong value play with a Levante side battling to avoid relegation in town this weekend.
F: Neymar, Barcelona
The Barcelona attack was at its best again versus PSG with three goals and while Lionel Messi remains their most lethal option, the value is certainly there plugging in a player like Neymar up front. Neymar had a goal and four shots on target in the 3-1 win over PSG and he has thrived lining up next to Messi and Luis Suarez in a striker unit that continues to keep the pressure on opposing defenses. Neymar has 29 goals in 34 matches in all competitions this season and should be able to add to his totals when Barcelona hosts Valencia this weekend.
F: Carlos Bacca, Sevilla
Seville currently holds the fifth spot in the La Liga standings but a win over lowly Cordoba combined with a Barcelona win over Valencia would move them in to a tie for fourth in the table. Bacca has been very consistent all season and he should be able to do some damage against a Cordoba team buried at the bottom of the standings.
FLEX: Grzegorz Krychowiak, Sevilla
The matchup with Cordoba means it makes a lot of sense to stack the lineup with some Sevilla players and Krychowiak is the perfect fit here as he could be primed for a big performance. Sevilla can’t afford to leave this game with anything less than the maximum three points so expect them to push the pace through the midfield and really create a ton of scoring opportunities versus Cordoba.
