Real Madrid are on the cusp of winning their second La Liga title in three years. However, despite having a comfortable cushion in the standings, their job is far from finished, with seven matchdays remaining in the 2023-24 campaign.
The reason why Carlo Ancelotti’s men have work to do is because they are entering the grueling part of their schedule since they’re slated to face Manchester City and Barcelona in a span of five days.
Meanwhile, there’s still plenty to play for on all levels, as Girona, Atletico Madrid, and Athletic Bilbao are in the thick of the top four race, while Celta Vigo and Cadiz are pulling out all the stops in order to avoid falling into the dreaded relegation zone alongside Granada and Almeria.
With the 2023-24 campaign winding down, let us examine the Spanish top-flight landscape.
Real Madrid can send a statement with El Clasico win
Real Madrid have kicked things up a notch with a four-game winning streak in the league, taking care of business against Celta Vigo, Osasuna, Athletic Bilbao, and Mallorca.
Their wingers in particular have picked up the scoring, as Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo have accounted for five of the last 11 league goals that they’ve scored. Overall, the Brazilian duo has combined for 29 goals and 15 assists this season.
Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo torched Barcelona during their last meeting in the Spanish Super Cup final, so Carlo Ancelotti will look for them to create La Liga 2024 highlights anew against their El Clasico rivals on Sunday.
Beating Barcelona will put Real Madrid one step closer to securing yet another La Liga title because it would give them an 11-point lead in the Spanish top-flight table. However, if they lose, their lead will be cut down to five points.
Carlo Ancelotti has done a masterful job of leading Real Madrid to this point where a double is on the cards despite dealing with injuries to their backline all season, and now with their injury list slowly easing up, it’s only going to get better for them.
Atletico Madrid can breathe easy for now
Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Girona are all likely to finish within the top four, but the final spot is up for grabs between Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao. However, following last matchday’s results, Los Rojiblancos have the edge over Los Leones.
Atletico Madrid really needed the win over Girona, and they did it with a 3-1 scoreline, as Antoine Griezmann (brace) and Angel Correa scored the goals for Los Rojiblancos.
In contrast, Athletic Bilbao are now winless in their last two after being held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Villarreal last night.
Like Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid will face a grueling schedule because they are slated to take on Borussia Dortmund for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-finals tie tomorrow before taking on Alaves five days later.
Meanwhile, Athletic Bilbao will enter the lighter part of their schedule now that the Copa del Rey is over (which they’ve won for the first time in four decades).
SBOTOP football fans will have to watch their upcoming clash against Athletic Bilbao with great interest since it’ll help determine who gets the final Champions League spot for next season.
The La Liga 2024 odds are slightly in favour of Athletic Bilbao winning the said game since they’ve already beaten Atletico Madrid in their previous two meetings earlier this season.
Celta Vigo, Cadiz trying to stave off relegation
Claudio Giraldez has the unenviable task of guiding Celta Vigo to safety since he replaced Rafa Benitez at the coaching helm last month. Benitez was relieved of his duties because the Galicians only had five wins in 28 games.
Under Giraldez, Celta Vigo have recorded one win, one loss, and one draw, giving them the slight edge over Cadiz, who are 18th in the table.
Jørgen Strand Larsen is banging in form for Celta Vigo, as he leads them in scoring with 11 goals this season. The 24-year-old is far from a finished article, but time is on his side because he just turned 24 years old.
Meanwhile, Cadiz have struggled to find the back of the net in their last three games, as they only scored once during their 1-0 win over Granada. Unlike Celta Vigo, Cadiz are bereft of firepower, as their leading scorer is Chris Ramos, with only five goals so far this season.
Because they have a tougher schedule ahead compared to Celta Vigo, there’s a big chance that Cadiz will go back to the Segunda Division at the end of this season.
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