La Liga has resumed after a gap of three months. The opening game of the tournament was the Seville derby between Sevilla and Real Betis. FC Barcelona leads the league table with 58 points, two points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid. Sevilla and Real Sociedad are 3rd and 4th with 47 7 46 points respectively. Getafe and Atletico Madrid take the Europa slots for now with 46 and 45 points respectively. Five points separate five teams from 3rd to 7th. Mallorca, Leganes, and Espanyol are sitting in the relegation zone. 27 matchdays were already completed before the league’s suspension and only 9 games are remaining for every team. So let’s check out what is going to happen over the next eleven game weeks.
La Liga title prediction
FC Barcelona is leading the league table with 58 points from 27 games. Quique Setien’s side have lost five games and drew four times in the Liga before it was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. Since Stein's arrival, Barca have improved their possession stats but they are facing problems in creating chances and in converting them. Under Setien, Barca have won six out of eight La Liga games.
Barcelona and Real Madrid are the only sides with a realistic chance of lifting La Liga title. The Blaugranas face relegation-threatened Mallorca in their opening game of the resumed season. From the eleven remaining fixtures, Barca will face five top sides – Sevilla (away), Athletic Bilbao (home), Atletico Madrid (home), Villareal (away), Espanyol (home). Apart from these fixtures, rest all will be easier for the Catalans to grab all three points. These games will decide if Barca will lift La Liga or not. Barcelona have struggled in away games this season and that’s why Sevilla and Villareal away are going to be tough for Setien’s side to grab all three points. Athletic Bilbao at home should not pose problems for Barca as they have been formidable at the Camp Nou. Espanyol are in the relegation zone but the Catalan derby has always been unpredictable. But it is a home fixture, so it should not pose issues for Barcelona. The game against Atletico Madrid will be a tough game as well.
Real Madrid faces Eibar in the opening game of the resumed season at home. From the remaining eleven fixtures, Madrid have four tough fixtures – Valencia (home), Real Sociedad (away), Athletic Bilbao (away), Villareal (home). Valencia and Villareal home games should be easy as Hazard is fit and Zidane will have a strong line up available. Real Madrid have lost three of their last four games against Sociedad and that’s what makes it a tough away fixture for Los Blancos. Athletic Bilbao could pose problems for Madrid too. So if Madrid drop points against Sociedad or Bilbao, it will increase the gap before the penultimate fixture of the season. This will put tremendous pressure on Los Blancos in a do or die game when the season nears its end.
However, these games for both teams will be tense. There's a good possibility of Barca dropping points against Atletico Madrid and the other fixtures against those at the top could go either way. Barcelona faces Deportivo away in the penultimate stage of the season. This is going to be an ideal situation for the Los Blancos as the Catalans have been dismal in away games.
We predict that Barcelona should retain its crown. However, there’s a good chance their lead gets shortened. With the majority of the betting sites giving the Catalans a clear advantage for when they restart their La Liga campaign. It may be a lot closer than the oddsmakers are suggesting and Barca would have hoped for though.
Take a look at the stats of top two in La Liga before the suspension:
Rank | Team | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | Goal scored/against | Points |
1 | Barcelona | 27 | 18 | 4 | 5 | 63/31 | 58 |
2 | Real Madrid | 27 | 16 | 8 | 3 | 49/19 | 56 |
