FC Barcelona's five point lead over Real Madrid seems like an almost insurmountable lead with Barcelona's form over not just recent times, but the last few years. This seems especially true with Cristiano Ronaldo out. However, the lead is that thin because of injuries at the back to Barcelona. And, of course, nothing can be settled in La Liga until after the final Super Clasico, which takes place in two weeks. This week, Real Madrid will be heavy favorites against Sporting Gijon, while Barcelona should be seriously tested against Villarreal. Additionally, we'll be covering the match between Valencia and Getafe.
Spanish La Liga, Round 30: Real Madrid Kicks Us Off, FC Barcelona Vs. Villarreal Is The Highlight
Real Madrid Vs. Sporting Gijon
Saturday, 12 pm ET
Sporting Gijon, despite not being an exceptionally poor team, are only a couple of points off of the relegation places. They won’t be expecting to get points against Real Madrid, but they very well could be fighting like a team that is desperate to avoid going down. Do you really have to believe you can win if you’re desperate enough?
For Madrid, it will be interesting to see what they do without Cristiano Ronaldo. Jose Mourinho has a variety of options that he can go with, but none is a like for like switch. This will be the key to the match for Madrid, whether or not Mourinho’s new team selection works. Seeing as he’s Jose Mourinho and they’re playing Sporting Gijon, signs point to yes.
Valencia Vs. Getafe
Saturday, 2 pm ET
Before the international break, Valencia had entered minor free fall mode. They let Schalke knock them out of Champions League, then proceeded to put together consecutive shutout losses in the league. They’re now tied on points with fourth placed Villarreal, and that race for third place will be a great one to watch during the rest of the season. Champions League qualifying is never a guarantee for anyone, so getting that guaranteed spot is extremely important.
Getafe once looked like a serious European contender, and they spent a large chunk of the season in Europa League positions. Now, after a terrible run of form, they’re closer to the drop zone than they are to Europe. In a match between two solid teams in terrible form, something has to give.
FC Barcelona Vs. Villarreal
Saturday, 4 pm ET
We’ll have live coverage of this game right here at SB Nation soccer, but we also highly recommend checking out our shiny, brand new Villarreal blog, Villarreal USA. They have some preview content up at the moment and they should have a game thread running when the match gets underway. If you’re interested in Villarreal outside of this game, go and bookmark the site.
Obviously, everything said above about Valencia and the Champions League applies to Villarreal. Finishing third is incredibly important. However, they have much less of an opportunity to take points than Valencia do this week as they face off against mighty Barcelona. Nilmar and Giuseppe Rossi form a great partnership up top, and it goes without saying that they must be on their game for the Yellow Submarine to get points.
Barcelona are Barcelona, and they're obviously favorites, but there's a rumor going around that Messi is hurt. He says he's fine and he'll be fit to play, but he pulled himself out of Argentina's match against Costa Rica and was very limited in training this week. Obviously, his fitness or lack thereof could affect this game considerably.
Our live coverage starts at 12 pm ET with Real Madrid Vs. Sporting Gijon and continues throughout the afternoon.
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