It’s just a matter of time to when Real Madrid will finally hoist the La Liga trophy since they’ve been the best Spanish top-flight team all season long.
On the other hand, Barcelona, Sevilla, and Atletico Madrid are all left fighting for second place but confirming their Champions League spots is going to be their top priority as of the moment, especially with the likes of Real Betis, Real Sociedad, and Villarreal lurking.
Furthermore, Levante and Alaves are virtually guaranteed to be relegated after this season, while Granada, Cadiz, and Mallorca are all fighting for dear life to try and get out of the dreaded drop zone.
Continue to read down below as SBOTOP brings to you several takeaways from the last matchday.
Congratulations are in order for Real Madrid
Real Madrid are fresh from a 3-1 win against Osasuna as David Alaba, Marco Asensio, and Lucas Vazquez all found the back of the net while Ante Budimir scored the lone goal for the hosts.
Strange as it may sound, it was a much-needed victory for Carlo Ancelotti’s men since they performed better than they did against Sevilla – in a game where the talismanic Karim Benzema’s added-time goal punctuated their stirring comeback after being down by two goals in the first half.
Benzema has been phenomenal in the final third with 37 goals and 12 assists, so seeing them not being heavily reliant on the Frenchman against Osasuna must’ve put a smile on Carlo Ancelotti’s face.
As Real Madrid kept on winning, the results of the other contenders may not matter much anymore because if they reach matchday 35 with at least a 12-point lead, the La Liga trophy is guaranteed to come back home at the Bernabeu.
Other than sealing the La Liga trophy, however, Los Blancos may slowly turn their full focus on warming up for their epic Champions League semi-final clash against Manchester City which will happen a few days for now.
Real Madrid have gone through a gauntlet of top-heavy teams– beating PSG, Chelsea, and Atletico Madrid in the rounds prior – so they’re sharp and poised to win the continental crown to add on to their large trophy case.
Injuries are killing Barcelona
Barcelona are also coming from a victory after suffering a shock home loss against Cadiz last Tuesday as they defeated Real Sociedad 1-0 yesterday with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scoring the only goal.
The win in itself is great for the Catalan giants since it strengthened their La Liga 2022 odds for second place. However, it came at the cost of their entire backline unfortunately.
Gerard Pique, Ronald Araujo, Jordi Alba, and Dani Alves are all new additions to their injury list, which has already included Pedri, who ruptured his hamstring during their loss to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Pique had been limping since the first half and was replaced by Clement Lenglet. Lenglet then received medical treatment later on after going down holding his head.
Dani Alves had to be forced off after 66 minutes following a tackle from Rafinha and he was replaced by Sergino Dest.
Ronald Araujo, who’s enjoying a breakout campaign at Camp Nou, went down with a knee injury after attempting to block a cross from Alexander Isak and he was replaced by Eric Garcia.
Since Barcelona have used all of their substitutions, Jordi Alba was left to fight through pain as he pulled a muscle midway through the second half.
Injuries have basically ruined any chance of them winning La Liga. It can be noted that they also endured a similar injury crisis last autumn when they had several attackers unavailable.
Relegation looms for Granada, Cadiz, and Mallorca
Mallorca have gained some breathing room following a 2-0 win over Alaves while the same can’t be said for Cadiz and Granada, as both were unable to gain maximum points.
Cadiz have fallen down to earth after winning against Barcelona as they came up short in their comeback attempt against Athletic Bilbao, whose early three-goal lead proved to be the main difference.
Raul Garcia found the opener from close range while Iker Munlain scored the rebound after his penalty was saved. Mikel Vesga added one from the edge of the box for good measure before he was sent off during the 71st-minute.
Lucas Perez and Ruben Sobrino scored in the second half, but the hosts were denied of an equaliser in the end.
Granada, meanwhile, fought valiantly and held Atletico Madrid to a goalless draw, although they remain winless in their last four league fixtures.
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