A title race of three teams is a rarity in top -level football, and even more in Spain, where inequality in finances tends to exclude all other contenders outside of Real Madrid and Barcelona. However, if you enter the Madrid derby, only separates a point loose blancos from Atletico Madrid and sets up an exciting meeting at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Even in La Liga, only 13 points 4th of the 12th and lower that none of the 7 teams between the 13th and 19th will feel particularly good about their position, with only six points between Celta Vigo and Valencia. The narrow and competitive character of La Liga this season makes it especially entertaining to look – click now to get tickets for some largest and most tense games of the year.
Returning to the title race, Atletico fans will be encouraged by the fact that the only opportunity they were firmly in the title race in this phase of the season in recent years, they all won it in 2020-21. Then it was Luis Suarez that she fired at Glorie, and now they have brought another reliable source of goals in Julian Alvarez, at great costs from Manchester City. Their defense is just as promising: Los Colchoneros have by far the most reliable backline, which have admitted only 14 times in 22 games, well free from Los Blancos or the Blaugrana.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti consistently notes that the good defending will bring them titles, which operates in the assumption that 'goals will never be a problem' for the ruling champions. However, they are hampered by consistent injuries in the backline and rob them of the consistency they want.
That said, Real Madrid has impressed this season on very little and is still at the top of the table. Logic dictates that if they can only solve some of their problems, the attacking firepower, led by Kylian Mbappe, they should be able to explode beyond the competition. This season, however, Ancelotti has tackled one problem after the other.
And then there is Barcelona. Sometimes they played the best football in the division, and their versions against Real Madrid have probably been the most impressive in Spain. They also have by far the best attack this season, so Real Madrid is released with 10 goals.
According to all accounts, they have exceeded the expectations of the early season, but their existing in La Liga has become a major problem in recent months. The struggles of Hansi Flick to work deeper has become clear, and with the weakest defense of the three contenders they were obliged to score at least twice in most of their matches of recent times.
Whatever it is, it is wonderfully ready for the second half of the season, with all three parties juggling with Champions League and Copa del Rey also obligations.
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