There seems to be a new twist or turn in the 2024/25 LaLiga EA Sports title race every weekend, so thereās great anticipation ahead of Matchday 22.
Real Madrid currently lead the table and hold a four-point advantage over AtlĆ©tico de Madrid and a seven-point gap over FC Barcelona, but Hansi Flickās side just put on a seven-goal masterclass last weekend, so are still very much in the mix.
Curiously, both BarƧa and Los Blancos will be playing in the Catalan capital this weekend, with the former at home to Deportivo AlavƩs and the latter visiting RCD Espanyol.
Before those games, there is a Madrid derby between two very in-form teams on Friday night. CD LeganĆ©s and Rayo Vallecano are both among the six best teams in LaLiga EA Sports if looking at the past five matchdays, and theyāll face off at the Estadio Butarque to kick off Matchday 22 in style.
The action stays in southern Madrid on Saturday, with Getafe CF hosting Sevilla FC. Geta are also in excellent form right now and have taken seven points from their first three league fixtures of 2025, even though theyāve had some difficult fixtures. Theyāll now take on a Sevilla FC side who sit just above them in the table.
Villarreal CF v Real Valladolid is next up, and the pressure is mounting for Los Blanquivioletas. They sit bottom of the table and know that they need points quickly if they are to have a chance of avoiding relegation, but it wonāt be easy away at Villarreal CF, whose only losses this LaLiga EA Sports campaign have come against clubs who qualified for Europe last season. When El Submarino Amarillo face teams lower down the table, they tend to sink them.
There is top-of-the-table intrigue on Saturday evening, as both AtlĆ©tico de Madrid and Real Madrid are in action. Itās Atleti who play first, taking on RCD Mallorca at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. Diego Simeoneās side have failed to win in each of the past two matchdays, and canāt afford to drop any more points, especially with Elderbi De Madrid around the corner.
As for Real Madrid, theyāre in action in the 9pm CET game on Saturday night, taking on RCD Espanyol in Catalonia. Real Madrid have won 18 of the past 20 meetings between these clubs, losing the other two, and that includes Los Blancosā 4-1 victory when these sides met at the BernabĆ©u earlier this term. RCD Espanyol will hope home advantage can help them out this time, and they are currently five games unbeaten in front of their own fans.
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ā Real Madrid C.F. š¬š§šŗšø (@realmadriden) January 30, 2025
The first of Sundayās four fixtures is also in the Catalan capital, where FC Barcelona take on Deportivo AlavĆ©s at 2pm CET. BarƧa are back at the Estadi OlĆmpic for the second matchday in a row, and the fans will head towards MontjuĆÆc full of confidence after seeing the team thrash Valencia CF 7-1 last matchday, scoring four goals inside the opening 25 minutes.
Valencia CF will hope to put that 7-1 loss behind them when they return to action against RC Celta later on Sunday afternoon. Their home form has been much better than their away form, and they won their previous game at Mestalla, so will seek another three points when the Galician outfit come to town.
CA Osasuna v Real Sociedad follows, a classic fixture between two clubs who are almost neighbours. Itās the side from Pamplona who have won the past two meetings and, curiously, those were both in San SebastiĆ”n. Now, at El Sadar, CA Osasuna will target what would be a first home victory against La Real since 2012.
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ā Real Betis BalompiĆ© (@RealBetis_en) January 30, 2025
On Sunday night, Real Betis and Athletic Club clash in Seville, and their recent meetings suggest this should be a thrilling game. It was 1-1 when they faced off in Bilbao earlier this season, while Real Betis won 3-1 at home and Athletic Club 4-2 at home in their two meetings last campaign. In what could be new signing Antonyās debut for Los Verdiblancos, the atmosphere at the Estadio Benito VillamarĆn should be incredible.
On Monday night, Girona FC and UD Las Palmas take each other on in the final fixture of the round. It promises to be an interesting tactical battle between two bold and ambitious coaches, in MĆchel and Diego MartĆnez, the perfect way to conclude Matchday 22.
Watch LaLiga EA Sports live this weekend on supersport.com.