Often dubbed as a two-horse race, the Spanish La Liga has now turned into a pulsating combat between three teams with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid tied for the first spot with 15 games to go.
Spain has churned out a new contender in the past two years in Atletico Madrid who have transformed themselves into a serious force under manager Diego Simeone. Leading the La Liga till Saturday, Atletico Madrid lost its three point lead over the ai???big twoai??i?? after suffering a shock defeat at the hands of Almeria.
The last time La Liga saw such cut-throat competition was back in the 1982-1983 season when Athletic de Bilbao laid siege on the Spanish crown, winning it by a mere single point.
Having played out 18 wins, 3 draws and 2 losses each, it looks like this La Liga is heading towards a climactic finish with each team fully aware that a single dropped point is as good as the trophy dropped itself.
While Barcelona and Atletico Madrid burst into the season winning all their games, Real Madrid have been playing catch up ever since. Playing under a new manager, Real Madrid have finally found their momentum going as they beat Villarreal 4-2 at Santiago Bernabeu to keep up with the title chase. Meanwhile Barcelona took control of the situation at Sevilla as Messi regained lost ground after scoring two goals to help Barcelona win 4-1 in a crucial away fixture.
It was Atletico Madrid who grabbed the headlines last Ai??weekend after succumbing to a 2-0 loss at Almeria. Feeling hard done by the referees, it was Atleticoai??i??s second loss in the campaign coming at the back of the defeat at Santiago Bernabeu.
With just 15 matches to go for the season to come to an end, the Spanish La Liga is geared up for a close finish as all three teams look to avoid slip-ups. While Barcelona lead the table standing at a goal difference of 46, a single goal separates Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid at the second and third position in the league.
Ai??In contention for the title after a long dry spell, it will be interesting to see how Diego Simeone manages his resources as the club enters a particularly busy spell in its campaign. Not blessed with the financial might of Barcelona and Real Madrid, the credit must be given to Atletico Madrid for taking the fight to the champions despite its meagre resources. Atletico face Real on Tuesday in the Copa del Rey semi-finals and then 18th placed Valladolid before they visit Milan in the Champions League round of 16. It will be a severe test for a squad that is competing on all three competitions as the onus lies on Diego Simeone to inspire his players to keep on with their struggle.
Meanwhile Barcelona seem to have averted cries of ai???crisisai??i?? though injury concerns cast dark shadows over the club in the coming fixtures. Though Lionel Messi seems to have found his ai???lostai??i?? form, Neymarai??i??s injury and a weak defence have taken the sheen out of Barcelonaai??i??s performances. They visit Real Sociedad in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final on Tuesday and then face 19th placed Rayo over the weekend. However the true test lies in their Champions League Round of 16 encounter with Manchester City, a tantalising fixture, that willAi?? prove to be an important test for Barcelona.
Real Madrid on the other hand visit Atletico Madrid and then visit 13th placed Getafe over the weekend as they prepareAi?? to put forward a squad without Cristiano Ronaldo. Without their prolific goal-scorer, Real Madrid willAi?? have to dig deep within its squad and if the match against Villarreal is anything to go by, Real seem to be upto the challenge. Having a sound and deep squad at his disposal, Real are expected to keep their campaign alive as they face Schalke 04 in the Champions League round of 16.
With all three teams gearing up for a hectic finish, it will be interesting to see which manager is able to rotate its squad and keep the title hopes alive. After all it is in situations as such that great teams are forged.
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