Excited for Matchday 15 in La Liga? You have every right to be so as the Spanish top-flight campaign gears up for another stellar round of fixtures, with the action kicking off as early as Friday with the 3 p.m. ET Athletic Club vs Granada showdown.
Saturday is when the fun starts, with Barcelona's trip to Villarreal being the first mega showdown of this matchday, as Xavi looks to make it back-to-back wins in the league. Real Sociedad, who unfortunately surrendered the no. 1 spot to Real Madrid last time out, will be in action on Sunday with the sole aim of returning to winning ways.
Madrid's top two clubs, Atletico and Real Madrid, feature in the final two fixtures, with Simeone's men facing Cadiz. Los Blancos will close out the round in the standout clash, with Ancelotti's side set to take on fellow title challengers Sevilla. Here's everything you need to know about Matchday 15 in La Liga.
La Liga standings ahead of Matchday 15?
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid | 33 | 26 | 6 | 1 | 71 | 22 | +49 | 84 | WWWWW | |
| 2 | Barcelona | 32 | 21 | 7 | 4 | 64 | 37 | +27 | 70 | LWWWW | |
| 3 | Girona | 32 | 21 | 5 | 6 | 67 | 40 | +27 | 68 | WLWLW | |
| 4 | Atlético Madrid | 32 | 19 | 4 | 9 | 59 | 38 | +21 | 61 | LWWLL | |
| 5 | Athletic Club | 32 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 52 | 30 | +22 | 58 | DDLWW | |
| 6 | Real Sociedad | 33 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 46 | 35 | +11 | 51 | LDDWW | |
| 7 | Real Betis | 32 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 40 | 38 | +2 | 48 | WWLLL | |
| 8 | Valencia | 32 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 35 | 34 | +1 | 47 | LWWDL | |
| 9 | Villarreal | 32 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 51 | 55 | -4 | 42 | WDLWW | |
| 10 | Getafe | 32 | 9 | 13 | 10 | 38 | 44 | -6 | 40 | DDLWL | |
| 11 | Osasuna | 32 | 11 | 6 | 15 | 37 | 46 | -9 | 39 | LLWLL | |
| 12 | Sevilla | 32 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 41 | 45 | -4 | 37 | WWWLD | |
| 13 | Las Palmas | 32 | 10 | 7 | 15 | 30 | 39 | -9 | 37 | LLLLL | |
| 14 | Deportivo Alavés | 32 | 9 | 8 | 15 | 28 | 38 | -10 | 35 | WLLLW | |
| 15 | Rayo Vallecano | 32 | 7 | 13 | 12 | 27 | 39 | -12 | 34 | WDDWL | |
| 16 | Mallorca | 32 | 6 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 38 | -12 | 31 | LLDWL | |
| 17 | Celta de Vigo | 32 | 7 | 10 | 15 | 37 | 47 | -10 | 31 | WLDWL | |
| 18 | Cádiz | 32 | 4 | 13 | 15 | 22 | 45 | -23 | 25 | LLWLW | |
| 19 | Granada | 32 | 3 | 9 | 20 | 33 | 61 | -28 | 18 | DWLLL | |
| 20 | Almería | 32 | 1 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 64 | -33 | 14 | LDLWD |
Top games to watch on Matchday 15 in La Liga
Villarreal vs Barcelona: Saturday will see Xavi take to the field for the second time in La Liga as Barcelona manager. His debut game saw him register a 1-0 victory over Espanyol, but this weekend's fixture will be a truly tricky test as the Blaugrana will visit none other than Villarreal. Emery's men have been rather inconsistent, but in Europe, the Yellow Submarine have produced some eye-catching performances regardless of the result. The Catalan giants, meanwhile, enter this tie on the back of the 0-0 draw with Benfica and will be keen on swiftly returning to winning ways.
Espanyol vs Real Sociedad: Speaking of returning to winning ways, Real Sociedad will also be adamant on avoiding back-to-back slip-ups, with La Real drawing 0-0 with Valencia in the Spanish top-flight last time out. That stalemate unfortunately saw them surrender the no.1 spot to Real Madrid, with Isak and Co. now trailing Los Blancos by a point. Fortunately for them, Ancelotti's side will be in for a tough fixture this weekend, meaning Real Sociedad boast the golden opportunity of immediately wrestling back the lead from Real Madrid. However, they must first beat Espanyol, who sit in 11th in the table.
Real Madrid vs Sevilla: All eyes will be on this game as first-placed Real Madrid gear up to host third-placed Sevilla. The league's best attack hosts the league's second-best defense as Los Blancos look to continue their excellent run in the Spanish top-flight. Ancelotti's men are currently on a five-game unbeaten run, with a 0-0 draw against Osasuna being its only stain. The visitors, on the other hand, head into this tie on the back of a 2-2 draw with Deportivo Alaves, their second slip-up in their last five outings. Can Lopetegui's side beat the league leaders at the Bermabeu this weekend? Tune in to find out.
Who's in and who's out?
Here are the list of players ruled out for the upcoming round from La Liga's top clubs:
Barcelona: Ansu Fati, Pedri, Dani Alves, and Sergio Aguero (out); Ronald Araujo (doubtful)
Villarreal: Gerard Moreno
Real Madrid: Gareth Bale & Daniel Ceballos (injured); Eden Hazard & Federico Valverde (doubtful)
Atletico Madrid: Kieran Trippier (out); Joao Felix (doubtful)
