Barca look to consolidate stronghold in La Liga

WINDHOEK, JAN 10 – Round 19 of the 2018/19 La Liga season will see Barcelona looking to consolidate their strong hold on first place, while Real Madrid need a win to ease the growing pressure on manager Santiago Solari.

FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi (R) vies for the ball with RCD Espanyol’s Sergi Darder during the Spanish Primera Division match between Espanyol Barcelona and FC Barcelona at the RCDE stadium in Barcelona, Spain, 04 February 2018. EPA/ALBERTO ESTEVEZ

Barca enjoy a five-point advantage at the top of the log after taking full advantage of a draw between nearest chasers Atletico Madrid and Sevilla last weekend. The Catalans are expected to ease to another three-point haul when they host Eibar on Sunday evening and the exceptional form of Lionel Messi (who has netted seven goals in his last four Liga matches and tops the scoring charts with 16 strikes this season) gives them confidence that they will rack up a ninth straight league win over the Basque side.

FC Barcelona’s Argentinian striker Leo Messi (R) vies for the ball with Levante’s Sergio Postigo (C) during their Spanish Primera Division league match at Camp Nou stadium, in Barcelona, Spain, 07 January 2018. FC Barcelona won 3-0. EPA/MARTA PEREZ

Real Madrid, meanwhile, face a must-win clash away to Real Betis at Estadio Benito Villamarin in the late kick-off on Sunday. Los Blancos have picked up just one point from two matches in 2019 and find themselves a full 10 points off the pace of Barcelona. Challenging their great rivals for the title now seems an impossibility, but even securing UEFA Champions League football for next season appears to be a tough task, with Solari’s side placed outside the top four heading into the weekend.

Betis opened their work in the New Year with a disappointing loss away to bottom-of-the-log Huesca, but the Verdiblancos will be fired up for the visit of the heavyweights and determined to close the four-point gap between the teams.

Sevilla’s Colombian forward Luis Muriel (R) in action against Girona’s Jonas Ramalho (L) during the Spanish Primera Division soccer match between Sevilla FC and Girona FC at Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Seville, Spain, 11 February 2018. EPA/JULIO MUNOZ

Elsewhere, struggling Athletic Bilbao will host high-flying Sevilla at San Mames Barria. The visitors are on the fringes of the title race (though it’s hard to see them closing a seven-point gap to the top) and will need to come away from Bilbao with a positive result – anything less and they may well be overhauled by Deportivo Alaves, who will back themselves to win away to a Girona side which has failed to secure victory in any of their last four league outings.

Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann (C) in action against Alaves’ goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco (L) and Guillermo Maripan (R) during the Spanish Primera Division soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Deportivo Alaves at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, Spain, 16 December 2017. EPA/RODRIGO JIMENEZ

Second-placed Atletico Madrid would have been bitterly disappointed to fall five points behind Barcelona, but they could narrow the gap to just two points when they play the early game on Sunday. Diego Simeone’s team are at home to Levante (also winless in their last four league games) and hopeful of repeating the 3-0 win they claimed when the teams last met back in April 2018.

Key match stats
Real Betis v Real Madrid – Head-to-head, all competitions
Matches played 44
Betis wins 8
Madrid wins 23
Draws 13

Barcelona v Eibar – Head-to-head, all competitions
Matches played 8
Barcelona wins 8
Eibar wins 0
Draws 0

Athletic Bilbao v Sevilla – Head-to-head, all competitions
Matches played 48
Bilbao wins 14
Sevilla wins 23
Draws 11

La Liga fixtures, 11-14 January
All times CAT
Friday 11 January
22:00: Rayo Vallecano v Celta de Vigo
Saturday 12 January
14:00: Leganes v Huesca
17:15: Valencia v Real Valladolid
19:30: Girona v Deportivo Alaves
21:45: Villarreal v Getafe
Sunday 13 January
13:00: Atletico Madrid v Levante
17:15: Athletic Bilbao v Sevilla
19:30: Barcelona v Eibar
21:45: Real Betis v Real Madrid
Monday 14 January
22:00: Real Sociedad v Espanyol

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