Key games that will decide the 2024/25 La Liga title race

Barcelona now sit atop La Liga with 82 points, holding a seven-point cushion over second-placed Real Madrid with three games remaining. With the title race nearing its conclusion, Madrid can’t afford any missteps — any dropped points would effectively hand the crown to their arch-rivals.

What once promised a three-horse title chase has narrowed to just two contenders, as Atletico Madrid’s poor run between February and March dashed any lingering championship aspirations.

Atletico and Athletic Bilbao now round out the top four, with the Basque side three points ahead of Villarreal in fifth. Real Betis sit sixth, trailing Villarreal by another three points.

The relegation battle remains intense at the bottom, despite Real Valladolid having already been demoted. Las Palmas occupy 19th place but are only three points adrift of safety. Leganes, in 18th, boosted their survival hopes with a win in their previous outing.

While the drama below the table remains gripping, Football Talk will focus on Barcelona and Madrid’s battle for the top of the table. In this article, we will bring you four key games involving these two teams that could decide the La Liga title.

Espanyol vs Barcelona—Thursday, 15th May

Barcelona are on the verge of sealing the La Liga title following a thrilling 4-3 comeback win over Real Madrid at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. They bounced back emphatically from their dramatic Champions League semi-final exit to Inter Milan.

Despite Kylian Mbappe striking twice early on to give Madrid a two-goal cushion, the hosts turned the game on its head with goals from Eric Garcia and Lamine Yamal before Raphinha added a brace to complete a stunning first-half turnaround. Mbappe completed his hat-trick after the interval to pull one back for Madrid, and although Fermin Lopez thought he had restored Barcelona’s two-goal lead, VAR ruled it out, forcing the Catalan giants to settle for a narrow but significant 4-3 victory.

This win puts them on the brink of their 28th league crown, adding to the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup already secured in Hansi Flick’s debut campaign. Holding a seven-point lead at the summit, Barcelona can clinch the title on Wednesday if Madrid drop points to Mallorca. Otherwise, they’ll need a win against Espanyol on matchday 36 to wrap it up.

Aside from lifting the trophy, Barcelona are also chasing the 100-goal mark in La Liga—currently sitting on 95 from 35 matches. Confidence will be high heading into Thursday’s fixture, having won 14 of their last 15 league games and each of their previous five on the road. Their recent derby record is also formidable—unbeaten in their last 27 La Liga meetings with Espanyol, including a 3-1 win this season courtesy of early strikes from Dani Olmo (2) and Raphinha.

Espanyol, meanwhile, are placed 14th with a record of 10 wins, nine draws and 16 losses. They have endured a poor run since beating Getafe in April, collecting just one point from four games, including three straight defeats to Villarreal, Betis and Leganes.

Still, they remain five points clear of the relegation zone with three fixtures left—against Barcelona, Osasuna and Las Palmas. After a 2-0 loss at Butarque, they’ll be hoping to bounce back at the RCDE Stadium, where they’ve only lost once in their last 11 league outings (W4, D6), though that defeat came in their most recent home match against Betis.

Espanyol will need to summon all their strength from home support as they aim for their first La Liga win over Barcelona since a 2-1 success at Camp Nou in February 2009.

Sevilla vs Real Madrid—Sunday, 18th May

Real Madrid will hope to extend their unbeaten run against Sevilla to 13 games when they travel to Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán in a La Liga match week 37 game on Sunday, 18th May.

Sevilla endured a disappointing 14th-place finish last season—their lowest since relegation in 2000—but this campaign threatens to end even worse. With only 38 points from 35 matches, they sit just four points above 18th-placed Leganes, making relegation a real danger with only three games remaining.

Joaquin Caparros’s team are winless in eight league fixtures, with their most recent setback being a 3-2 defeat to Celta Vigo. Their last win came on March 9 against Real Sociedad. The 1945-46 La Liga champions managed a narrow 1-0 victory over Las Palmas last time, breaking their winless streak. Still, their overall form remains troubling ahead of clashes with Real Madrid and Villarreal to close the season.

With Real Madrid chasing the title, Sevilla’s task becomes even more daunting. Now powered by the in-form Kylian Mbappe, the capital club will relentlessly pursue all three points, knowing that any further slip-ups could cost them the league.

Despite a shaky start to the season and a recent blow in El Clasico, Madrid has responded with four narrow wins following their loss to Valencia. Their final three fixtures—Mallorca, Sevilla, and Real Sociedad—must all be won to keep their title hopes alive.

History strongly favours the visitors, who are unbeaten in their last 12 meetings with Sevilla across all competitions, so supporters with Real Madrid tickets will be in confident mood. Of those, ten have ended in Real Madrid’s favour, including six victories from their previous seven encounters with the Andalusian outfit.

Athletic Club vs Barcelona—Sunday, 25th May

Barcelona will wrap up their 2024-25 La Liga season with a high-stakes encounter against Champions League-chasing Athletic Club on the final matchday.

With three games to go, numerous scenarios are still in play. This closing fixture could decide the title or serve as a celebratory home match if Barcelona manage victories against Espanyol and Villarreal in the preceding rounds.

Athletic, meanwhile, are solely focused on sealing a top-four finish after their hopes of reaching the Europa League final at San Mames were dashed by a heavy aggregate loss to Manchester United. Despite that 7-1 aggregate defeat, they responded positively, securing a 1-0 win over Alaves in Sunday’s Basque derby—thanks to a Manu Sanchez own goal in the 71st minute.

That win took Ernesto Valverde’s side to 64 points from 35 matches, keeping them in fourth place—three ahead of Villarreal and six clear of sixth-placed Real Betis—with fixtures remaining against Getafe, Valencia, and Barcelona.

Though Athletic will fancy their chances against Getafe on Thursday, their away form paints a less confident picture, with only one win in their last seven La Liga away outings (D4, L2). However, they’ll take confidence from last season’s 2-0 win at the Coliseum—powered by an Inaki Williams brace—which marked their first away league victory against Getafe since 2016.

Barcelona’s current campaign has been far from smooth. After a promising start, including a notable win in El Clásico, a poor winter run saw them fall to third. But they rebounded impressively with a nine-game winning streak to return to the top. Though a draw with Real Betis briefly stalled their momentum, they’ve since claimed five straight wins—including a 4-3 El Clasico thriller that might prove decisive in the title race.

Historically, Athletic have struggled against Barcelona in recent years. The Catalans have won seven of their last nine meetings, keeping six clean sheets in that period and dropping points only twice—with one loss and a draw.

Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad—Sunday, 25th May

Real Sociedad will approach their upcoming match against Real Madrid in poor form following a 1-0 loss to Celta Vigo on Tuesday. This result extended their winless streak in La Liga to six games, dropping them to 12th place in the standings.

Despite their struggles, the Txuri-Urdin still have an opportunity to qualify for European football next season. At the time of writing, they are four points behind eighth-placed Rayo Vallecano, who are in the Conference League playoff spots.

The defeat to Celta has widened the gap to seventh place to nine points, dimming their chances of securing a European spot with just two matches remaining.

Sociedad’s season has been disappointing. They have only 12 wins from 36 matches, 17 losses, and a meagre 32 goals scored.

Historically, Madrid have had the upper hand in their encounters with Sociedad, having won more than their share of the 181 meetings between the sides, so fans with Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad tickets will be expecting a home win here.

However, La Real have managed to avoid defeat in 80 of those encounters, claiming 38 victories and 43 draws. Madrid scored 374 goals in this fixture, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Santillana being the top scorers with 15 goals.

In recent league meetings, the Los Blancos have been formidable opponents to the Basque-based outfit, losing just once in their last 11 La Liga games against Real Sociedad (D3, L7).

Carlo Ancelotti’s side have won their previous three encounters, including a 2-0 win in September’s away fixture, with goals from Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe.

That victory marked Madrid’s fourth win in six visits to the Reale Arena. They are unbeaten in their last five home league matches against La Real since a 2-0 loss in January 2019.

Given their recent dominance, it would not be surprising if Madrid continued their strong record in this fixture. This will be the season’s final match in front of a passionate crowd of Madridstas, who might have mixed feelings about the team’s campaign.

These two sides played a dramatic, pulsating game in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final at the Santiago Bernabéu. Madrid had to overturn a two-goal deficit against them to reach the Copa del Rey final after an extra-time header by substitute Antonio Rüdiger secured a barnstorming 4-4 draw on Tuesday for a 5-4 aggregate win.

Ahead of the match against Sociedad, Madrid will aim to maintain momentum by gaining maximum points in their upcoming fixture against Mallorca, setting the stage for a potentially season-defining game. They will also be hoping for Barcelona to drop points, as this match could hold little significance in the title race if the Catalan side remains ahead.