The Euro Preview: La Liga’s tight title race already one for the ages

The La Liga race features seven teams within striking distance of leaders Sevilla. Will this be the best season in the history of Spain’s top-flight?

La Liga

It was Italy last season that featured a tight title race between Juventus and Napoli that lasted almost until the final matchday. After 13 matches (with one-third of the season completed), it’s Spain’s turn to feature the tightest title race of Europe’s five major domestic leagues.

Surprise side Sevilla leapfrogged both defending league champions Barcelona and Atletico Madrid last weekend to go top of the table after defeating Real Valladolid 1-0. It was Andre Silva’s eighth league goal and a shutout by standout goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik that pushed the Andalusian club to the top, while Barcelona and Atletico drew 1-1 in Madrid.

The close title race is reminiscent of the 1991-92 season when Barcelona, led by Hristo Stoichkov and Ronaldo Koeman, won the league with 55 points, a point ahead of Real Madrid and two more than Atletico Madrid.

Sevilla have won the league title just once, back in the 1945-46 season. In his column in the Spanish sports daily AS, Alfredo Relano noted that Sevilla are “a club that has been doing things well for years, being successful with the goalkeeper [Vaclik] and a goalscorer [Andre Silva]. If they can sit in front of the others after this number of games, they have every right to dream.”

Sevilla’s recent success comes as manager Pablo Machin said he backs the club’s plan to complete the outright purchase of Andre Silva from AC Milan.

“There is a purchase option in his contract with a stipulated amount and other people have to assess if it is acceptable,” Machin told reporters. “If they ask for my opinion I would recommend that we buy him, but he is the one who is going to decide things with his performance, and not the manager or the club.”

Sevilla play Sunday at fourth-place Alaves, while Barcelona are at home the same day against Villareal. Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, also play on the road Sunday against Girona.

In the battle between fallen clubs, Real Madrid host Valencia on Saturday at the Santiago Bernabeu. Real and Valencia are currently sixth and 10th, respectively.

Serie A

Unlike last season, the title race in Italy isn’t close this time. Defending champions Juventus entered another busy week of Champions League action having opened up an eight-point lead on Napoli after the Partenopei could only manage a scoreless draw last Sunday against last-place Chievo Verona.

Juve, coming off a 2-0 victory last weekend against Spal, play Saturday at 10th-place Fiorentina looking to open up an even bigger lead, while Napoli travel north to the city of Bergamo to take on ninth-place Atalanta. Both games are tricky for Juventus and Napoli, although the Bianconeri have a larger cushion should Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates be limited to a draw.

“There are so many games to go until the end of the season, from now until December 29 we have a lot of head-to-head games: Inter, Roma, Fiorentina, Atalanta. Just as in the Champions League, we’ll take it a step at a time, nothing is taken for granted,” Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri told reporters.

Third-place Inter Milan, just a point behind Napoli, have a chance to take over second when they play Sunday against seventh-place Roma at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico.

Bundesliga

Borussia Dortmund are looking to maintain their domination of Germany on Saturday when they host 11th-place SC Freiburg.

While Christian Pulisic has been a key member of Dortmund this season, the club are apparently open to selling him on the transfer market. While Pulisic has been open to a move to the Premier League, BVB are not prepared to budge on their demands. If Chelsea were to make a deal in January, Pulisic would not join the club until the summer.

BVB has opened up a four-point lead on Borussia Monchengladbach, who take on fourth-place RB Leipzig on Sunday.

In other games to watch this weekend: Bayern Munich, currently stuck in fifth place, play on the road Saturday against seventh-place Werder Bremen. Third-place Eintracht Frankfurt play at home Sunday against ninth-place Wolfsburg.