A guide to La Liga’s return: Teams, players and storylines to watch

La Liga is set to return this week with a number of great players and storylines to watch over the final 11 matches. 

After a three-month hiatus due to the global coronavirus pandemic, the 2019-20 La Liga season is set to resume this week, with Sevilla hosting Real Betis in the Seville Derby on Thursday. There is a lot to be resumed, with Barcelona and Real Madrid contesting the tightest title race Spain has seen in a number of years.

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Atletico Madrid have work to do to claw their way back into the top four with Sevilla, Real Sociedad and Getafe all better placed to qualify for next season’s Champions League. Then there’s the scrap at the bottom, with Espanyol, Leganes and Real Mallorca all still capable of pulling themselves away from danger.

League Table Table

Rk	Squad	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GDiff	Pts
1	Barcelona	27	18	4	5	63	31	+32	58
2	Real Madrid	27	16	8	3	49	19	+30	56
3	Sevilla	27	13	8	6	39	29	+10	47
4	Real Sociedad	27	14	4	9	45	33	+12	46
5	Getafe	27	13	7	7	37	25	+12	46
6	Atlético Madrid	27	11	12	4	31	21	+10	45
7	Valencia	27	11	9	7	38	39	-1	42
8	Villarreal	27	11	5	11	44	38	+6	38
9	Granada	27	11	5	11	33	32	+1	38
10	Athletic Club	27	9	10	8	29	23	+6	37
11	Osasuna	27	8	10	9	34	38	-4	34
12	Betis	27	8	9	10	38	43	-5	33
13	Levante	27	10	3	14	32	40	-8	33
14	Alavés	27	8	8	11	29	37	-8	32
15	Valladolid	27	6	11	10	23	33	-10	29
16	Eibar	27	7	6	14	27	41	-14	27
17	Celta Vigo	27	5	11	11	22	34	-12	26
18	Mallorca	27	7	4	16	28	44	-16	25
19	Leganés	27	5	8	14	21	39	-18	23
20	Espanyol	27	4	8	15	23	46	-23	20

Provided by FBref.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/8/2020.

Here are some things to look out for over the remainder of the 2019-20 La Liga season.

La Liga teams to watch

Real Sociedad — There quite simply hasn’t been a more entertaining, exhilarating team to watch in Spain’s top flight this season than Real Sociedad. Martin Odegaard has been one of the best players in La Liga, but Aleksander Isak has also caught the eye with Mikel Oyarzabal underlining his status as one of Spain’s best young players. Imanol Alguacil has built La Liga’s most dynamic outfit and they are on course for a top-four finish.

Getafe — If it’s pure entertainment you’re looking for, Getafe probably aren’t the team for you. Jose Bordalas has built a physical, conservative site that likes to grind out results, but they have backed up their success of last season with yet another hugely impressive campaign which could see them go one better than 2018-19 by qualifying for the Champions League. There’s a lot to be admired about Getafe even if their matches aren’t always the best spectacles.

Real Betis — La Liga will get the ball rolling again with a Seville Derby on Thursday and Real Betis will once again get the opportunity to prove themselves as big game specialists. Rubi’s side have desperately lacked consistency this season, but they did beat Real Madrid in their final game before lockdown and came close to matching Barcelona not long before that. Betis are certainly worth a watch, especially when the spotlight is on them.

La Liga players to watch

Martin Odegaard — Written off before he’d even turned 18, Odegaard has revelled in proving his doubters wrong for Real Sociedad this season. The Norwegian looks to be the natural heir to Luka Modric, leading many to suggest Real Madrid could recall him to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer. La Real hope they can keep Odegaard for a second year. So much of their team is built around him.

Nabil Fekir — His transfer to Real Betis from Lyon last summer was one of the most surprising in all of Europe. Nabil Fekir is an elite-level player, but he has shown why the game’s elite have shunned him this season, struggling for consistency over the course of the campaign. At his best, though, there are few better than the Frenchman, notching seven goals and three assists in La Liga.

Eden Hazard — The former Chelsea man has struggled since signing for Real Madrid last summer, but there’s still a sense that Eden Hazard could have a decisive say in the Spanish title race. The Belgian is fit again after another injury and might just give Zinedine Zidane’s side the edge over Barcelona over the next few weeks.

La Liga storyline to watch

Who will edge the tightest La Liga title race in years?

Last season, Barcelona won La Liga by 11 points. The season before that, by 14 points. It’s been some time since La Liga witnessed a true title race, but that’s what it has got this season, with just two points separating the defending champions and Real Madrid as the 2019-20 season gets under way again (though Madrid own the head-to-head tiebreaker should they end tied on points).

But this race hasn’t been so much a sprint to the finish. Instead, Barca and Real Madrid have tripped over each other with almost every step. For example, Real Madrid looked to have taken the initiative with their Clasico win over their rivals at the start of March only to suffer defeat to Real Betis in the following match and allow the Catalans to reclaim top spot.

From this vulnerability, though, has come a certain fascination. In Barcelona and Real Madrid’s respective weakness there is undeniable intrigue. This has been the most unpredictable La Liga season in a generation and this has been reflected by the contest taking place at the top of the standings.