La Liga, week sixteen

La Liga at week sixteen saw the usual suspects in their respective table seats.

Competition started on Friday with Sevilla being held at home 0-0 by Levante. Then, on Saturday, Athletic Bibao suffered the same fate with visiting Real Sociedad. In a surprise result, host Eibar edged Valencia 2-1 and true to form Atletico Madrid prevailed at home 1-0 against Alaves.

On Sunday, Real Madrid’s match with Leganes was postponed so that the Merengues could win their back-to-back FIFA Club World Cup, 1-0 over Gremio of Brazil. Girona won 1-0 at home to Getafe, Celta Vigo lost 0-1 at home to Villarreal, Las Palmas drew with visiting Espanyol 2-2, and Barcelona defeated visiting Deportivo 4-0. As of this writing the final match of the sixteenth week, Malaga at home against Betis, had yet to be played.

At weekend’s conclusion none of the top spots were at risk of changing due to the unplayed match. Barcelona remained on top with 42 points, followed by Atletico Madrid (36), Valencia (34), Real Madrid, with a game in hand at 31, and Sevilla (29), Villarreal (24), and the continuously surprising Girona (23) in seventh.

The top scorers were Barcelona’s Lionel Messi at 14, Valencia’s Simone Zaza at 10, and at nine goals apiece Celta Vigo’s Iago Aspas, Barcelona’s Luis Suarez, Girona’s Cristhian Stuani, and Villarreal’s Cedric Bakambu.

This coming Saturday, December 23, 2017 (at 7:00 AM EST), will be the first Clasico of the season as Barcelona travel to the Santiago Bernabeu to play hosts Real Madrid in what could become the season-defining match of the 2017-18 La Liga year.