La Liga: The Battle for 4th Place

It is that time of year when the UEFA Champions League reaches its zenith. And teams start calculating their own chances of making it to the next League Playoffs. La Liga is no different, with the top 3 positions expected to be taken up by the trio of Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid. However, this has opened up a Pandora’s Box with 4 teams – Athletic Bilbao (36 pts), Villarreal (34 pts), Real Sociedad (32 pts) and Sevilla (30 pts), vying for that elusive 4th spot that will see them through to Champions League Playoffs.
At 36 points, Athletic Bilbao leads the pack of 4. In the last couple of matches, Bilbao has been in scintillating form against

Betis and Almeria scoring 2 and 6 respectively and conceding just 1 against Almeria. However, their defense continues to be a concern at times, losing 0 – 1 and 0 – 2 to Betis and Sociedad respectively in Copa Del Rey. Despite their wavering performance, they remain the only team to have defeated Barcelona and are brimming with confidence every successive match. With upcoming matches against Valladoid and Osasuna, Bilbao’s lone challenge Real Madrid, who are looking stronger as they progress in La Liga.

Villarreal, at 34 points continues to pose a potent threat to Bilbao’s quest for Champions league seat. However, they have been inconsistent in their performance, losing to Sevilla and Barcelona despite having an excellent Goal Difference record due to superior scoring and defense tactics. Villarreal’s redemption came when they managed to defeat Sociedad 5 – 1 convincingly, post their draw with Malaga and their defeats in Copa Del Ray. Strikers Uche and Santos have consistently scored for their teams, netting 4 goals between them against Sociedad.

Elsewhere, Sociedad continue to be plagued by inconsistencies as they lost to Villarreal in Primiera and winning in Copa Del Rey. Sociedad, who concluded their previous La Liga season at 4th place find themselves at the bottom of Group A in Champions League Playoffs, losing all but one match to ManU. Sociedad has largely been dependent on their 2 strikers – Griezmann and Carlos Vela, who have been in scintillating form, netting 15 and 12 this season. With upcoming matches being pretty easy with exception of Atletico, Sociedad can be expected to make the best of the situation.

Sevilla come into a match against Atletico with a draw against Elche hurting their egos. However, this isn’t the lone pain point. Their defense has been weak and midfield unable to counter offensive moves of opponents, resulting in too many goals being conceded. One the bright side, they have 3 players in top form – Strikers Bacca and Gameiro and Midfielder Rakitic. Rakitic has been the Sevilla’s key player, now courted by PSG coach Laurent Blanc.

The competition for 4th spot is heating up and there’s very little to choose between the sides. However, Bilbao and Villarreal continue to be better prepared for the challenge to claim the last spot at Champions League Playoffs.