Quietly, LaLiga is back to being the most entertaining league in world football, with the possible exception of Serie A, as there is another heated three-way title race with an entirely wide open battle for European places and an intriguing relegation battle.
It is difficult to separate any of the teams in competition with each other, and there is plenty of superstar power in this league with the likes of Lamine Yamal, Vinicius Junior, Antoine Griezmann, Robert Lewandowski, and Luka Modric bridging generations and providing highlight-reel plays on a weekly basis.
After 17 Matchdays and more dropped points for both Real Madrid and Barcelona, let’s take a look at the latest predicted LaLiga table with a surprise twist at the top.
20. Valencia
19. Real Valladolid
18. Espanyol
17. Deportivo Alaves
16. Getafe
15. Leganes
The relegation battle is incredibly difficult to predict, and although Valencia have two games in hand due to the tragic flooding, it is hard not to keep them as the last team in LaLiga after they outright lost on Friday night to the next-worst team in the league, Real Valladolid.
Leganes and Getafe both had positive showings this past weekend, with Getafe pushing Atletico Madrid to their limit and Leganes stealing three points away from the Blaugrana with a dogged defensive display.
14. Las Palmas
13. Celta Vigo
12. Rayo Vallecano
11. Sevilla
10. Girona
The middle of the pack is even more intriguing than the relegation battle, because any of these teams is capable of catching fire in the second half of the season and making a real push for European football.
Girona seemed like that side for a bit, but after being humbled 3-0 by Real Madrid the previous weekend and then falling 2-1 to Mallorca, it looks like they will keep hovering around 10th without much star power after the departures of Savinho and Artem Dovbyk.
Then there is Rayo, who just brought the fireworks against Real Madrid in a 3-3 draw. Sevilla have recovered well from a poor start to the season to threaten entry into the top half of the table, but we’ll know more about where they truly stand when they face the Real Madrid test next weekend.
9. Osasuna
8. Mallorca
7. Villarreal
6. Real Sociedad
5. Real Betis
4. Athletic Club
There is so much to love about the battle for European places in the top half of the table. When it comes to the final Champions League slot after the title contenders, Athletic Club are the clear favorites with a good mix of attacking stars like the Williams’ brothers and a steady defense that is one of the league’s best with just 16 goals allowed in 18 games. Plus, they beat Real Madrid head-to-head, 2-1.
Real Betis, Real Sociedad, and Villarreal all feel interchangeably good as the likely Europa League and Conference League teams, but it is actually Betis who are ninth and Mallorca fifth after Mallorca’s big win over Girona.
But Betis just took down Villarreal 2-1 despite having 10 men, and despite a summer transfer window of departures, they are still one of the best teams in the league on paper, especially with an elite playmaker axis of Isco and a returning Giovani Lo Celso.
Real Sociedad are difficult to trust but much-improved after a rough start to the season, and while their defense is not what it was last season, they still have enough star power in the midfield and attack among Mikel Oyarzabal, Takefusa Kubo, Brais Mendez, and Martin Zubimendi.
3. Real Madrid
Real Madrid are in a dead heat with Barcelona but are actually ahead in the table if they get a win with their game in hand. The problem is that Atletico Madrid also have a game in hand and are ahead of Real by a point, owing to their more consistent results with just one loss (a league low) this season.
But more on Atleti later. Real Madrid clearly have an issue wherein they are too reliant on Vinicius Junior to create chances and start attacks, with the auxiliary pieces on the team failing to consistently pick up the slack on the wings if he is not available.
The defensive crisis in Madrid is real, too, as the club were lucky to get the results they did against Atalanta and Rayo Vallecano. Puzzlingly, Carlo Ancelotti has eschewed his best center back, youngster Raul Asencio, for Aurelien Tchouameni, a defensive midfielder who struggles to play the position against top teams – and wasn’t even playing well at his regular position prior to that.
Real Madrid have the most potential to improve in the second half of the season, but unless they land tangible pieces in defense during the transfer window, they are too hard to trust as the champions this season.
2. Barcelona
Barcelona have won just two LaLiga matches since the start of November – a rivalry encounter with Espanyol and a 5-1 blowout win over a quality side in Mallorca.
They have, however, lost to Real Sociedad, Las Palmas, and now lowly Leganes while dropping points with tough draws against Celta Vigo and Real Betis. It isn’t quite a crisis for new manager Hansi Flick, but the honeymoon period has fully worn off for the league leaders after a woeful display against Leganes.
Barcelona cannot write it off as missing LamineYamal either, as the teenage phenom was available and starting for the Blaugrana. On paper, Barcelona have the most talented and balanced squad in the league, but it may be too soon in the Flick rebuild to win the title.
1. Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid may seem like a pick out of left field, but they have the fewest losses in LaLiga and have been far more consistent than Real Madrid and Barcelona this season.
Whereas their two more hyped title rivals have the attacking firepower, Atleti have the ability to grind out the tough results that a champion should, which was the case for Barcelona in the 2022/23 season and Real Madrid in 2023/24.
Now, that distinction belongs to the Rojiblancos. After a bumpy October, Atletico Madrid have rather sneakily won a whopping 11 games in a row in all competitions, including a few games in which they scored three goals.
It looks like a strong summer of investment with the likes of Julian Alvarez and Robin Le Normand coming in has paid off, and with Giuliano Simeone, Atleti now have a young attacking X-Factor to add to the playmaking axis of Griezmann and Alvarez with Angel Correa and Alexnder Sorloth supplementing goals,
Atleti have a balanced, experienced squad with a mix of rugged defenders, box-to-box midfielders, and high-flying attackers under the banner of one of the best managers in the world. Like in 2020/21, this could very well be another year in which Atleti swoop in and steal away the title when it’s down to the wire.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.