La Liga tighter than ever
There is no doubt that it was a great weekend for Barça and their aspirations to claim the La Liga title. Coming out onto the field at the Sánchez-Pizjuán on Sunday, Hansi Flick's knew that Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid had both dropped points after the city derby ended in a 1-1 draw on Saturday in the Santiago Bernabéu. A victory against Sevilla would see the blaugranes right back in the title race and the three points were claimed in emphatic fashion.
Two points separating the top three
With their disappointing run of results in the league at the end of 2024 now just a distant memory, Barça have slashed the advantage of the top two in the table in recent weeks. After 23 games Real Madrid still lead with 50 points and Atlético are still in second on 49 but the difference is that now Hansi Flick's team are hot on their heels just a point back on 48.
Tightest league battle for a while
At this point in the season the league title race is the closest it has been in the last 11 seasons. Also, let's not forget that Athletic Club de Bilbao are just six points off the top in fourth place on 44 points. It is some 18 seasons since the top four were so close after 23 games in La Liga.
Direct meetings could be key
All this points to a 2024/25 league season which could be decided in the final stretch of the campaign. Barça still have games to come against both Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid. Hansi Flick's team have to travel to the Metropolitano to take on Diego Simeone's side on the weekend of the 15/16 March, whilst Real Madrid come to Barcelona on the weekend 10/11 May. There is still a long way to go in the fight for La Liga but those two contests could well turn out to be key.
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