The 2019-20 La Liga season will resume with the Seville derby between Sevilla and Real Betis on June 11.
There has not been a fixture in Spain's top flight for more than three months due to the coronavirus outbreak, which halted the majority of football across the globe. La Liga will restart on Thursday evening, though, and all 20 sides will have played by the end of Sunday.
Barcelona have had their problems this season - losing five of their 27 matches - but the reigning champions are currently at the top of the table ahead of the upcoming fixtures.
Real Madrid are far from out of the argument, though, with Zinedine Zidane's side just two points behind in second, having picked up 56 points from their 27 games during the 2019-20 campaign.
© Reuters
Los Blancos have actually only lost three times in Spain's top flight this season, while the capital giants also have the best defensive record with just 19 conceded, which is an indication of their credentials as they look to win the trophy for just the second time since 2012.
Lionel Messi has again been Barca's star player despite some injury problems, leading the goalscoring charts in Spain's top flight with 19. Karim Benzema has been Madrid's go-to player in terms of goals, meanwhile, managing 14 in the league to leave him second in the list.
Barca will resume their season with a trip to Mallorca on Saturday night, while Madrid will face Eibar on Sunday evening, and it would be a surprise if both sides did not pick up all three points.
The race for the top four is also fascinating heading into the final straight; Sevilla currently sit third, just one point ahead of Real Sociedad and Getafe in fourth and fifth respectively.
© Reuters
Atletico Madrid are actually sixth in the table as things stand, two points off third-placed Sevilla, while Valencia are just three points behind Diego Simeone's side in seventh, which is an indication of how quickly things could change if a team manages to put together a strong run, or indeed cannot get to grips with the new system of behind-closed-doors matches, which Schalke 04 have struggled with in the Bundesliga.
Atletico have actually only won 11 of their 27 league matches this season, while they have only scored 31 goals, which is just the 12th-best record in the league. Simeone's side will still fancy their chances of finishing in the top four, although Sociedad and Getafe have both enjoyed strong campaigns thus far and will be determined to continue where they left off.
Villarreal face a battle to make the top six as they are currently seven points off the final Europa League position, while Granada, Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna are hovering around mid-table.
Betis, who open against Sevilla, are 12th, followed by Levante and Deportivo Alaves, who are in fairly strong positions when it comes to avoiding relegation to the second tier for the 2020-21 campaign.
© Reuters
Arguably the bottom six are all in trouble when it comes to the threat of relegation, with only four points separating 18th-placed Mallorca from 15th-placed Real Valladolid, all on the same number of matches.
Espanyol have not played outside of Spain's top flight since the 1993-94 campaign; the Catalan outfit are facing a huge task to avoid relegation this season, though, as they currently sit bottom of the table, having won just four of their 27 league matches this term, picking up just 20 points in the process.
The White and Blues are six points off 17th-placed Celta Vigo, who also struggled to secure their top-flight status last term. Leganes in 19th are just three points from safety, while Mallorca in 18th are only a point off 17th. The battle to remain in the division should be captivating and even Espanyol will feel that they still have enough time to escape the bottom three, starting with a home game against Alaves on Saturday afternoon.
Messi, as mentioned, is favourite to finish at the top of the scoring charts once again, while Levante's Roger Marti, Villarreal's Gerard Moreno and Alaves's Lucas Perez all have 11 goals at this stage.
© Reuters
Luis Suarez has also scored 11 times in the league for Barca this season, and the Uruguay international should be available on Saturday after a lengthy period on the sidelines due to a knee injury.
Lucas Ocampos has also enjoyed a strong season for Sevilla, scoring 10 times in 22 La Liga appearances, and the attacker's form has contributed to Julen Lopetegui's side being on course for their highest finish in Spain's top flight since the 2008-09 campaign, which would be a huge step in the right direction for a club who have only claimed a top-four finish in one of their last nine seasons.
The fight for first, top-four race and relegation battle are all very much open ahead of the league's restart, and it will be fascinating to see what occurs in the coming weeks.
Matt Law
