La Liga Matchweek 12 Review

Match Results, Standings, Best Players and Prediction for Next Round

Match Results

• Deportivo Alavés 1-0 Rcd Mallorca

• Ca Osasuna 1-0 Real Valladolid Cf

• Girona Fc 4-3 Cd Leganés

• Atlético De Madrid 2-0 Ud Las Palmas

• Fc Barcelona 3-1 Rcd Espanyol De Barcelona

• Sevilla Fc 0-2 Real Sociedad

• Athletic Club 1-1 Real Betis

• Rc Celta 1-0 Getafe Cf

• Villarreal CF vs Rayo Vallecano (post)

• Valencia CF vs Real Madrid(post)

La Liga Standings and Changes

• Up: Atlético De Madrid(4 to 3), CA Osasuna(8 to 5), RC Celta(11 to 10), Real Sociedad(12 to 11), Girona FC(13 to 12), Deportivo Alavés(16 to 14)

• Down: Villarreal CF(3 to 4), Athletic Club(5 to 6), Real Betis(6 to 7), RCD Mallorca(7 to 8), Sevilla FC(10 to 13), CD Leganés(14 to 15), Getafe CF(15 to 16)

• No Change: FC Barcelona(1), Real Madrid(2), Rayo Vallecano(9), RCD Espanyol De Barcelona(17), Ud Las Palmas(18), Real Valladolid CF(19), Valencia CF(20)

After round 12 of La Liga, Barcelona and Real Madrid remain in first and second place. Seven teams dropped in the rankings, with Sevilla FC falling the most, from 10th to 13th. Six teams improved their positions, and the team with the biggest rise was CA Osasuna, moving up from 8th to 5th.

Currently, the top 4 teams are FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético De Madrid, and Villarreal CF. These teams have secured spots to play in the Champions League.

Clean Sheets

Clean Sheets are often indicative of both teams’ offensive and defensive abilities. It could be that the offence is too weak or the defence is too strong. Let’s take a look at which clubs achieved zero shutouts in the 12th round of La Liga matches.

Deportivo Alavés 1-0 RCD Mallorca

The match ended 1-0 with Jon Guridi scoring the only goal of the game for Deportivo Alavés in the 76th minute. In the first half, both teams struggled to find their rhythm in attack. The match went into the break at 0-0.

After the restart, Tenaglia had a long-range shot, but Roman easily saved it. Soon after, Cyle Larin headed a Dani Rodríguez free-kick, but it went wide.

In the 76th minute, Guridi took advantage of a loose ball in the box and scored from close range to give the home team the lead.

CA Osasuna 1-0 Real Valladolid CF

Osasuna kept pressing for a goal throughout the match, but shots from Enzo Boyomo, Bryan Zaragoza, and others were blocked. They couldn’t find the net until the 19th minute when Ante Budimir scored a penalty, placing the ball into the bottom left corner to give Osasuna the lead. Despite more attacking efforts, Osasuna could not extend their lead.

Real Valladolid CF struggled to create chances and was unable to find an equalizer.

The match ended with CA Osasuna winning 1-0.

Atlético de Madrid 2-0 UD Las Palmas

At the beginning of the match, both teams had some attacking chances, but neither could break the deadlock.

In the 26th minute, Giuliano Simeone scored the first goal after a quick counter-attack. He received a long ball from Nahuel Molina, got past Las Palmas defender Álex Muñoz, and with a header, set up a left-foot shot into the net to give Atlético de Madrid a 1-0 lead.

In the second half, in the 80th minute, Rodrigo de Paul made a perfect through ball to Alexander Sorloth, who dribbled forward and scored with a low shot to seal the win for Atlético.

Atlético de Madrid showed excellent attacking and defensive transitions. Las Palmas struggled both offensively and defensively, and the result stayed the same.

Sevilla FC 0-2 Real Sociedad

Real Sociedad won 2-0 away, keeping a clean sheet against Sevilla FC.

In the 30th minute, Japanese winger Kubo picked up the ball on the right, dribbled past several defenders, and scored with a right-foot shot to put Real Sociedad 1-0 up.

In the 65th minute, Marcao fouled Zubimendi in the box, and Oyarzabal successfully converted the penalty to make it 2-0, sealing the victory for the away team.

Sevilla FC tried to adjust tactics and make changes throughout the match, but nothing worked. In the first half, Idumbo had to be substituted due to a muscle injury, which affected the team. In the second half, Sevilla made several substitutions, including Sow and Isra, and later Iheanacho and Peque, but they couldn’t find a way to score. The match ended 2-0 in Real Sociedad’s favor.

RC Celta 1-0 Getafe CF

The match started with Iago Aspas delivering a brilliant cross from the right, which Anastasios Douvikas headed in to give Celta Vigo a 1-0 lead early on.

Celta Vigo kept pressing for more goals, but Getafe’s defense held firm. Oscar Mingueza almost created a chance with a long ball but missed the target.

In the second half, Getafe tried to push forward but couldn’t break Celta Vigo’s defense.

Celta Vigo won the match with Douvikas’ goal, moving back into the middle of the table and just 3 points off the European spots. Getafe, on the other hand, ended their four-match unbeaten run and remain in 16th place, just 1 point above the relegation zone.

Postponed Matches

In La Liga’s 12th round, there were two more matches originally scheduled: Villarreal CF vs Rayo Vallecano and Valencia CF vs Real Madrid. However, due to recent flooding in Spain, these two matches have been postponed. The new dates for these matches are yet to be determined.

The RFEF’s Statement:

“Given the current situation suffered in Spain by the DANA that has caused numerous victims and victims, with special affection in the Valencian Community, the RFEF has received, by La Liga and at the request of the clubs, the postponement of the matches of the 12th day of La Liga and the 13th day of the Spanish second tier that were to be played in the Valencian Community during this weekend: Villarreal CF-Rayo Vallecano, Valencia CF-Real Madrid, CD Castellon-RC Ferrol, CD Eldense-SD Huesca and Levante UD-Malaga CF……”

Several players have already expressed support for the suspension, saying, “Winning the game doesn’t matter,” “Even if we win, there will be no celebration,” and “In the face of disaster, football doesn’t matter.”

At the moment, apart from the postponement of Villarreal CF vs Rayo Vallecano and Valencia CF vs Real Madrid, other matches appear unaffected and will be played as scheduled.

Notable Players in La Liga Matchweek 12

Robert Lewandowski – Player of the Month in La Liga for October

Lewandowski scored a hat-trick against Alavés, two goals against Sevilla, and two more in the El Clásico against Real Madrid, bringing his total to an impressive 7 goals in October.

Pedri – Best U-23 Player

Pedri won the Best U-23 Player award. He scored a goal in the 5-1 win over Sevilla. Although he didn’t score or assist in the 0-4 loss to Madrid, he was one of Barcelona’s best players. His passing accuracy was 91%, and he was the most involved Barcelona player in the match with 71 interventions.

Luka Sučić – Best Goal

Luka Sučić of Real Sociedad won the Best Goal award for his strike against Atlético Madrid.

Jan Oblak – Best Save

Jan Oblak of Atlético Madrid won the Best Save award for his outstanding performance in the same match.

Prediction for the Next Round

Currently, Barcelona (33 points) holds a significant lead over second-placed Real Madrid (24 points), with nearly a 10-point gap between them. For Real Madrid to overtake Barcelona and take the top spot, they would need to win four consecutive matches (or win three and draw one), while Barcelona would need to lose all of their next four matches.

As things stand, it seems unlikely that Real Madrid will clinch the title in the immediate future. Additionally, they are in a precarious position. Atlético Madrid, who are just one point behind, could leapfrog Real Madrid into second place if they win their next match, and Real Madrid either loses or draws. This also applies to Villarreal CF and CA Osasuna, who are closely trailing Real Madrid.

As for the bottom three teams—UD Las Palmas, Real Valladolid CF, and Valencia CF—they will need to fight hard in the upcoming matches. Without significant improvement, they risk dropping out of La Liga.