After another busy round of fixtures in Spain, here is a round-up of the league that includes 13 of the shortlist of players to win the Ballon D’or.

The Big Two

No La Liga conversation is complete without reference to Real Madrid and Barcelona, and this is where our review starts. Despite surprise package Levante topping the table for the first few rounds of La Liga, their bubble has now been burst somewhat and all attention is back on the top two. Real, under the Special One are in scintillating form, scoring for fun and managing to keep clean sheets to boot. Both Higuain and Benzema are on fire, giving Mourinho the dilemma of his life when picking his starting striker. Add to this the form of Ronaldo and the resurgence of one Kaka, and the fact that Real can now offer solutions when Xabi Alonso is effectively man marked during games, they are looking more than a match for Barca.

Of course they went into the first Classico and mauling one point ahead of their fierce rivals, so Barca will not be unduly worried. However, one thing that Real have in their locker this season is the ability to grind out a 1 – 0 win – something that was lacking last season during games where teams effectively parked the bus in front of their goal and closed down Alonso. This was shown on the weekend where Sociedad literally played with a back five at the Anoeta, yet Madrid scored early courtesy of Higuain and held on for a hard fought win. Not a vintage Madrid performance but one that shows how far they have come under Mourinho.

Regardless of Los Blancos topping the table by as point, most people’s favourites for the La Liga crown is reigning champions Barcelona, who looked back to their best at the Camp Nou, with Messi making a clear signal to fans and the media with his goal celebration after his hat trick – the prolific striker had failed to score in 3 games yet after being played in his preferred position down the centre not the dreaded wing for the game, with Barca putting a grand total of 5 past a hapless Mallorca.

The Surprise of the season

Most people thought that the team wearing blue and red stripes would be the ones to top la liga throughout the season, and they have been for the past few rounds – yet it was Levante not  Barcelona doing this. Levante have been everyone’s surprise of the season and have looked to be living some sort of footballing fairy tale thus far, before this weekend being unbeaten, even being able to claim a victory over Mourinho’s men at the Ciudad de Valencia.

In players such as Sergio Ballesteros, Valencia have a core of seasoned professionals who offer much more to the team than their average age would suggest, and new coach Martinez settling into life at Levante quicker than anyone could have expected.

However this weekend the bubble was somewhat burst with a 2 – 0 defeat at the hands of Osasuna. Several things were said after the game – Martinez praised his players for their unbeaten run, the media inevitably predicted a rapid slide down the table to mimic that of Espanyol last season and it was noted that due to their small squad who are mostly the wrong side of thirty, a couple of injuries and suspensions will have serious effects on the team from Valencia. Yet should they take the lead, especially at home, Levante are dogged in their defending and whilst they are probably not going to finish in the European places, they should manage to avoid the relegation fight they were involved in last tie round.

The best of the rest

Valencia – after a  slightly slow start, Valencia are picking up pace, and have been fast climbing the table. They now occupy 4^th place after the weekend’s victory and have their eye on the third place that is currently held by local rivals Levante. After losing their three best players – Villa, Silva and Mata over the last couple of seasons, huge amounts of credit has to be given to long-time coach – well for a league famous for waving white handkerchiefs at Managers, being at the helm since 2008 is a long time – Unai Emery, who has weathered all of this and still managed to keep Valencia widely viewed as the ‘best of the rest’.

Sevilla – Currently sitting in 5^th place, there is now a gap opening up between the top four and the rest after a shock victory for Granada at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. In a season full of surprises, this can be put down to a bad day at the office for Sevilla who next up face  a flailing Mallorca side and will expect to bounce back and take all three points.

Atletico Madrid – one side who expect to e doing much better are the second best team in Madrid, Atletico, who fully expect to be sat in the top four. However, after a poor start to the season they sit 10^th, with a sizeable gap between themselves and the champion’s league places. After a good victory against Zaragoza, Atletico will be looking to this as a kick-start to their season.  With few goals scored this season and fan protests calling for Aragonez to return, the pressure on Gregorio Manzano has been alleviated slightly, yet improvements are vital.

Malaga – the Andalucians were the team that, after a huge influx of money then players, not to mention coach Manuel Pellagrini were everyone’s favourites to break into the top four this season. However this, so far, has not come to pass, and Malaga have been struggling, and were so lucky against Espanyol receiving a penalty for a very dubious handball and do not seem to be gelling quite in the way they should be.

The relegation Battle

Getafe sit rock bottom and after a heavy loss last weekend things look no brighter with local rivals Atletico up next. A shock victory for Granada gave them much needed points, yet the newly promoted Andalucians need to improve their form and fast if they don’t want to go straight back down.  The final club to occupy a spot in the bottom 3 is Racing, and the victory by a single goal over Betis cannot be underestimated in importance. Hector Cuper and his team will be looking to now climb the table, starting with the away tie at Granada next round.

Whilst Betis and Rayo have made decent starts, only 4 points separate both these promoted sides from the relegation zones, and they are still in danger and will be looking over their shoulders until a real gap is formed.

Villarreal – after a vital 2 – 0 win over Rayo this weekend, despite the missed penalty from skipper Marcos Senna, the yellow submarines have shot up the table and out of the relegation zone to 13^th.  With an European campaign still to worry about, not to mention keeping their head above the relegation zone, Garrido has his work cut out for him.

The bottom half of the table is so tight, with only 5 points separating rock bottom Getafe and 11^th placed Rayo, so anyone who has a poor run of form or can piece together a run of victories can drastically change their fortunes so early on in the season.

Game of Next round –  Levante v Valencia

3^rd play host to 4^th in a real test of Levante’s credentials. A must see.

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But they went one better, with a goal in the 55th minute from Argentine midfielder Leonardo Ponzio securing three vital points that to move Zaragoza one point behind Deportivo.

Javier Aguirre’s Zaragoza are away to Levante on the last day of the season next Sunday, with Deportivo at home to Valencia.

Getafe are 16th and one point clear of the drop after they won 2-0 at home to Osasuna.

The defeat leaves Osasuna still in trouble at two points outside the bottom three, in 13th place.

Mallorca, in 14th, are another team that could go down on the final day after they lost 3-1 away to relegated Almeria.

Levante managed a point with a 0-0 draw away to third-placed Valencia.

In what makes for a nervy finish to the season, 12th-placed Levante are one of seven teams that could join Almeria and Hercules in the second tier next season.

In other matches, Real Madrid defeated Villarreal 3-1 away from home.

Real’s Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo netted twice in the victory to take his tally to 38 league goals for the season, equalling the all-time Spanish top-flight record.

He is now seven ahead of Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and on course to collect the Pichichi trophy for the La Liga top scorer.

Sevilla could yet secure Europa League qualification after beating Real Sociedad 3-1.

Former Tottenham striker Frederic Kanoute struck twice in the home win for Sevilla, which sees them join sixth-placed Athletic Bilbao and fifth-placed Atletico Madrid on 55 points.

Bilbao drew 1-1 at home to Malaga while Atletico won 2-1 at home to relegated Hercules, with ex-Arsenal forward Jose Antonio Reyes scoring the winner.

Sporting Gijon came from a goal down to beat fellow mid-table side Racing Santander 2-1.

Real have second spot sewn up but they travel to meet fourth-placed Villarreal who need to claim full points if they are to have any chance of catching Valencia and securing automatic Champions League qualification.

Although Jose Mourinho’s team have little to play for but pride, they still want to finish the season with two more wins.

“The coach has asked us to finish the league by winning our games and we will try to do that,” said star striker Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored 36 goals for the season, just two behind the all-time record of 38 set by Athletico Bilbao’s Telmo Zarra in 1951 and Real’s Hugo Sanchez in 1990.

Villarreal are five points behind Valencia and are already guaranteed fourth spot and a place in the qualifiers, which looks like their most likely path to glory with Valencia needing only a point from their home clash with mid-table Levante to be sure of third.

Most of the action centres on the tussle for fifth and sixth place, and the Europa League places that go with them.

Athletic Bilbao are in fifth on 54 points, trailed by Sevilla (52), Atletico Madrid (52) while Espanyol (49) are also still in the mix.

Espanyol travel to Real Zaragoza, who need a win to escape the bottom three, while Bilbao will be looking to rebound from their 2-1 loss at Deportivo on Tuesday.

Atletico have the easiest match of all four Europa League contenders, taking on the already-relegated Hercules at home.

Getafe are just one point outside the drop zone, but will have to beat an Osasuna side who are riding a hot streak of form.

Osasuna have picked up three big wins in succession – posting a 1-0 win over Valencia on May 1 before thrashing Zaragoza 3-1 a week later and then coming from 2-0 down to beat Sevilla on Wednesday.

Sporting Gijon are still an outside chance to go down, and they play host to Racing Santander, while only pride will be on the line when Almeria – who are already relegated – tackle mid-table Mallorca.

Athletic Bilbao – who could have all-but stitched up a Europa League spot with victory – took a third-minute lead when striker Gaizka Toquero finished crisply past former team-mate Daniel Aranzubia in the Deportivo goal.

But led by playmaker Juan Carlos Valeron, Deportivo found a way back into the match on 22 minutes when Adrian Lopez’s shot was deflected into his own net by Athletic midfielder Carlos Gurpegi.

Fernando Llorente hit the crossbar with a trademark header shortly before half-time, while the two sides traded efforts when the second half got underway.

But Deportivo was to claim all three points when Athletic defender Castillo only succeeded in sliding an Adrian cross past goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz as he attempted to clear.

The win puts Deportivo three points above the relegation zone with two games of the season remaining.

Elsewhere, Cristiano Ronaldo took his goal tally in all competitions this season to 49 courtesy of another hat-trick – this time in a 4-0 win over struggling Getafe at the Bernabeu.

Ronaldo’s treble was completed with of a 90th-minute penalty, with Karim Bezema having poked home in the 77th minute with his first touch of the game to put Real 3-0 up.

Real remain second and five points behind league-leaders Barcelona, while Getafe are just one point above the drop zone.

Atletico Madrid failed to do themselves any favours in their bid for Europa League football next season after losing 2-1 at Racing Santander.

Atletico took an 11th-minute lead through Mario Suarez, but goals either side of half-time from Swedish duo Kennedy Bakircioglu and Markus Rosenberg handed Racing the win.

They move to ninth on the table, while Atletico are in sixth and have Sevilla lurking just goal difference away.

In a match that meant little for either end of the table, Julio Baptista and Eliseu struck to propel Malaga to a 2-0 home win over Sporting Gijon.

Brazilian playmaker Kaka also got on the scoresheet for Real, as did defender Sergio Ramos, who powered Madrid into the lead after 21 minutes with a header, while Alvaro Negredo scored both goals for Sevilla.

The result means Real trail Barca by five points and have three matches remaining, although Barca have four games to play and take on Espanyol at the Nou Camp on Sunday.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Athletic Bilbao climbed into fifth place – which would guarantee them a place in next year’s Europa League – with a 3-2 win over Levante at home.

Goals from Gaizka Toquero, David Lopez and Fernando Llorente had Bilbao cruising at 3-0 just after the hour mark but late strikes from Christian Stuani and Victoriano Nano ensured some anxious moments for the hosts in the closing stages.

Atletico Madrid’s grip on sixth place looks tenuous after they were thrashed 3-0 at home by Malaga, who had goals from Rondon, Julio Baptista and Enzo Maresca to thank for their fourth successive league win.

On-loan Spurs midfielder Giovani dos Santos scored a brace to help Racing Santander take a big step towards La Liga survival with a 3-2 win at Hercules, who look certain to face the drop.

Almeria were not so fortunate, and their 2-0 loss at Getafe confirmed a relegation that has looked likely for much of the campaign.

Sporting Gijon had a late penalty from David Barral to earn them a 2-2 draw at home against Deportivo La Coruna, while Valencia moved six points clear of third-placed Villarreal – who play on Sunday – with a 3-0 home win over Real Sociedad.

Roberto Soldado scored twice for the hosts, and Brazilian striker Jonas scored the other.

Hercules went down to 10 men in the 66th minute when Argentine Matias Fritzler received a second yellow.

Malaga passed up a chance to take the lead when midfielder Apono missed a penalty on 68 minutes, but they were in front four minutes later when Venezuelan forward Rondon found the back of the net.

Baptista struck his second and Malaga’s third on 76 minutes to make it 3-1, the win lifting Malaga up to 15th, four points clear of the relegation zone.

Hercules remain second from bottom and are now four points adrift of safety.

Elsewhere, Racing Santander put distance between themselves and the relegation battle courtesy of a valuable 2-0 win at home to Mallorca.

First-half goals from Swedish duo Markus Rosenberg and Kennedy Bakircioglu secured the points for hosts Racing, with Ivan Ramis missing a penalty for the visitors at Estadio El Sardinero.

The win sees Racing climb to 13th, five points clear of the drop zone.

Bottom side Almeria are now 11 points from safety after they lost 1-0 at home to Sevilla.

Brazil midfielder Renato scored the winner for Sevilla in the 58th minute.

Almeria had already been reduced to 10 men after Danish defender Michael Jakobsen received his marching orders seven minutes into the second half.

Getafe are now just two points clear of the relegation zone after they lost 2-1 away to Villarreal.

The visitors led at the break thanks to Pedro Rios’ first-half effort, but Cani levelled for Villarreal before Giuseppe Rossi struck to secure the points for the home side.

Levante were held to a 0-0 draw at home by fellow mid-table side Sporting Gijon.

The Catalan giants lead Real by eight points in the La Liga standings, an uncomfortably close margin with five games still remaining in the season, and could be making do without Lionel Messi for the trip to San Sebastian.

Messi, for whom superlatives are fast becoming inadequate, scored both of Barca’s goals in the semi-final first leg to take his season tally to 52 across all competitions.

But the Argentinean superstar reportedly suffered a minor muscle tear in the process, and given the 23-year-old’s history of soft-tissue injuries it is believed Pep Guardiola will put his talisman on ice for Real’s return leg at the Camp Nou next week.

Messi’s absence will no doubt be welcome news for struggling Sociedad, who have lost six of their past seven league outings and sit a mere three points from the drop zone in 12th.

Real have plenty of their own distractions to deal with, not the least an ongoing UEFA investigation into inflammatory comments made by manager Jose Mourinho following their loss to Barca.

The proud club, still seething after Pepe saw red for a challenge on Barca defender Dani Alves, will carry that frustration into their home clash against Real Zaragoza.

Zaragoza escaped the relegation zone with a 1-0 defeat of Almeria last time out, but are still just two points from the bottom three and perilously close to the Segunda Division.

Also on Saturday, Atletico Madrid will look to put some distance between themselves and fellow Europa League hopefuls Sevilla with a trip to Deportivo La Coruna.

They will need to be at their best, as Sevilla face an almost-certain win on Sunday when they take on bottom-placed Almeria, who are winless in five games.

Valencia can go some lengths to shoring up third place when they visit Osasuna, who find themselves in the relegation places at the wrong end of the season on the back of a four-match losing streak.

Villarreal, meanwhile, can get back into the hunt for third place when they host Getafe.

Rounding out Sunday’s fixtures, mid-table sides Levante and Sporting Gijon face off at the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia, Malaga host Hercules in a relegation dogfight and Mallorca face a Racing Santander outfit hoping to avoid a third successive loss.

Finally, European hopefuls Athletic Bilbao and Espanyol come together for what should be a terrific match at the Estadio Cornella-El Prat on Monday.

In a blow for the reigning champions, defender Adriano has been ruled out of action for four weeks after injuring a hamstring in the cup defeat.

Osasuna are sure to be fighting tooth and nail, having lost their past three matches to leave them sitting just two points outside the drop zone in 16th position.

Real Madrid kept their slim title chances alive thanks to a late penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo that salvaged them a 1-1 draw against Barca at the Bernabeu last weekend, and they will face another stern test on Saturday against third-placed Valencia.

Saturday’s other match pits fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao against 12th-placed Real Sociedad who are just five points clear of the bottom three.

Bilbao are in pole position for one of two Europa League places for next season, and they have a two-point cushion over sixth-placed Sevilla and Atletico Madrid, with eighth-placed Espanyol a further point behind.

On Sunday, Atletico – the 2009-10 Europa League champions – take on a Levante side who have won eight of their past 12 games to sit in ninth place, while Sevilla welcome fourth-placed Villarreal to the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

Espanyol face a tricky trip to Sporting Gijon and Getafe travel to Mallorca.

At the bottom of the table, a loss for Almeria at Real Zaragoza would make their La Liga survival incredibly difficult, while second bottom Hercules host Deportivo La Coruna.

Malaga, who are outside the drop zone by just goal difference, travel to Racing Santander.

Pep Guardiola’s side dismantled Real 5-0 during their first meeting at the Camp Nou in November.

A victory in the corresponding fixture at the Bernabeu could see them stretch their advantage to a near-unassailable 11 points.

And with only six matches of the season remaining after this round, it would make Barca overwhelming favourites to collect their third consecutive championship crown.

But the title race is one only part of a fascinating series of matches between the two arch-rivals.

On Wednesday they contest the Copa del Rey final at Valencia’s Estadio Mestalla, before meeting over two legs of the Champions League semi-final in the last week of April and first week of May.

Elsewhere in La Liga, bottom club Almeria have a daunting assignment at home to third-placed Valencia, who thrashed immediate rivals Villarreal 5-0 last weekend.

Almeria went down 3-1 away to Barca after taking a surprise lead early in the second half at the Camp Nou.

They are four points adrift of second bottom Malaga and seven points away from safety.

Malaga have an opportunity to climb above third-from-last Hercules and draw level with 17th-placed Real Zaragoza when they are in action at home to mid-table Mallorca.

Also on Saturday, Sevilla travel to Getafe with their hopes of securing a Champions League qualification berth fading.

Gregorio Manzano’s side are fifth, eight points behind fourth-placed Villarreal, who do not play until Monday, when they host Zaragoza.

In Sunday’s matches, Hercules will hope to continue their survival bid when they travel to Levante.

Deportivo La Coruna are at home to Racing Santander, Sporting Gijon travel to face Real Sociedad and Osasuna await the visit of Athletic Bilbao.

Atletico Madrid, seventh in the table but level on points with sixth-placed Bilbao, are away at Espanyol.

But they had to wait until 11 minutes into the second half to double the advantage through attacking midfielder Juan Mata.

The second goal cued a collapse from the visitors, with Argentina midfielder Ever Benega making it 3-0 five minutes later.

Mata and Soldado both struck again in the space of a minute to complete the rout at 5-0.

The win sees Valencia stay third, but they are now just six points clear of fourth-placed Villarreal.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Atletico Madrid closed in on a Europa League qualification place with a 3-0 win at home to Real Sociedad.

First-half goals from Brazilian full-back Kasmirski Luis Filipe and midfielder Mario Suarez saw Atletico go into the break 2-0 up at Estadio Vicente Calderon.

Argentina forward Sergio Aguero added a third with 13 minutes remaining.

The victory sees Atletico climb to sixth place on the table.

Sociedad are 14th, five points above the relegation places.

A second-half strike from centre-forward Torres David Barral helped Sporting Gijon to a 1-0 win over Osasuna.

Racing Santander led against Levante courtesy of a Victoriano Nano own goal, but Ruiz Rafa Jorda struck in the last minute to grab a point for the visitors at El Sardinero.

Two of the bottom three sides gained a point with 0-0 draws at home.

Hercules are third from bottom after holding seventh-placed Espanyol goalless at Estadio Jose Rico Perez, while second-bottom Malaga also played out a stalemate against visitors Deportivo La Coruna.

Depor were a man down for the entire second half after defender Sanabria Ruiz Laure received a straight red card in the 45th minute at La Rosaleda.