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REAL MADRID BUILDING MOMENTUM
Real Madrid’s come-from-behind win against contenders Sevilla on Sunday put Carlo Ancelotti’s team in control of the league and they will have a golden opportunity to extend their four-point lead when they face Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday.
Real have won their last six matches in La Liga and the Champions League. They are unbeaten in all competitions since losing 2-1 to Espanyol on Oct 3.
They are led by a lethal frontline of Karim Benzema (11 goals) and Vinicius Jr, who was Real's man of the hour with a spectacular winner from outside the box for his ninth league goal of the season.
In his fourth season since arriving in Madrid from Brazil as a teenager, 21-year-old ‘Vini’ has been of one of the standout players in La Liga this campaign.
REAL SOCIEDAD STUMBLE AGAIN
Real Sociedad were the biggest surprise in Spanish football early in the season when they comfortably led the league for nearly three months following an unbeaten run after an opening day loss to Barcelona.
But that is already in the past as they fell to third after a 1-0 defeat at Espanyol on Sunday. Imanol Alguacil’s side have not won a game in all competitions since beating Osasuna three weeks ago.
Sociedad’s struggles allowed both Real Madrid (33 points) and Atletico Madrid (29 points) to leapfrog them, with both Madrid sides also having a game in hand.
With key players such as David Silva and Mikel Merino missing due to injuries, Sociedad will have to rediscover their top form quickly to keep up with Real and Atletico in the title race.
BARCELONA RISING WITH XAVI AT THE HELM
New coach Xavi Hernandez is in high spirits with his team finally finding their footing in La Liga after a poor start under former manager Ronald Koeman.
Saturday’s 3-1 win at Unai Emery’s Villarreal was their first league victory away from home this season and it handed Xavi a second successive La Liga triumph since taking over.
His young team have climbed up to seventh in the standings and host fifth-placed Real Betis on Saturday hoping to keep the momentum going. A game in hand also plays to the Catalan club's advantage.
Reuters
