Barcelona Stumbles: Girona Extends Lead as Real Madrid and Atlético Capitalize

The painful 3-5 defeat to Villarreal on Saturday proved costly for Barcelona’s pursuit in the 2023-24 La Liga, with their rivals capitalizing on the setback. In the race for the title, Girona, the current leader with 55 points, secured a 0-1 victory against Celta on Sunday, extending their lead to 11 points over Barcelona (44) with one more match played. The gap could narrow to 8 points if Xavi’s team secures a win against Osasuna on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Real Madrid, also with the same number of matches, stands second with 54 points, 10 ahead, having already claimed a 1-2 victory against Las Palmas on Saturday.

On Sunday, Atlético Madrid seized the opportunity, defeating Valencia 2-0 to level with Barcelona at 44 points. However, Atlético secured the third position by boasting a superior goal difference (+19 to +14). Both teams have the same number of matches.

In the context of Champions League spots, Athletic Bilbao (5th) played to a 0-0 draw against Cádiz on Sunday, managing to cut the deficit by only one point (42) with one additional match played. If Barcelona secures a win against Osasuna, they would accumulate 47 points, maintaining a five-point lead over Athletic Bilbao.