La Liga Power Rankings: Who is No. 1 after Matchday 31?

Another Matchday in La Liga was completed on Thursday night when Barcelona blew out Getafe 5-2 behind another scintillating performance from Pichichi leader Lionel Messi. His biggest competitor for the trophy, Karim Benzema, likewise had a big game the previous night in Real Madrid‘s 3-0 triumph over Cadiz at the Ramon de Carranza.

La Liga’s Matchday 31 featured wins for all four teams in the title race. But which team should be considered the best heading into the weekend’s matches?

Let’s rank the top 10 teams in the league.

10. Levante

Levante couldn’t steal a point away from Sevilla this week, as they fell 1-0. It’s surprising whenever the Frogs don’t manage to score, but Sevilla’s defense is a tough nut to crack, especially since Bono broke out as their starting keeper. Levante don’t have what it takes to steal away a Europa League place and have more losses than wins. But they are an entertaining attacking team.

9. Granada

Granada are ahead of Levante by four points, and they are indeed a superior team to the Frogs. But they aren’t that much better. Granada put four past Eibar in their most recent match, recovering from being knocked out of the Europa League with ease by Manchester United. But this team just doesn’t have the attacking firepower to hang with the rest of the clubs in the top 10. Roberto Soldado, in 2021, is their leading goal-scorer and their only player with more than five goals this season.

8. Athletic Bilbao

Athletic Bilbao hung on against Barcelona for a little bit, but then they were completely overwhelmed by the better side, losing their second Copa del Rey Final. In La Liga, Bilbao are coming off five straight draws, including a recent 0-0 result against Real Betis. That’s Bilbao for you. They are effective defensively, one-dimensional in attack, and downright annoying to face. Their defensive organization could help them push for a Europa Conference League birth, but their lack of overall quality offensively will prevent them from going far enough.

7. Villarreal

Villarreal are very much Europa League Title contenders with Unai Emery at the helm. In the league, they are far from consistent and a step below Real Betis. After dominating Levante 5-1, they lost to Deportivo Alaves, who are in the relegation fight. They’ll need to watch out for the likes of Granada and Bilbao.

6. Real Betis

Real Betis have a negative goal differential, but they are in a great position to secure Europa League football in their first rebound year under Manuel Pellegrini. After narrowly losing to Real Madrid on Matchday 2, another upset win over Los Blancos, like in the second half of last season, would do wonders for Los Verdiblancos.

5. Real Sociedad

Imanol Alguacil’s La Real are safely in the top five. They are an excellent attacking side, though their only positive recent result was a 2-1 win over Celta Vigo. La Real need to get back-to-back wins over Eibar and Huesca and win convincingly. Betis are just one point behind them.

4. Sevilla

Sevilla seem almost destined to finish fourth. Julen Lopetegui has a great team around him, and he’s even getting Fernando to step up with goals. Sevilla pitched a shutout against the pesky Frogs after beating Celta Vigo in one of the best matches of the La Liga season. Real Madrid awaits them on May 9, and considering they are only three points behind the Royal Whites, a win over Zinedine Zidane’s men would have them in title contention. But first, they must focus on two quality opponents in Granada and Athletic Bilbao.

3. Barcelona

Barcelona had a commanding win over Real Sociedad some weeks ago, and they were just as brilliant on the attacking end against Getafe, getting a 5-2 result at the Camp Nou. Lionel Messi has four goals on Karim Benzema in the Pichichi lead and is just one assist behind Iago Aspas and Marco Llorente in the assist table. As impressive as Barcelona are, they must still be in second to Real Madrid after losing to Los Blancos head-to-head.

2. Real Madrid

Real Madrid dropped points against Getafe but then bounced back with an excellent 3-0 win over Cadiz on the road. Los Blancos have to navigate the Champions League and La Liga, and the injuries are starting to pile up. But they have as good of a chance as anyone, knowing how resilient this squad is.

1. Atletico Madrid

With a dominant win over Eibar and a convincing 2-0 result over Huesca, Atletico Madrid reclaim the top spot in La Liga. Real Madrid are the defending champions and have the experience, but Atleti are familiar with winning league titles and are still the team to beat, even without Luis Suarez. Llorente is having a hell of a year and is just as much of a Player of the Year candidate as Karim Benzema or usual winner Messi. And if Atleti pull off this title triumph, he could very well secure the award during this breakout season.