LALIGA is also Europe’s most competitive league

The 2024/25 LALIGA EA SPORTS season is proving to be one of the most thrilling in recent years. Real Madrid, Atlético matchdays and FC Barcelona are involved in a very tight title race, but that’s not the only area of interest as the tussle to qualify for Europe and the relegation battle are also very interesting. For many teams, they have a foot in both of these fights. 

That’s because just 10 points separate the sixth-placed team from the 18th-placed team. Putting that into context, last season the gap between these two positions after 21 matchdays was 20 points, double the current amount. In fact, we’d have to go back to the 2018/19 campaign to find a similar points difference, which occurred when sixth-placed Getafe CF had 31 points at this stage and third-bottom RC Celta had 21. In this current season, there is no other major European league with a gap this small between these two positions at this stage. 

There are certain clubs who exemplify this current situation, where it’s possible to have European qualification and avoiding relegation as objectives at the same time. For example, RC Celta started the LALIGA EA SPORTS season in excellent form, but a poor run of results mean they’re now stuck on 25 points. That means they’re not far off the European spots, as they’re just five points behind sixth-placed RCD Mallorca, but they’re also looking over their shoulders, with 18th-placed RCD Espanyol lurking five points back.  

It's often said that matches between direct rivals are six-pointers, as you can collect three for yourself and deny your opponent three points. With that in mind, almost every LALIGA EA SPORTS game this season is like this. There are 13 teams packed together with just 10 points separating them, while Valencia CF and Real Valladolid, on 16 and 15 points respectively, are just behind too. 

This is undoubtedly one of the most competitive LALIGA EA SPORTS seasons, and that includes the mid-table and lower-table. As such, the upcoming matchdays will be key as each club attempts to achieve its objectives for the season, with some looking ahead in the standings and others worrying just about staying in the division.