Saturday 21 January 2017 20:41, UK
The chasing pack face tough tasks in eating into Real Madrid's lead again this weekend, with the leaders having the ideal opportunity to keep their advantage.
Sevilla blew the La Liga title race wide open with their comeback 2-1 victory over Zinedine Zidane's men, with a Sergio Ramos own goal and Stevan Jovetic strike securing a last-gasp triumph for Jorge Sampaoli's men.
That saw Real Madrid drift from 4/11 to 1/2 for the title with Sky Bet while Sevilla shortened from 50/1 to 25/1, with Barcelona also deemed big winners, coming in from 9/4 to 7/4.
However, while Real Madrid have the most straight forward fixture, there's good reason to expect at least one of their rivals will slip up.
Here's a look at this weekend's headline clashes and the key stats from the other matches.
Real Madrid v Malaga (Saturday 3.15pm)
Real Madrid had their 40-match unbeaten streak turned in a two-match losing run, but they have the ideal opportunity to restore order on Saturday.
The European champions can extend their lead at the top of the table to four points, for 20 hours at least, when winless travellers Malaga visit the capital.
Marcelo Romero's men have lost their last four games in all competitions, conceding 13 goals in the process, making for perfect backlash fodder for the title favourites.
They held Barcelona to a 0-0 draw at the Nou Camp but Madrid are far more comfortable with opening sides up at home, winning 19 of their last 22 games at the Bernabeu.
Sky Bet prediction: Real Madrid to win and over 4.5 goals - 11/8
Villarreal v Valencia (Saturday 7.45pm, live on Sky Sports 3HD)
The Yellow Submarine will be looking to get their top-four charge back on track following three successive draws against crisis club Valencia, who recorded just their fourth win of the season last weekend.
Villarreal boast the best defensive record in the league and should have enough against a Los Che side lacking a prolific marksman.
Prediction: Villareal to win to nil - 21/10
Osasuna v Sevilla (Sunday 11am, live on Sky Sports 5HD)
Sunday's early kick-off presents the biggest mismatch of the weekend, with Sevilla looking to make it five wins on the bounce when they visit bottom side Osasuna.
Los Rojiblancos have racked up a league high of eight wins at home this season but have just half that amount on the road, although that hardly offers hope to their winless-in-10 hosts.
Osasuna have also conceded at least three goals in their last three home games so expect Sevilla's free-scoring frontline, which have bagged 13 goals in their last four games, to fill their boots again.
Sky Bet prediction: Sevilla -1 - 5/4
Athletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (Sunday 3.15, live on Sky Sports Mix HD)
Athletic are without their leading marksman Aritz Aduriz at the worst possible time as they come up against a Atletico side back to their best.
Following a mixed experiment with embracing their attacking instincts, Diego Simeone's men have recorded three successive wins without conceding, seeing them climb back into the top four.
Indeed, 15 of their 19 wins in all competitions have involved clean sheets, while they produced a textbook performance to leave the San Mames with a 1-0 win last season.
Bilbao's goals have also dried up of late, slipping down to seventh following back-to-back goalless draws with bottom-half sides.
Sky Bet prediction: Atletico to win to nil - 21/10
Eibar v Barcelona (Sunday 7.45pm, live on Sky Sports 5HD)
Barcelona may not have the chance to get back within striking distance of Real Madrid come Sunday night, but they can improve on Real's result against Eibar earlier in the season as they left the Bernabeu with a point.
Barca have the best away record in La Liga but have kept just three clean sheets in their nine trips, conceding an average of just over a goal a game.
That record is only three points better than Eibar's home record, with top-six sides Sociedad and Villarreal leaving Impurua empty handed.
However, the form of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez will surely be too much for the overachievers, with Messi boasting 19 goals from his last 16 starts, while Suarez has improved on a relatively slow start to average a goal-per-game from his last seven,
Sky Bet prediction: Barcelona to win and both teams to score - 11/8
Las Palmas v Deportivo (Friday 7.45pm, live on Sky Sports 2HD)
Tenth-placed Las Palmas are unbeaten in Gran Canaria in 13 games, whereas sixth-from-bottom Deportivo are yet to win on the road this season.
Espanyol v Granada (Saturday 12pm, live on Sky Sports Mix HD)
Winless-in-three Espanyol struggle to appeal at 3/5 with Sky Bet but they are facing the league's worst travellers and possess the league's joint-eighth highest scorer in Gerard Moreno.
Alaves v Leganes (Saturday 5.30pm, Sky Sports 3HD red button)
The league's lowest scorers clash at Mendizorrotza with 15 and 13 goals respectively scored by these two sides, while little suggests either is ready to produce a goalfest. Indeed, both have scored just two goals in their last five games, making 'no goalscorer' the most interesting contender in the first goalscorer market with Sky Bet.
Real Betis v Sporting Gijon (Sunday 5.30pm, live on Sky Sports 3HD)
Surely the story of the week was Abelardo refusing the €4m payoff for his Sporting Gijon exit. The Sporting and Barcelona legend paid the price for his side's recent failures, with just one win in 13.
They head to Andalucia as the league's joint lowest scorers on the road, seeing them pick up just two points away from home, while Betis have racked up 16 of their 21 points on home turf, with all four of their wins at Estadio Benito Villamarin involving clean sheets.
Real Sociedad v Celta Vigo (Sunday 5.30pm, live on Sky Sports 3HD red button)
But for a defeat to the league's form side Sevilla, Sociedad continue to prove one of the league's overachievers, defying mid-table expectations to sit just two points off the top four.
They hosts a Celta Vigo side full of goals at home but short of points on the road, winning just once, so expect the Basque outfit to keep pace with those above.
