Matches of Matchday 19 in Spanish La Liga are being played these days, Idman.Biz reports.
At the same time, certain adjustments have been made by the Spanish Super Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where four top clubs are involved: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico and Athletic Bilbao. The Catalans thrashed Athletic 5:0 in the semifinal, while Real Madrid defeated Atletico 2:1 to reach the final, scheduled for Sunday.
In the league itself, these clubs played their Matchday 19 fixtures back in early December. Barcelona remain top of the table with 49 points, followed by Real Madrid on 45. Villarreal and Atletico are next with 38 points each, maintaining a title-contending pace and staying in the Champions League zone.
Villarreal vs Alaves (January 10)
Villarreal approach the match with a strong league position and a real chance to close the gap on the leaders thanks to games in hand. Marcelino’s team opened 2026 with a 3:1 away win over Elche and have 38 points, with two fewer matches played than both Barcelona and Real Madrid.
The squad situation for the Yellow Submarine looks mixed. Tajon Buchanan and Renato Veiga return after suspensions, there is a chance that Thomas Partey could be included in the squad, but Willy Kambwala and Logan Costa remain unavailable, as do Pape Gueye and Ilias Akhomach due to the Africa Cup of Nations. Defender Pau Navarro is also a doubt.
In his pre-match comments, Marcelino stressed that Alaves are a team that demands maximum concentration and quality from their opponents, and that it is important for Villarreal to maintain dominance at home.
Alaves travel amid problems with results. The Basque side lost in Pamplona at El Sadar and then drew 1:1 at home with Real Oviedo, having won just one match in their last seven league games and only once away from home this season.
The visitors also have notable absences: Carlos Protesoni is suspended, Facundo Garces is sidelined by a FIFA decision, Denis Suarez cannot play due to an agreement between the clubs, while striker Lucas Boye is listed as a last-minute option.
Other Matchday 19 La Liga fixtures
December 2
Barcelona – Atletico 3:1
December 3
Athletic Bilbao – Real Madrid 0:3
January 9
Getafe – Real Sociedad 1:2
January 10
Villarreal – Alaves
Valencia – Elche
Real Oviedo – Betis
Girona – Osasuna
January 11
Levante – Espanyol
Rayo Vallecano – Mallorca
January 12
Sevilla – Celta
Current La Liga standings
1. Barcelona – 49
2. Real Madrid – 45
3. Villarreal – 38
4. Atletico – 38
5. Espanyol – 33
6. Betis – 28
7. Celta – 26
8. Athletic Bilbao – 24
9. Elche – 22
10. Real Sociedad – 21
11. Getafe – 21
12. Sevilla – 20
13. Osasuna – 19
14. Alaves – 19
15. Rayo Vallecano – 19
16. Mallorca – 18
17. Girona – 18
18. Valencia – 16
19. Levante – 13
20. Real Oviedo – 12
Teymur Tushiyev
