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La Liga or La Liga Santander is the top-flight of the Spanish football league system. 20 teams battle it out every year and the 3 lowest ranked teams at the end of the season will be relegated to the Segunda divison and replaced by the top 3 teams of that division.
The La Liga was founded in 1929 and 62 different teams have featured in the league over the years. As per UEFA, La Liga has been the top league in Europe for the past five years.
The teams that finish in first, second, third and fourth directly qualify for the UEFA Champions League group stage while the teams that finish fifth and sixth on the table will play in the UEFA Europa League.
| Real Madrid | 33 |
| Barcelona | 24 |
| Atletico Madrid | 10 |
| Athletic Bilbao | 8 |
| Valencia | 6 |
| Real Sociedad | 2 |
El Clasico
Everyone knows. Two of the biggest footballing powerhouses in the world, with unmatched pedigree and untainted legacies, Real Madrid and Barcelona have produced absolute classics over the years.
Madrid and Barcelona are two of the biggest cities in Spain and their political positions are as diametrically opposite as they come. Barcelona and Real Madrid have always had the pull to bring in the best footballing talents in the world and they are the two most followed football teams on social media.
El Clasico is not just a match, it’s a worldwide celebration of football.
Madrid derby
City rivals, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid battle it out for bragging rights in the city in the Madrid derby. Real Madrid was once heavily criticized by Atletico for catering to the whims of the government and thereby being detached to the common man.
Atletico Madrid has a largely working class fan base and the rivalry has grown more intense now after Atletico Madrid’s resurgence and subsequent breaking of the Madrid-Barcelona duopoly over the La Liga title. Both teams have some of the world’s best players in their teams and when they meet on the pitch, it is nothing short of a treat.
Seville derby
Two clubs from Seville share an intense rivalry – Sevilla FC and Real Betis. Sevilla FC was initially formed in 1905 before some internal issues caused it to split and become two clubs with the new one being Betis Football club. Betis Football Club later merged with Sevilla Balompie and came to be known as Real Betis Balompie.
City rivalries are often heated and this one is no different.
Contrary to early season predictions, La Liga has been dominated by Barcelona this season. They had a lot of internal issues going into the 2017/18 campaign but they have not let it affect their performances in the pitch and remain undefeated in the league.
Atletico Madrid are second placed but catching up with Barcelona seems like a herculean task. Real Madrid have been perplexingly mediocre on occasion and their objective now would be to secure a top 4 finish so as to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League.
Malaga, Deportivo, Las Palmas and Levante are the teams who are in the relegation battle and it is tight at the bottom and only one of these 4 will get another chance after the end of the season.
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