They’re all playing for second spot in La Liga, it seems.
That’s because whenever Real Madrid’s advantage is pegged back to four points, it seems their nearest challengers Sevilla drop points themselves soon after.
This weekend’s action means Los Blancos’ lead at the summit once again stands at six.
It’s hard to see Carlo Ancelotti’s men relinquishing such an advantage, even with three months of the campaign remaining.
One of the reasons for that, to my mind, is because an influential Frenchman is in their ranks.
Benzema is back
Karim Benzema may have been absent through injury recently, but Saturday night’s 3-0 victory over Alaves again showed his worth.
Believe it or not, some of the natives were restless inside the Bernabeu as their side laboured to victory.
Indeed, fans even whistled loudly as the home players made their way off at half-time following a poor opening period.
Yet when Marco Asensio curled home a stunning opening goal just after the hour, the Spanish international put his finger to his lips urging the crowd to get behind the team rather than jeer them.
Presumably they would have been happier as Vinicius Jr grabbed a second from close range following a slick team move, Benzema with his second assist of the night.
The icing on the cake followed in stoppage time when Benzema converted an injury-time penalty after substitute Rodrygo Goes was brought down by Florian Lejeune.
Real had extended their lead and all was well again in the capital.
Bilbao make Sunday night statement
When people look back in years to come, they will see a scoreline of Athletic Bilbao 4-0 Real Sociedad.
Few will realise that this Basque derby remained in the balance until the final quarter when the rampant hosts scored four times without reply, moving them to within a point of their opponents.
Dani Vivian, Oihan Sancet, Inaki Williams and Iker Muniain were the men on target on a night few of a home persuasion will forget.
Indeed, it was 1959 the last time Los Leones won the Euskal Derbia by four goals!
Betis stay on course
While some of the bigger clubs battle it out for a Champions League berth, it’s easy to forget Real Betis are in third spot ahead of defending champions Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.
Betis kept up their push for a Champions League qualification place with a 2-1 win at home to Mallorca.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side looked bright from the off at the Estadio Benito Villamarin with Alex Moreno stealing in at the back post to nod them in front.
A failure to convert their control backfired when Vedad Muriqi equalised for spirited Mallorca but there was still time for substitute Willian Jose to roll home the winner from the penalty spot.
The Andalusian outfit are continuing to punch above their weight and outdo the SBOTOP La Liga 2022 betting odds.
New-look Barca have a bounce
They may be far from the finished article, but the new look Barca have gained over the past month has given them a bounce and optimism they have lacked for some time.
That was evident as they headed to the cauldron that is the Mestalla and went on the rampage.
One man stood out.
Not only did Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang score his first Barcelona goals, but he registered a hat-trick as the Catalans extended their unbeaten run in La Liga to nine matches with victory at Valencia.
He is one of only four players to have scored in La Liga, Premier League, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 in the 21st century, after Stevan Jovetic (who also scored in Serie A), Michy Batshuayi and James Rodriguez. Good company indeed.
The only downside for Xavi was seeing centre-back Eric Garcia go off injured. He was taken off at half-time due to a hamstring problem, with Oscar Mingueza replacing him at the break.
Atletico still have hope
They may be out of the top four on goal difference, but Atletico Madrid have not become a bad side overnight and proved as much again with La Liga 2022 highlights of their own as they won emphatically at Osasuna.
João Félix scored and assisted Luis Suarez to earn the defending champions a boost.
Félix smashed in a poor clearance by Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera for the third-minute opener. His pass just before the hour then launched a counterattack that Suárez capped with an exquisite left-foot strike – from 40 yards out – before Angel Correa rounded off the win in the 88th with his 12th goal of the campaign.
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