Real Madrid Lead Barcelona in Exciting La Liga Title Chase
Real Madrid overcame Espanyol with a narrow 1-0 win that saw Zinedine Zidane’s side move two points clear of arch-rivals Barcelona in the pursuit of the La Liga title.
The narrow win was made possible thanks to a superb assist from Karim Benzema, who’s tidy backheel was fired home by Casemiro, and sees Real Madrid continue a good run of form since the restart of the Spanish soccer league.
Meanwhile Barcelona have struggled for consistency in recent games and their 2-2 draw with Celta Vigo allowed Real Madrid the chance to jump to the top of the standings.
Real Madrid now lead the La Liga betting odds with most US Sportsbooks offering Zidane’s side as slight favorites.
There are six games left in the season and Barcelona’s next fixture sees the Catalan side take on Atletico Madrid in what promises to be a very tricky encounter as Diego Simeone’s side have been in fine form of late.
Meanwhile Real Madrid host Getafe in what, on paper, seems a far more manageable encounter.
A big part of Real Madrid’s good run of form is down to the consistent displays put in by French forward Karim Benzema, who has long been a favorite of Zidane’s, and while the supporting attacking options such as Gareth Bale, Eden Hazard, Isco and others, have struggled to deliver on a regular basis, Benzema continues to shine.
Benzema’s assist against Espanyol means that the 32-year-old has reached double figures for both goals and assists this season, in all competitions and follows just two others who have managed this feat in the Spanish top tier, those being Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.