Barça and Celta de Vigo face each other this Wednesday in matchday 33 of La Liga. The postponement of the Copa del Rey final has caused matchday 33 to be played before matchday 32, which will be held next weekend. Hansi Flick's team begins the first of the seven matchdays remaining until the end of the season with the objective of certifying the league title as soon as possible. The nine points separating the blaugranas from Real Madrid provide a very large cushion, but they do not want to get complacent.

Girona was the classic aspirin team. With homework still to be done regarding permanence, the Catalans saw three points fly from home against a Betis that arrived at the appointment in free fall. It had been two months since the Verdiblancos had won a league match, and they emerged victorious in an exchange of blows of the kind that neutral supporters enjoy so much.

Barça has La Liga within their grasp. In a very tough match against Atlético de Madrid, the Barcelona players secured three golden points that extend their lead over Real Madrid to seven in the standings with eight matchdays remaining. Here are some immediate thoughts.

Barça can now start putting the bottles in the fridge to have them nice and cold for when it's time to celebrate. The first episode of the trilogy of duels against Atlético de Madrid served to hit the waterline of two Madrid teams at once. Lewandowski's saving goal sinks Real Madrid in the standings and, incidentally, harms an Atlético that has already understood that Barça wants to win everything just before the Champions League duel. The Whites look up and find it hard to see an indomitable Barça that knew how to react before halftime, when it seemed they could also lose. The competitive gene of this team is beyond debate. A team that faces challenges and overcomes them. It seems there is nothing to scare a team destined to win the League after winning a match that, at times, seemed like it would end in a draw in a second half where there was no energy left in the players' legs.

Barça's hard-fought victory against Rayo Vallecano (1-0). The Catalans have made the most of Ronald Araujo's goal. In the first half, Joan Garcia had an inspired performance, preventing four certain goals from Iñigo Pérez's team. Here are some immediate observations.

Lamine Yamal is in a celebratory mood. Three moments of brilliance from him secured a victory against Villarreal, the third-placed team in La Liga, just before facing their most difficult task: overturning a Copa del Rey tie against Atlético de Madrid that seems lost. A utopian challenge, if you stop to think about it. But when Lamine Yamal smiles like he did against Villarreal, anything can happen. And if you add Pedri's magic, it's perfectly understandable to have a license to dream. Football isn't an exact science, but if you combine Lamine's brilliance with the Canary Islander's delightful play, the result is usually good news for Barça.

A hard-fought 3-1 victory for Barça away at Elche keeps them top of La Liga for another week, regardless of Real Madrid's result. Here are some immediate observations.

A crucial victory for Barça to close out 2025 in La Liga. Hansi Flick's men secured three golden points at La Cerámica against Villarreal in a match where Lamine Yamal nearly extended their lead (0-2). Here are some immediate observations.

Bravo to those who chose a nativity play, an afternoon of shopping at a crowded mall, the Saturday movie on public television, or simply staring out the window or even at the ceiling of their house rather than attend the spectacle that Getafe and Espanyol offered on a December night that won't go down in football history. But bravo also to the Espanyol fans' resilience, happy once again this weekend for a victory as unspectacular as it was important. It's their fourth consecutive win in La Liga and consolidates their position in European qualification for a team they haven't seen so high in the standings for fifteen years. The derby on January 3rd at Cornellà-El Prat will be interesting.

Barça defeated Osasuna in a hard-fought match (2-0). Raphinha broke the Navarrese side's resistance twice in the second half. Here are some immediate highlights.

After Manolo González's dressing-down on Thursday, Espanyol bounced back in La Liga with a 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano, displaying a stark contrast to their Copa del Rey elimination against Atlético Baleares. The Blanquiazules rediscovered the intensity, energy, and courage that have characterized their performance this season and continue their European dream. A penalty from Roberto puts Manolo's team in fifth place, just four points off the Champions League spots. However, they have a game in hand over fourth-placed Atlético de Madrid.

A crucial victory that extends Hansi Flick's Barcelona's lead in La Liga (3-1). Here are some immediate observations.

Barcelona secured a victory at Balaídos, closing the gap to two points in La Liga. The Blaugrana triumphed thanks to a hat trick from Lewandowski in a match that once again exposed some of the team's defensive weaknesses. In the second half, Barcelona's possession-based style proved decisive against Celta Vigo. Here are some immediate observations.

A disastrous week for Real Madrid, who, after losing 1-0 to Liverpool at Anfield midweek in the Champions League, could only manage a 0-0 draw against Rayo Vallecano in Vallecas today. And they were lucky to get away with it. With this result, Xabi Alonso's team lets two points slip away, giving Barça the chance to close the gap to just three points if they can defeat Celta Vigo at Balaídos this Sunday before the international break. Rayo has now managed draws against Barça, Atlético Madrid, and Real Madrid this season. Madrid, who have now gone four consecutive years without a win in Vallecas, were never able to dominate a Rayo Vallecano side that was well-organized defensively and electric on the counter-attack. Ratiu caused the defense a lot of problems. meringue Down the right flank, Álvaro García had several scoring opportunities that didn't find the net due to Courtois's saves or poor finishing. Meanwhile, Mbappé and Vinícius weren't at their best, and their attacking contributions had to come from deeper positions. For example, Fede Valverde's long-range shots were thwarted by Batalla.

It's necessary to be grateful and appreciate life's gifts. Barça needed to start thinking about the future and put the memory of a painful October behind them, and they achieved this in part thanks to an Elche side that, in their quest to be a competitive and ambitious team, opened their home doors wide. And Lamine Yamal and company took full advantage, of course. They needed to bring back the joy at home and secure three points in a special match for Ferran Torres, who, a year after the devastating floods, wanted to remember his fans with a shirt he had prepared. The Valencian player knew the goal would come. And it did.

It's always necessary to look on the bright side of things. The football league will no longer have to perform acrobatics with the television signal to avoid showing the 15-second strike for tired legs of their footballers, who were protesting the decision to hold a match in Miami. Until now, they've shown us plans of the stadium using a drone, or statistics, or a laughing fan in the stands.

Having to go to Miami to play a La Liga match was a bad idea, but the football business is so cash-strapped that they made it look like a brilliant idea, so Barça sadly laments the "lost opportunity to expand the competition's image to a strategic market."

Barça's second defeat this week. After falling to PSG in the Champions League, The Blaugranas were thrashed 4-1 at Sevilla on a very unfortunate afternoon. With that scoreline, Real Madrid regains the lead in La Liga. Here are some quick notes.

The week a young 18-year-old like Lamine was on the verge of winning the Ballon d'Or, two veterans were at it at the Carlos Tartiere stadium. Barça broke the resistance of a strong Oviedo side, where Cazorla, 40, was shining, thanks to a beautiful header from 36-year-old Robert Lewandowski. The veteran Polish striker, a substitute behind Ferran, dominates the game inside the box like few others. He feels good, surrounded by defenders who catch and chase him. It seems that when he's a grandfather and uses a walking stick, he'll still know how to finish crosses from the outside. His header is one youngsters should learn from, with a precise flight and a round turn of the head.

Barça spreads joy. Once the ball is rolling, things are seen from a different perspective. Hansi Flick's team plays from memory and revolves everything around Pedri, a small midfielder who has become the center of gravity of a special team. But the goals were scored by an electric Ferran Torres. Against Getafe, the job was already done at halftime. And to think that more than a few were biting their nails thinking they'd have to play games without Lamine Yamal, the genius who this Monday is aiming to win the Ballon d'Or at just 18 years old. And you'd have to live without him playing at home in a small stadium like Johan Cruyff. But that team doesn't waste time complaining. It creates its narrative through football. And how this Barça plays.