The big news from Week 20 of the La Liga season was the two-game suspension of Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo.

After kicking Edimar Fraga and slapping Jose Crespo of Cordoba, Ronaldo received a red card in the 82nd minute of play. Real Madrid narrowly won the game (2-1) thanks to a Gareth Bale goal in the 89th minute. Real Madrid can appeal the suspension, but early indications show that is very unlikely.

Ronaldo will miss games against Real Sociedad and Sevilla.

Real Sociedad has a 5-7-8 record, but can't be taken lightly. Real Sociedad defeated Eibar last week, and they have a solid defense. As for Sevilla, they are currently the fifth place team with 39 points. Thankfully for Real Madrid, they will play both of these games at home.

Real Madrid remains in first place with a league-leading 16 wins and 48 points. Now is the time for Bale, Karim Benzema and James Rodriguez to step up and show their value to Real Madrid. Ronaldo has a league-high 28 goals this season, on pace to break Messi's 50 goal mark set in the 2011-12 season. Missing two games means Ronaldo will now be scoreless three consecutive matches.

Just one point behind Real Madrid in the standings is their rivals, Barcelona.

Barcelona knows they have to take advantage of this great opportunity. Superstar Lionel Messi has been on fire recently scoring six goals in the last three games ever since the 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad in Week 17. Although Ronaldo just received his second consecutive Ballon d'Or, and he has led the league in goals all year, Messi isn't backing down.

Messi now has 21 goals and a league-leading 10 assists. Ronaldo does have seven more goals, but he does take more shots than Messi. Messi's passing skills have been unmatchable by any player in the world for years. Out of the 14 goals that Brazilian striker Neymar has scored this season, 10 of those have been assisted by (you guessed it) Messi.

Barcelona doesn't fully 100 percent control their own destiny over the next two weeks. Even if they defeat both Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao, Real Madrid can still remain in first place with two victories. Barcelona currently has a 15-2-3 record, giving them 47 points.

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti will have to devise and scheme plays considering the fact that Ronaldo will be absent. Rodriguez, Bale and Benzema benefit greatly from having Ronaldo on the field with them because of the constant double teams. Goalkeeper Iker Casillas will have to do his job by keeping the ball out of net.

Rodriguez had a memorable 2014 FIFA World Cup for Colombia, and it will be very interesting to see how the 23-year-old forward plays without Ronaldo by his side. Defenders Sergio Ramos, Daniel Carvajal and Marcelo Vieira will also need to play elite defense over the next two matches to ensure Real Madrid victories.

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