La Liga Week 17 Standings: Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid and Lionel Messi, Barcelona Suffer Setbacks, Atletico Madrid Gains Ground

By Damon Salvadore First Posted: Jan 05, 2015 02:34 PM EST

It was a wild and crazy week in La Liga.

For the first time this entire season, both Real Madrid and Barcelona lost in the same week. With the Spanish soccer powerhouses losing, the door has opened once again for the defending champions, Atletico Madrid.

Real Madrid lost on the road to Valencia, 2-1. Valencia is a quality team who is currently in fourth place in the league with 34 points. Barcelona, on the other hand, suffered a devastating defeat. Their loss to a previous three-win Real Sociedad squad was a big disappointment. If Barcelona could have simply taken care of business against Real Sociedad, they would be in first place.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored the only goal in Real Madrid's 2-1 loss. With that goal, Ronaldo now has 26 for the season, 11 more than Lionel Messi, who has the second most. Real Madrid is now 13-0-3 with 39 points. Despite the loss, Real Madrid is still in first place overall. This was Real Madrid's first loss since Week 3 against Atletico Madrid.

It's surprising to see Real Madrid's powerful offense held to just one goal.

Real Madrid has a league-high 56 goals scored this season, 15 more than any other team.

For Barcelona, this was a terrible loss. Real Sociedad has been one of the most disappointing teams this season, and a win here could have vaulted Barcelona into first place. Goalkeeper Claudio Bravo has been fantastic this season allowing just eight goals in 17 games, but no offensive support in his last game resulted in a loss.

On the positive side, Atletico Madrid was able to take advantage of the moment. With their 3-1 victory against Levante, Atletico Madrid now has 38 points. With 38 points, Atletico Madrid is tied with Barcelona for second place in the La Liga standings with an identical 12-2-3 record, and wouldn't you know it, the two teams face each other next week.

French striker Antoine Griezmann recorded two goals in their victory against Levante, and now leads the squad with eight for the season. Fan favorite Mario Mandzukic has the second most goals on the team with six. Atletico Madrid may not have a superstar like Ronaldo or Messi, but their squad is as balanced as any in the league, and they know how to win.

Real Madrid will take on Espanyol in their next game at home. This will be a must win game for Real Madrid, especially considering Espanyol is just 5-5-7 this season and has one of the worst defensive units.

There's no doubt that Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid will be the "game of the week" for Week 18. Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have each won two of the last Spanish League titles. This will be the first time Atletico Madrid and Barcelona square off this season, and Atletico Madrid already defeated Real Madrid back in Week 3.

Diego Simeone has certainly inserted himself as one of the best managers in all of La Liga. It's hard to compete against the giants that are Real Madrid and Barcelona, but he finds a way to win.