La Liga Week 19 Schedule, Fixtures, Table & Preview: Real Madrid, Barcelona & Atletico Madrid Look to Thrive Against Inferior Competition

By Damon Salvadore First Posted: Jan 16, 2015 01:46 PM EST

Another exciting week of La Liga is in store for Spanish soccer fans.

Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are the three best teams in the league, and they will all be playing this weekend.

It was a great week for Real Madrid. Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was awarded his second consecutive Ballon d'Or, and James Rodriguez won the Puskas Award for best goal of the year. Last week, Real Madrid took care of business, defeating Espanyol, 3-0. That was an extremely critical win because Real Madrid had lost to Valencia the week before.

Real Madrid is currently 14-0-3 in the standings, giving them a league-leading 42 points. Ronaldo has been leading the league in goals scored this entire season, but he did go scoreless last week against Espanyol. This week, Real Madrid will take on Getafe, who is just 4-5-9, good enough for 14th place. Getafe has one of the worst offenses this year, so don't be surprised if goalkeeper Iker Casillas records his second straight shutout.

La Liga's second place team, Barcelona, were the biggest winners last week. Lionel Messi and Barcelona defeated the defending champion Atletico Madrid, 3-1, with Messi and Neymar both scoring a goal. Barcelona is presently 13-2-3 with 41 points, just one behind Real Madrid.

Barcelona will take on Deportivo, who is in 16th place in the overall standings. Barcelona has only lost one game since their Nov. 1 defeat to Celta Vigo, and they should be able to beat Deportivo on the road in Week 19.

Even though Ronaldo was awarded the Ballon d'Or, you can bet Messi is ready to show soccer fans why he is still the best player in the world in the second half of the season.

Atletico Madrid is coming off a road loss to Barcelona, and head coach Diego Simeone knows this week is a must-win game. This weekend they will take on Granada, the worst team in the league. A home game against a two-win squad should bring about a blowout victory for the defending champions. Atletico Madrid is 12-2-4 this season with 38 points, just three behind Barcelona for second place. If Atletico Madrid can win the championship this year, they would be the first repeat champion since Barcelona did so in 2009 and 2010.

With the top three teams in the league all playing inferior competition this weekend, there's a good chance Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid will all escape with a victory.