As the dust settles after all New Year's celebrations, we gear up for the re-start of the La Liga season, which will bring fans some interesting matches to kick 2024 off in style.
The fast-paced tournament in place ends its nine-day pause on January 2, when the first batch of games is set to be played. This week's action will come to an end on Thursday, when a new pause in the competition will give way to one more Copa del Rey stage.
Before we get going with the games we will get to enjoy this week, we should look at how things stand in the Spanish competition.
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid | 33 | 26 | 6 | 1 | 71 | 22 | +49 | 84 | WWWWW | |
| 2 | Girona | 33 | 22 | 5 | 6 | 69 | 40 | +29 | 71 | WWLWL | |
| 3 | Barcelona | 32 | 21 | 7 | 4 | 64 | 37 | +27 | 70 | LWWWW | |
| 4 | Atlético Madrid | 33 | 20 | 4 | 9 | 62 | 39 | +23 | 64 | WLWWL | |
| 5 | Athletic Club | 33 | 16 | 10 | 7 | 53 | 33 | +20 | 58 | LDDLW | |
| 6 | Real Sociedad | 33 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 46 | 35 | +11 | 51 | LDDWW | |
| 7 | Real Betis | 33 | 12 | 13 | 8 | 41 | 39 | +2 | 49 | DWWLL | |
| 8 | Valencia | 32 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 35 | 34 | +1 | 47 | LWWDL | |
| 9 | Villarreal | 33 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 54 | 55 | -1 | 45 | WWDLW | |
| 10 | Getafe | 33 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 41 | 45 | -4 | 43 | WDDLW | |
| 11 | Osasuna | 33 | 11 | 6 | 16 | 37 | 49 | -12 | 39 | LLLWL | |
| 12 | Deportivo Alavés | 33 | 10 | 8 | 15 | 31 | 38 | -7 | 38 | WWLLL | |
| 13 | Sevilla | 33 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 42 | 46 | -4 | 38 | DWWWL | |
| 14 | Las Palmas | 33 | 10 | 7 | 16 | 30 | 41 | -11 | 37 | LLLLL | |
| 15 | Rayo Vallecano | 33 | 7 | 13 | 13 | 27 | 42 | -15 | 34 | LWDDW | |
| 16 | Mallorca | 33 | 6 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 39 | -12 | 32 | DLLDW | |
| 17 | Celta de Vigo | 33 | 7 | 10 | 16 | 37 | 50 | -13 | 31 | LWLDW | |
| 18 | Cádiz | 33 | 4 | 14 | 15 | 23 | 46 | -23 | 26 | DLLWL | |
| 19 | Granada | 33 | 4 | 9 | 20 | 36 | 61 | -25 | 21 | WDWLL | |
| 20 | Almería | 33 | 1 | 11 | 21 | 32 | 67 | -35 | 14 | LLDLW |
Now that you know where your favorite teams are ranked, it's time to look into the games you need to keep an eye on.
Real Madrid vs Mallorca - Los Merengues return with much to prove in a year where they could claim the title once more with Carlo Ancelotti at the helm. The team from the Spanish capital will kick off 2024 by welcoming Mallorca, a club involved in the battle to avoid relegation, which should make them more dangerous than initially planned by Los Merengues. In fact, Mallorca defeated Real Madrid back in February 2023 (1-0), which may make fans a bit more wary of how Los Bermellones could damage their title hopes.
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Girona vs Atlético Madrid - This year's Cinderella story in La Liga has Girona as its main character, and the team from Catalunya will want to keep up their good form against a true contender such as Atlético Madrid. Most experts believed that Girona's momentum would fade quietly into the night after a few weeks, but the team in red and white keeps battling for the league title, and they will want to prove their worth against Simeone's men. As for Los Colchoneros, this game represents a great chance to boost their title options, as beating one of the two teams at the top of the standings would do wonders for their cause ahead of the end of the season.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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Las Palmas vs Barcelona - The first game in 2024 for Xavi's men could be a defining moment of the season, as they enter this clash with only one win in their last three and with serious doubts clouding the future of their manager. Their rivals on Thursday have been quite consistent this term, winning the same number of games as they have lost so far (7). Las Palmas have the second best defensive unit after only conceding 15 goals this season, which may be a tough nut to crack for the Blaugrana side despite Robert Lewandowski's potential return. It will be Barcelona's first visit to Las Palmas since 2018.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
Las Palmas 1 - 2 Barcelona
January 4, 2024 3:30pmEstadio de Gran Canaria (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria)This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Where to watch La Liga games in the United States?
If you are a U.S.-based user, you can follow all La Liga games on ESPN's platforms. For example, the three games we mentioned above will be available to watch on TV via ESPN Deportes, while users who prefer online options can keep track of those fixtures on ESPN+ as well. For the rest of the games being played this week, have a look at our listings for ESPN Deportes and ESPN+.
