Matchday 32 of the 2025/26 La Liga season followed an unusual schedule, with Matchday 33 having already taken place earlier in the week. Despite the sequencing, the latest round of fixtures continued to shape the narrative across the table.
With just six games remaining for most teams, the stakes could not be higher. Barcelona tightened their grip on the title with yet another commanding display, while Real Madrid dropped further points to all but end any hopes of a late resurgence.
Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, managed to return to winning ways at a crucial time as they balance domestic action with their European ambitions.
At the other end of the table, the relegation battle remains as intense as ever. Elche’s remarkable turnaround has given them a vital cushion, while others continue to struggle for consistency. In the race for European spots, results have kept things finely poised, with Celta Vigo’s dip in form complicating their push. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at five key takeaways from Matchday 32 of the La Liga season.
With three wins in a row, Elche have jumped out of the drop zone in some fashion. They are now 14th on the table and four points clear of 18th-placed Sevilla. While the job is not done yet, they do have a significant cushion heading into the final five games of the season.
Elche were in the drop zone for most parts of the season. With just eight wins in the first 28 league games, not many gave them a chance of survival. However, they have won four out of the last five to revive their chances of survival.
The win over Atletico Madrid in matchday 33 was a massive boost, and now they have managed to grind out a result against bottom-placed Real Oviedo, who were in fine form heading into this fixture. Elche scored twice in the first 20 minutes and managed to hold onto it to secure a 2-1 win.
While Barcelona are not yet officially champions, the writing has been on the wall for some time and with every passing game, they justify the fact that they are the best team in Spain by a significant margin. They headed into the fixture against Getafe without Raphinha and Lamine Yamal, arguably two of the best forwards at this point.
However, Flick’s team didn’t really miss them on the pitch. They dominated the proceedings, created a decent amount of chances and secured a comfortable win courtesy of goals from Fermin Lopez and Marcus Rashford. The Catalan giants are now 11 points clear of 2nd-placed Real Madrid, with just five games to go.
Real Madrid snapped a four-match winless run to return to winning ways last time out against Deportivo Alaves. While Alavro Arbeloa was hoping they could win all their remaining games and finish the season on a high, things haven’t gone their way. They have now lost five and drawn five games in La Liga this term. Dropping points on 10 occasions is something you can’t afford when you go up against Barcelona.
The Spanish giants could only manage a 1-1 draw against Real Betis last time out. While Vinicius gave them the lead early in the first half, Los Blancos never really dominated the proceedings, and Real Betis pushed hard right until the end.
Eventually, they got the reward for their relentless pressure, as Hector Bellerin scored an injury-time goal to give his team a point on the night. With this draw, Betis still have a six-point cushion over 6th-placed Getafe in their pursuit of Europa League football.
Diego Simeone’s men are gearing up for a Champions League semi-final tie against Arsenal, and given their position in the league (4th in La Liga with a comfortable lead), their entire focus is on going the distance in the UCL.
However, they haven’t been in the best of form of late. The Madrid-based club have lost seven out of their last eight games in all competitions. They were heading into the fixture against Athletic Club on the back of four straight defeats in La Liga.
While the results hardly had any effect on their position, they certainly wanted to return to winning ways before going up against Arsenal. They have managed to do just that with a 3-2 win this weekend. While the result suggests a very closely fought encounter, Atletico were in control for most parts.
With this win, they are now 10 points clear of fifth-placed Real Betis, with just five games to go. Simeone’s men are almost certain to secure UCL football; as a result, they can now completely focus on the semi-final tie against the Gunners.
Following the end of matchday 32, Celta Vigo are seventh on the table with 44 points in their 33 outings. While they are level on points with sixth-placed Getafe, and still have a chance of securing European football, recent results haven’t helped their cause.
They have lost four out of their last five league outings. The 2-1 defeat to Villarreal was their third in a row, and it certainly hasn’t helped them in their pursuit of European football. They have gone from being in a comfortable position to a tricky situation, where they could miss out if a few more results don’t go their way.
