Why There Are No La Liga Matches This Weekend: Dec. 28-29
Fans excited for La Liga action this weekend will be disappointed to find out there are no more La Liga matches to close out 2024.
The La Liga title race is heating up for the second half of the 2024–25 season. What looked like a runaway for Barcelona early in the season is now a close fight between the Catalans, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid. Only three points separate the three clubs and each match moving forward could be a potential game-changer for the La Liga standings.
The Spanish top-flight does not have an action-packed schedule to end the year, though. In fact, just when the league was reaching peak excitement, it is on a brief hiatus.
Why There Are No La Liga Matches This Weekend
Unlike the Premier League, La Liga pauses for the holiday season. Therefore, there are no La Liga matches this weekend.
The last La Liga matches of 2024 unfolded during Matchday 18, which ended on Dec. 22. All 20 clubs earned their final results of the year before taking off for the holiday break.
To close out 2024, Atlético Madrid sit atop the La Liga standings with 41 points. Real Madrid are just one point behind Diego Simeone's men, and both teams have a game in hand. Barcelona fell to third place with 38 points after securing just one domestic win in December.
When Does La Liga Return From Holiday Break?
La Liga returns from holiday break on Friday, Jan. 3 when Valencia hosts Real Madrid. The match was originally set to unfold on Nov. 2, but it was postponed to the first week of January due to the devastating DANA disaster.
The other La Liga clubs do not have to play their first matches of the year until the next week, starting on Friday, Jan. 10 with Rayo Vallecano vs. Celta Vigo. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao and Mallorca, meanwhile, will be in Jeddah, competing in the Spanish Super Cup.
The latter three clubs do not return to domestic action until the weekend of Jan. 18.