La Liga (Spanish League) Prediction Thread 2023/24

[QueenVera]

This match is a big opportunity for Barcelona to reduce their point difference with Real Madrid, who could only draw with Sevilla in the 10th week of the match.
Barcelona must not lose this golden opportunity, what's more, Barcelona has quite a lot of wins when facing Atletico Bilbao, in fact in the last three meetings Barcelona managed to win with quite a landslide score plus this is a home game for Barcelona where this season they have not been defeated at home.
Barcelona has been quite successful in maintaining their record so far by not experiencing defeat just because three draws have kept them quite far from Real Madrid and with many matches still to be played, anything can happen where Barcelona is at the top of the standings.

I believe Barcelona would want to seize this opportunity and win their match against Atletico Bilbao cause not only would  they reduce their point difference with Realmadrid but they could top the league if they wun, they're they're points behind Madrid which means if they win they'll be sharing same points and be ahead of Madrid based on goal difference,  Realmadrid's lose could turn into a blessing for Barcelona cause being at the top of the league could really boost the confidence of their team against the El Classico, the is getting more interesting the competition among the two teams is tough this season cause this 1st El Classico match would determine which team would remain in place.

  Yesterday's match against Sevilla really suprised be, i didn't expect Madrid to concede 1st and struggled to get an equalizer I believe Realmadrid would had won the game if scored 1st, they just lost opportunity to remain at the top place and luckily for them they managed to get a point.

[Oluwa-btc]

Just 25 minutes into the game, Celta Vigo's reduced 10-man side were far behind, but it was still the winner at the end of the match that mattered most. Had Celta Vigo played the last 11, Atletico Madrid might have won this match, although the goal difference would not have been as great. In the match against Celta Vigo, Atletico Madrid performed well enough, seeing that Celta Vigo became a 10-man team, the performance of Atletico Madrid is good, but not like that, but Atletico Madrid has been performing consistently this season and we have seen consistent performance from them in the last match as well. 

Griezmann was unstoppable in this match for Atlético Madrid, scoring the first goal from the penalty spot and later adding two more goals to his name to complete his hat-trick.

Out of curiosity, did you watch the game or did you watch the highlights? I have done it a moment ago and I have to say that this is probably the luckiest hattrick Griezman has ever scored. Honestly, it wasn't like he delivered an outlandish performance. The penalty was a present and a brutally hard decision by the referee after the horrible mistake made by the goalkeeper. But since I doubt that Morata would have had a chance to touch the ball twice and exploit the mistake made by the goalkeeper, I don't know if the red card was necessary along with the penalty. It seemed like an overly hard decision to me, but maybe that is what the rules say. I thought that the striker must have a chance to get to the ball after touching it, but anyway.

Griezmann's second goal was pure luck because when he wanted to play a cross ball, his standing leg slipped away and due to that the cross ball turned into a shot on target and hit the back of the net. That was goal number two...

The third goal was a combination of a low reaction by the goalkeeper and a chance that no striker on earth would have missed although Griezmann almost missed it. I would not overstate Griezmann's performance in this game because his name showed up three times on the scoreboard.

The second goal was similar to Mudryk's yesterday, though from a different angle or wing. Seeing that goal made me smile immediately.
But anyways, a goal will always be a goal irrespective of how the goal was scored. It seem intentional but looking at it you'll know it wasn't, I'll agree that to be lucky.

The third goal was about movements, moving into the right place waiting for the ball, Griezmann did that and I loved his movements.
I'm glad he didn't get to miss that one. The weight of the ball was perfect. Morata's movements also lead to that goal. 

[X-ray]

Apart from Sevilla's strong defense, Real Madrid's front is also in the spotlight in this match because they didn't play optimally, this result is very disappointing even though the Real Madrid team is in its best performance and Sevilla with all its problems and even the Sevilla team with its new coach, of course This result is not a satisfactory result for Real Madrid.
However, this match was quite fierce, with high tension, there were even several incidents involving Sergio Ramos and his former colleagues at Real Madrid, this was quite exciting in my opinion and Ramos was really still the same as before.

Madrid should have been ahead in that match, but because the referee disallowed 2 goals, in the end they had to share the points with Sevilla. In my opinion, Madrid's match against Sevilla has been very tight so far. Where Sergio Ramos made many saves in his defense, he also had 2 opportunities but couldn't turn them into goals. The dispute between Madrid and Sevilla players was very tense, Ramos even pinched Rudiger cheek. However, at the end of the match I received news that Sergio Ramos spent almost an hour just reminiscing with the Madrid players. Even though on the field there was almost a clash. That's Sergio Ramos, even though he is an opponent, his presence cannot be rejected. Ancelotti also seems to miss the most instrumental defender while defending Los Blancos.

Im very disappointed with the disallowed by goal by the referee. The result from this match was making my bet gets collapse. Madrid deserves to win the game against sevilla but im so frustating to watch the match after the first goal got annulled by the referee.
Madrid needs to do even better in upcoming match. Im hoping barcelona will struggle against bilbao and this will help el real to create the big gap to the barcelona.
Barcelona will face bilbao and this will become a very important match. Barcelona may be struggling against bilbao caused by the club will be playing without lewandowski. It seems like that felix will become the only striker.
Felix's position was not striker but the club may force him to play as a striker. Lamine yamal may still play like the previous position. There will be no a lot of change to happen in barcelona.

[Blitzboy]

Today Sevilla had an unusual kind of performance as they mad it really difficult for Madrid to go away with three points, I was thinking they would end by a win for Real Madrid but then it was surprising Sevilla was able to defend their goal and kept the match till it ended a draw, Sevilla managed to still a point from Madrid, I will say maybe their home advantage was enough to keep their morale high.

Oh my.
Why did Real Madrid have to be this careless. This time they didn't play as optimally as usual. Do they think Sevilla is not as strong as before? In fact, it is true that Sevilla often surprises them against strong top teams, even though they are often bad in normal matches. However, this time, Sevilla was quite good at containing and attacking Real Madrid. If there were no OG, Real Madrid would win. Sevilla were very lucky this time, even though they also played well. But on the other hand, Real Madrid should be able to score more goals than this. I don't know, this is quite disappointing.

Though I predicted Real Madrid to defeat Sevilla in their own home but I'm also aware it's gonna be a difficult game for Real Madrid and considering the fact that Sergio Ramos will be playing against Real Madrid, for the first time since he left the club that he represented in over 670 appearances two years ago,
Real Madrid were unlucky to concede an own goal from David Alaba but Dani Carvajal helped the European giants to secure a draw from that very hard fought encounter.

How is it that a team as good as Real Madrid cant beat Sevilla when the odds are in their favor? It was emotional for Ramos to play against his old team, but shouldnt that have made Madrid's players even more determined? The goals that werent allowed only made things worse! Sergio, on the other hand, played absolutely brilliant defense. Sergio's expectations caused Vini and Jude to have trouble. Real was saved by Carvajal, though. We should praise the man for his hard work. If Real Madrid wants to keep winning La Liga, they need to get their act together. As Madrid fan, I say, "Wake up, Madrid!

[Falconer]

-snip-

How is it that a team as good as Real Madrid cant beat Sevilla when the odds are in their favor? It was emotional for Ramos to play against his old team, but shouldnt that have made Madrid's players even more determined? The goals that werent allowed only made things worse! Sergio, on the other hand, played absolutely brilliant defense. Sergio's expectations caused Vini and Jude to have trouble. Real was saved by Carvajal, though. We should praise the man for his hard work. If Real Madrid wants to keep winning La Liga, they need to get their act together. As Madrid fan, I say, "Wake up, Madrid!

Real Madrid didn't lose, they just failed to win a match they should have won. However I have to admit that Sevilla played well in that match even though they deserved to lose points at home if not for two disallowed goals, but that is another part that should not be the reason why Real Madrid didn't win.

Sevilla is certainly very confident of performing well at home, and this is proof that they are really able to get into good form after sacking their old coach. Playing a draw against Real Madrid is the same as winning the match, but this draw has certainly harmed Real Madrid, who are in fact the favorites. Sevilla didn't score any goals apart from Alaba's own goal, but they fired 17 shots, 7 of which were on target.

[rahmad2nd]

If Barcelona can able to overcomes Bilbao today then they will overtake 2nd place from Atletico Madrid but recent result from Granada is really showed Barcelona performance was slightly decline and losing some of key players really have an affect to their performance especially losing Lewandowski that Barcelona don't have any worth replacement to forward position because so far Barcelona always be rely on Lewandowski to scores goals and recently Jules Koundé also has uncertain condition but hopefully he can be available for this match and i know from meetings statistics Barcelona without any problem can beat Bilbao but now it's different because Barcelona losing some players and Bilbao condition also in the good shape after only lose once from 5 latest matches

The odds for this match

Barcelona @1.60
Draw @3.60
Bilbao @5.00

Barcelona must gain full points in the match against Bilbao, in order to reduce the difference in points between Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga standings. Unfortunately, this match looks like it will not be an easy match without several players who have to be absent due to injury. this condition makes it difficult for Xavi to carry out his team to victory after victory in every match they will play. however, appearing at their own headquarters, Barcelona still has a chance of returning to winning ways after last week achieving a 2-2 draw against Grana.

Xavi Hernandez's squad needs an additional 3 points to stay close to big rivals Real Madrid, who currently lead the La Liga standings. In this match, several of Barcelona's core players will be absent, at least for a few weeks, including Lewandowski, who is their mainstay as a goal-scoring machine. It doesn't seem like an easy match to beat the opposing team, with the conditions Barcelona is currently experiencing. However, Xavi still has other players, although they are not as sharp as Lewa. It is very likely that Ferran Torres will replace Lewandowski temporarily, or Xavi will change his pattern and system. For the other players, there doesn't seem to be a problem. except for the questionable status of Lamine Yamal. If so, there is still someone who can rotate Xavi like Fermin Lopez. Well, there's no other way but to just watch this match play out.

Meanwhile, looking at Bilbao's current performance, it can be said to be quite good. Ernesto Valverde could have used the momentum of this match to win 3 points at Barcelona headquarters. However, Barca will certainly not be easy to overthrow. they have a fairly strong defense line. and it looks like this match will be quite tough.  but it looks like the odds for Barcelona have now increased slightly, @1.78. and I think, there's nothing wrong with betting on the home team.

[slapper]

Finally, Ramos became a solid wall for Real Madrid players. Ramos is doing very well, and actually maybe he still deserves to play for Madrid. In addition, Anceloti seems to be a little regretful about letting Ramos go. There were not many Madrid chances, they were not able to control the game well. Even Sevilla was able to make Madrid difficult, Bellingham was not able to perform optimally. Luckily they were able to make one goal so as to avoid defeat. Losing 2 points is enough to make it difficult for them to keep their distance from the 2nd and 3rd ranks.

I don't know what to call yesterday's match against Sevilla but it is closed to a disappointment from Real Madrid to have draw in that match. I was really expecting a win. Bellingham was not lucky yesterday neither was Vinicius and Rodrigo. I was expecting a goal from each of these players aforementioned but none could deliver until when Carvajal scored for Real Madrid. I feel like the team could have performed better than they did because they were in a full squad yesterday but that's the game of football, most times it works like gambling.

I can empathize with your disappointment because Real Madrid was also one of my favorite teams. Having said that, I do believe that it is necessary to give credit to Sevilla. Both defensively and in his attempts to drive the attack, Sergio was on fire throughout the match. In spite of the fact that I was rooting for Vinicius, Rodrigo, and Bellingham to score, I had to accept the fact that football can be quite unpredictable at times. Those goals scored by Valverde and Jude that were disallowed? What an unfortunate turn of events! Real did not play poorly, but Sevilla just outmanoeuvred them strategically. It is inevitable

[Doell]

Finally, Ramos became a solid wall for Real Madrid players. Ramos is doing very well, and actually maybe he still deserves to play for Madrid. In addition, Anceloti seems to be a little regretful about letting Ramos go. There were not many Madrid chances, they were not able to control the game well. Even Sevilla was able to make Madrid difficult, Bellingham was not able to perform optimally. Luckily they were able to make one goal so as to avoid defeat. Losing 2 points is enough to make it difficult for them to keep their distance from the 2nd and 3rd ranks.

Although he is 37 years old but Ramos still fresh in that match, he show a great game. I was amazed, when Ramos make attempted an attack to the Real Madrid defense and then he quickly returned to his position, he moved quickly to take advantage of the momentum but also quickly returned to his position. Unfortunately, he was unlucky in that match because can't scored. Ancelotti looks happy with see Ramos game play, and yes it seems Ancelotti to be a little regretful about letting Ramos go. You are right ! Losing 2 points is enough to make it difficult for them to maintain the gap with 2nd or 3rd ranks, because their gap is very close to the other teams. Moreover, today Girona will face against Almeria, which should not make it difficult for them to get 3 points at the Estadi Montilivi.

[hahay]

How is it that a team as good as Real Madrid cant beat Sevilla when the odds are in their favor? It was emotional for Ramos to play against his old team, but shouldnt that have made Madrid's players even more determined? The goals that werent allowed only made things worse! Sergio, on the other hand, played absolutely brilliant defense. Sergio's expectations caused Vini and Jude to have trouble. Real was saved by Carvajal, though. We should praise the man for his hard work. If Real Madrid wants to keep winning La Liga, they need to get their act together. As Madrid fan, I say, "Wake up, Madrid!

Real Madrid didn't lose, they just failed to win a match they should have won. However I have to admit that Sevilla played well in that match even though they deserved to lose points at home if not for two disallowed goals, but that is another part that should not be the reason why Real Madrid didn't win.

Sevilla is certainly very confident of performing well at home, and this is proof that they are really able to get into good form after sacking their old coach. Playing a draw against Real Madrid is the same as winning the match, but this draw has certainly harmed Real Madrid, who are in fact the favorites. Sevilla didn't score any goals apart from Alaba's own goal, but they fired 17 shots, 7 of which were on target.

So, does that mean this is a real improvement for Sevilla with their new coach. Because clearly, playing against Real Madrid is at least not an easy match because at the same time, at least Sevilla is also not in their best form at this moment. But yes, in reality Sevilla managed to play well in this match and yes, at least Sevilla also almost won this match because it was not easy for Real Madrid to score a goal in this match. Also, luck for me, because I only bet with the draw no bet option, so this draw result makes my bet return. Even though at first I was very confident that Real Madrid would win, but after I considered the previously available odds, then I felt that maybe Sevilla would surprise in this match and that happen.

[uswa56]

Real Madrid didn't lose, they just failed to win a match they should have won. However I have to admit that Sevilla played well in that match even though they deserved to lose points at home if not for two disallowed goals, but that is another part that should not be the reason why Real Madrid didn't win.

Sevilla is certainly very confident of performing well at home, and this is proof that they are really able to get into good form after sacking their old coach. Playing a draw against Real Madrid is the same as winning the match, but this draw has certainly harmed Real Madrid, who are in fact the favorites. Sevilla didn't score any goals apart from Alaba's own goal, but they fired 17 shots, 7 of which were on target.

Apart from everything you said, I think the draw that Real Madrid achieved in this match was quite disappointing because they should have won but Real Madrid's performance was really disappointing.
Even though this match was played at Sevilla's home ground, the quality of the Real Madrid team was far above Sevilla and also the Sevilla team had just changed coaches and their performance was quite bad in the last few matches so the results achieved by Real Madrid were really not worthy.
Real Madrid have to improve a lot if they want to win the title this season, especially their front line which needs to be improved again. In this match, Real Madrid's front line was seen to be less sharp and unable to take advantage of opportunities/create chances.

[Weawant]

Real Madrid didn't lose, they just failed to win a match they should have won. However I have to admit that Sevilla played well in that match even though they deserved to lose points at home if not for two disallowed goals, but that is another part that should not be the reason why Real Madrid didn't win.

Sevilla is certainly very confident of performing well at home, and this is proof that they are really able to get into good form after sacking their old coach. Playing a draw against Real Madrid is the same as winning the match, but this draw has certainly harmed Real Madrid, who are in fact the favorites. Sevilla didn't score any goals apart from Alaba's own goal, but they fired 17 shots, 7 of which were on target.

Yeah Madrid failed to win a game everyone considered they would win without much stress but they couldn't survive the defense by their ex team mate Ramos who was very outstanding in yesterday's game. Real Madrid though at the top of the table at the moment, they are not safe enough as they needed that goal difference to keep them strong at the top but they currently lack that difference.

If Barcelona happens to win their game today by two ore more goals they will top Madrid by The goal difference as they are only three points away from Madrid, but if Madrid had won it would have been five points difference, but if Barcelona draw Madrid may be most likely safe at the top of the table till next weekend, more was expected of Madrid, they had a complete squad on the pitch so it was expected they did better.

[QueenVera]

So, does that mean this is a real improvement for Sevilla with their new coach. Because clearly, playing against Real Madrid is at least not an easy match because at the same time, at least Sevilla is also not in their best form at this moment. But yes, in reality Sevilla managed to play well in this match and yes, at least Sevilla also almost won this match because it was not easy for Real Madrid to score a goal in this match. Also, luck for me, because I only bet with the draw no bet option, so this draw result makes my bet return. Even though at first I was very confident that Real Madrid would win, but after I considered the previously available odds, then I felt that maybe Sevilla would surprise in this match and that happen.

They've tried to get a draw against Realmadrid that are in a really  good form, I think this new coach would do better than the previous one and try to get them to a better position, alot of people are saying they were lucky in the game well I'll say it's both luck and hardwork cause if you check the start you'll see the difference in possession is not very big and Sevilla had more shots and even created more chance than Realmadrid, it was one of the chances that lead to David Alaba's own goal.
 
 Sevilla really did well in guarding their defense line and putting off their attackers from getting good chances, Madrid suffered before they scored though it suprisenly came few minutes after they conceded, Realmadrid were more favorites to win the  game but Sevilla has destroyed their chance of maintaining the 1st position in the league with a good goal margin from other teams.

[MarjorieZimmermanGinger]

Madrid should have been ahead in that match, but because the referee disallowed 2 goals, in the end they had to share the points with Sevilla. In my opinion, Madrid's match against Sevilla has been very tight so far. Where Sergio Ramos made many saves in his defense, he also had 2 opportunities but couldn't turn them into goals. The dispute between Madrid and Sevilla players was very tense, Ramos even pinched Rudiger cheek. However, at the end of the match I received news that Sergio Ramos spent almost an hour just reminiscing with the Madrid players. Even though on the field there was almost a clash. That's Sergio Ramos, even though he is an opponent, his presence cannot be rejected. Ancelotti also seems to miss the most instrumental defender while defending Los Blancos.

Real Madrid should have won the match by a three-goal margin, even though the referee disallowed two goals because the match was dominated by Real Madrid. There were a number of good opportunities that could have been goals, but were not completed well. Sevilla's defense also appeared very solid and Sergio Ramos made several saves, thus preventing Sevilla from losing at home. Even though the match ended in a draw, Real Madrid is still firmly in first place in the standings because Atletico Madrid, Girona and Barcelona have not yet play.

Sergio Ramos is still a tough defender in my opinion and he is still playing well even though it is not the same as in the last few seasons. This is the first match since Sergio Ramos left Real Madrid and he still shows his love for Los Blancos even though they are opponents.

[abhiseshakana]

If Barcelona happens to win their game today by two ore more goals they will top Madrid by The goal difference as they are only three points away from Madrid, but if Madrid had won it would have been five points difference, but if Barcelona draw Madrid may be most likely safe at the top of the table till next weekend, more was expected of Madrid, they had a complete squad on the pitch so it was expected they did better.

Barcelona is currently in 4th place with 21 points, while Real Madrid is in first place with 25 points. So the difference between the two is 4 points. Even if Barcelona gets a win it will only put them in second place if Girona loses or gets a draw. The teams that have a 3 point difference with Real Madrid are Atletico Madrid and Girona.

[zaim7413]

~~~

Real Madrid should have won the match by a three-goal margin, even though the referee disallowed two goals because the match was dominated by Real Madrid. There were a number of good opportunities that could have been goals, but were not completed well. Sevilla's defense also appeared very solid and Sergio Ramos made several saves, thus preventing Sevilla from losing at home. Even though the match ended in a draw, Real Madrid is still firmly in first place in the standings because Atletico Madrid, Girona and Barcelona have not yet play.

Sergio Ramos is still a tough defender in my opinion and he is still playing well even though it is not the same as in the last few seasons. This is the first match since Sergio Ramos left Real Madrid and he still shows his love for Los Blancos even though they are opponents.

Sevilla defense was the main factor in Real Madrid failure to win. Real Madrid had several good opportunities but Sevilla defenders played very disciplined and were always alert in blocking Real Madrid attacks. Real Madrid attack line also didn't play optimally, they wasted several opportunities that could have been goals.
Sevilla success in holding Real Madrid to a draw was due to good play from Sergio Ramos and his colleagues who guarded Sevilla defense area. Real Madrid has tried hard to get an additional three points, but Sevilla managed to make Real Madrid lose two points in this match which made the competition at the top of the standings even hotter.

[LGD2Business]

If Barcelona wins the match today, the point difference between the top and them will be reduced to 1. Athletic Bilbao is a team that plays well from time to time, but I think Barcelona will win today. While Real Madrid has lost points, Barcelona will take advantage of the chance to close the gap. Their last draw against Granada wasn't on the cards. They will want to win this match, which is a little more difficult, and close that gap.
We already know the quality of Inaki Williams. Guruzeta is another player to watch out for. He scored 4 goals this season. If Barca stops these two, Athletic Bilbao's attack largely stops. Xavi made his plan accordingly. If they don't concede a goal, Barca will definitely score and win the match. They don't want to repeat the mistakes of the Granada match.

[DanWalker]

If Barcelona can able to overcomes Bilbao today then they will overtake 2nd place from Atletico Madrid but recent result from Granada is really showed Barcelona performance was slightly decline and losing some of key players really have an affect to their performance especially losing Lewandowski that Barcelona don't have any worth replacement to forward position because so far Barcelona always be rely on Lewandowski to scores goals and recently Jules Koundé also has uncertain condition but hopefully he can be available for this match and i know from meetings statistics Barcelona without any problem can beat Bilbao but now it's different because Barcelona losing some players and Bilbao condition also in the good shape after only lose once from 5 latest matches

The odds for this match

Barcelona @1.60
Draw @3.60
Bilbao @5.00

Remaining without key players will only make Barcelona's appearance less stable. Their goal machine Lewandowski is not in good condition. This will be an opportunity for Bilbao to pressure Barcelona so that they cannot fully concentrate. On the other hand, Xavi will rotate several players, especially his attack line, because of course this requires Xavi to carry out a different strategy.

IMO Both Atletico Madrid, Girona and Barcelona have the same chance of occupying second place in the standings. Just need to compete, one of them gets full points. Because that way it will be easier for us to see which clubs are really benefiting.

Barcelona @1.60 is probably still pretty safe, @5.00 for Bilbao is a risky bet, but I'm interested.

If we talk about what has to happen in this match, I think we all know that they have to win in this match. At least they have to win if they want to stay at the top of the table. The point difference between them and the first-placed team in the La Liga competition, Real Madrid has been increasing. Even if they are able to win this match. They will still be one point behind Real Madrid. And I do not think the match is going to be as easy as people are thinking for Barcelona. I believe this match is going to be tough for Barcelona to win. The last match should have been a win for Barcelona. Probably they will be more determined to win in this match because of that.

[swogerino]

Girona game who would have thought to see like 5 goals only in the first half,I thought Girona should have no problems winning against last place in the standings and I never thought they would allow more than one goal conceded as the worse case ever yet they conceded 2 goals with only 45 minutes of the game played.They showed great character though Girona turning things around already in the first half when in the 24th minute they were down 2 goals and they managed to score 3 goals in just 10 minutes,I think they are going to crush even further Almeria who honestly has not showed anything for good during all this La Liga season.

[Jody.Drummer]

Girona game who would have thought to see like 5 goals only in the first half,I thought Girona should have no problems winning against last place in the standings and I never thought they would allow more than one goal conceded as the worse case ever yet they conceded 2 goals with only 45 minutes of the game played.They showed great character though Girona turning things around already in the first half when in the 24th minute they were down 2 goals and they managed to score 3 goals in just 10 minutes,I think they are going to crush even further Almeria who honestly has not showed anything for good during all this La Liga season.

The second half is underway and there has been no change on the scoreboard. I was honestly surprised by Almeria's quick goal and even went 2 goals up befre Girona pulled a goal back before half time. Girona dominated the game, but they have to be careful because Almeria also have the potential to pull off a surprise atack that could very well lead to an equalizer. There's still a lot of time left, and with that time there's still a lot of possibilities. So let's see what happens next. Girona also need a win to keep Real Madrid at bay.

[indah rezqi]

Sevilla defense was the main factor in Real Madrid failure to win. Real Madrid had several good opportunities but Sevilla defenders played very disciplined and were always alert in blocking Real Madrid attacks. Real Madrid attack line also didn't play optimally, they wasted several opportunities that could have been goals.
Sevilla success in holding Real Madrid to a draw was due to good play from Sergio Ramos and his colleagues who guarded Sevilla defense area. Real Madrid has tried hard to get an additional three points, but Sevilla managed to make Real Madrid lose two points in this match which made the competition at the top of the standings even hotter.

That's exactly right, Madrid had several good opportunities but failed to score, on the other hand, Sevilla defense was also very strong with Sergio Ramos. The mention of Ramos playing for Sevilla still feels a little strange to me, and Alaba was the unlucky player to score an own goal. Carvajal appeared impressive and saved Madrid from defeat a few minutes later, I think a draw was fair enough for both of them.

The competition for the top four in the standings is indeed getting fiercer because the difference in points is very thin, however, Madrid is still leading the top of the standings for the time being. I was quite surprised by Girona performance, who are competing closely in the top four of the standings this season, it looks like they can finish in the UCL zone if they continue to be consistent with their current performance.