5 players who could impact the La Liga title race on the final day
It all comes down to this. The final matchday of the 2015/16 La Liga season is here. A day all of the footballing world has been waiting for.
Real Madrid play Deportivo La Coruna while Barcelona take on Granada with the Catalan club leading Los Blancos by a single point. A win against Granada would ensure a sixth title in eight years for the defending champions whereas a draw or a loss coupled with a win for Real Madrid will see the Liga trophy go to the Bernabeu for the 33rd time.
Barcelona are slight favorites as Granada have just escaped relegation and also possess a woeful record against the defending champions. But in these sort of matches, one never knows who will stand up and win the game for the team. So here are five players who can change the course of the championship today:
1) Lionel Messi
The reigning FIFA Ballon d’Or winner and arguably one of the best players of all time; if he can’t change the game, who else can? Lionel Messi has been in brilliant form this La Liga season, scoring 26 goals as well as chipping in with 16 assists.
Even after missing the early stages of the season with a knee injury, posting such numbers just shows how ridiculous the Argentinian is. He has been the difference maker for quite a while now, showing no signs of stopping.
Granada have already felt the wrath of the 28-year-old as forward. He has scored 11 goals in eight games against them – including two hat-tricks. So we all know who they will be looking to stop.
La Pulga will be up against young on-loan left-back from Internazionale Cristiano Biraghi. The full-back does not really possess any strong defensive qualities and should expect an extremely tough day at the office trying to defend against the dribbling prowess of Messi. In the centre, Jean Sylvain Babin and Ricardo Costa will have the task of defending Messi and protecting Andres Fernandez in goal.