Football: 34th Matchday in Spanish La Liga
Opening match of the week will be played between current leaders Atletico Madrid and Elche on Friday
ANKARA
Matchday 34 of the Spanish La Liga begins on Friday.
League leaders Atletico Madrid will host Elche in Madrid on Friday evening. Vicente Calderon kicks off at 8:30pm local time (1930GMT) in Spain. Atletico Madrid's Turkish star Arda Turan may not play against Elche, as he had complained of some pains in his groin.
Copa del Rey's (Spanish King's Cup) runners-up Barcelona will play the Basque team Athletic Club in Camp Nou on Sunday, their game will kick off at 9pm local time (2000GMT).
Barcelona may lack many regulars due to injuries. Several Spanish internationals on Barcelona's team including goalkeeper Victor Valdes, centre-back Gerard Pique, offensive left-back Jordi Alba and flamboyant Brazilian forward Neymar are unable to play against Athletic Club. Athletic Club's 33-year-old captain Carlos Gurpegi will be out of action until June and miss the match in Camp Nou.
Real Madrid's match for matchday 34 was postponed. Currently runners-up in La Liga, Real Madrid will wait to play Real Valladolid on May 7, as they willmeet Germany's Bayern Munich on April 23 in the UEFA Champions League semifinalss.
The schedule for matchday 34 in Spanish La Liga is as follows:
April 18
Atletico Madrid vs Elche at 20:30 CET
April 19
Osasuna vs Valencia at 16:00 CET
Levante vs Getafe at 18:00 CET
Real Sociedad vs Espanyol at 20:00 CET
April 20
Almeria vs Celta Vigo at 12:00 CET
Rayo Vallecano vs Real Betis at 17:00 CET
Sevilla vs Granada at 19:00 CET
Barcelona vs Athletic Club at 21:00 CET
April 21
Malaga vs Villareal at 22:00 CET
May 7
Real Valladolid vs Real Madrid at 21:00 CET
Before matchday 34, standings in Spanish La Liga are as follows:
| Teams | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Pts |
| 1. Atletico Madrid | 33 | 26 | 4 | 3 | 72 | 22 | 50 | 82 |
| 2. Real Madrid | 33 | 25 | 4 | 4 | 94 | 32 | 62 | 79 |
| 3. Barcelona | 33 | 25 | 3 | 5 | 92 | 27 | 65 | 78 |
| 4. Athletic Club | 33 | 18 | 8 | 7 | 58 | 35 | 23 | 62 |
| 5. Sevilla | 33 | 16 | 8 | 9 | 61 | 47 | 14 | 56 |
| 6. Villareal | 33 | 15 | 7 | 11 | 52 | 38 | 14 | 52 |
| 7. Real Sociedad | 33 | 14 | 9 | 10 | 56 | 50 | 6 | 51 |
| 8. Valencia | 33 | 12 | 8 | 13 | 46 | 46 | 0 | 44 |
| 9. Espanyol | 33 | 11 | 8 | 14 | 37 | 42 | -5 | 41 |
| 10. Levante | 33 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 30 | 41 | -11 | 40 |
| 11. Malaga | 33 | 10 | 8 | 15 | 35 | 43 | -8 | 38 |
| 12. Celta Vigo | 33 | 10 | 7 | 16 | 36 | 49 | -13 | 37 |
| 13. Granada | 33 | 11 | 4 | 18 | 30 | 46 | -16 | 37 |
| 14. Rayo Vallecano | 33 | 11 | 4 | 18 | 39 | 70 | -31 | 37 |
| 15. Elche | 33 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 27 | 44 | -17 | 35 |
| 16. Osasuna | 33 | 9 | 7 | 17 | 28 | 53 | -25 | 34 |
| 17. Real Valladolid | 33 | 6 | 14 | 13 | 32 | 50 | -18 | 32 |
| 18. Getafe | 33 | 8 | 7 | 18 | 29 | 51 | -22 | 31 |
| 19. Almeria | 33 | 8 | 6 | 19 | 34 | 64 | -30 | 30 |
| 20. Real Betis | 33 | 5 | 7 | 21 | 28 | 66 | -38 | 22 |
Before matchday 34, the top three goal scorers are as follows:
28 goals: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
26 goals: Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid)
25 goals: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
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