Week four of La Liga and guess what?
The top two sides in the country are already sitting in the top two positions.
This SBOTOP scribe doesn’t expect that to change over the course of the next nine months but, either way, there will still be no shortage of La Liga 2025 highlights to look forward to.
It was an all-Real day at the Reale Arena on Saturday where Real Madrid visited Real Sociedad bidding to maintain their 100 per cent winning start to the campaign.
Achieve it they did, despite playing for an hour with 10 men as Kylian Mbappe scored one goal and set up another.
The French captain capitalised on a defensive error to notch his fourth league goal of the season but their task was made harder when defender Dean Huijsen was shown a red card just after the half hour.
Mbappe, though, then turned provider for Arda Guler to give Madrid a 2-0 lead before the break and while Sociedad reduced the deficit when Mikel Oyarzabal, who had been the player hauled down by Huijsen which led to his sending-off, converted from the penalty spot, they could not force an equaliser.
It was a satisfying and perhaps emotional afternoon for Real boss Xabi Alonso who climbed through the ranks at Sociedad, played 126 games for their first team and began his senior coaching career in charge of the B side.
Champions Barcelona weren’t in action until Sunday night but had a much more comfortable time of it.
This was supposed to be the weekend of their return to the iconic Camp Nou home but a further delay meant they played their first ‘home’ match of the season at the Estadi Johan Cruyff.
The venue doesn’t seem to matter though and the Catalans, who notched 102 league goals en route to winning the La Liga title convincingly last season, hit six without reply against Valencia.
Doubles from Fermin Lopez, Raphinha and substitute Robert Lewandowski – three of which came in 13 minutes early in the second half – ensured it was a blitz.
The side ending the weekend in third place are actually Getafe.
Jose Bordalas’ men saw off Real Oviedo and, oddly, both of the hosts’ goals came in first half added time.
Mario Martin stole in at the back post to head home his first goal of the campaign before Borja Iglesias scored his first of the new season in the eighth minute of time added on.
Newly promoted Real Oviedo, who finished the contest with 10 men, were unable to recover.
Athletic Bilbao stay fourth, despite a surprise defeat at home to Alaves which upset the La Liga 2025 betting odds – an own goal separating the sides.
Early season pressure on Atletico Madrid has eased slightly.
With only two points in their first three matches, Los Rojiblancos went into the weekend 17th in the La Liga standings. Any early nerves at home to previously unbeaten Villarreal were eased on nine minutes though when Julian Alvarez calmly slotted home from close range.
That opened up the contest at both ends and Nicolas Pepe rattled the Atletico crossbar just before the break.
However, the balance tipped back in Atletico’s favour after the restart to earn boss Diego Simeone some vital relief as debutant Nico Gonzalez got on the end of Marcos Llorente’s cross to nod home his first goal in Spanish football.
Elsewhere, Real Betis fought back from 2-0 down to draw at Levante, whose goals both arrived inside the opening 10 minutes, while Girona gained their first point of the season with a draw at Celta Vigo.
It could have been more as they led for the most part through Vladyslav Vanat’s 12th minute opener only to be pegged back at the death by a Borja Iglesias penalty for Celta Vigo in stoppage time.
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