While we are by no means out of the woods when it comes to the global pandemic, we are starting to see some sort of return to normalcy. Businesses are beginning to re-open and people are once again getting out and about. We are not yet at the point where we were at before all this began, but it is at least beginning to get there. Sports are beginning to return to action, and it is soccer that is tentatively leading the way, with many of the major European leagues announcing dates to return to business. La Liga in Spain is among that group, so let’s take a look at how things have played out for them and how they will look in the future so you can start planing your bets against La Liga odds.
La Liga COVID-19 Status & Return Date
La Liga Pandemic Timeline
Like most of the sports world, La Liga called for the suspension of play arrive in March, with the league pulling the plug on March 12. Players were sent home as asked to train there in preparation for a return, which very few people saw happening as things grew steadily worse. There were a number of leagues and major sporting events that cancelled over the course of the last 3 months, but La Liga held in there, hoping for the best.
The first signs that we might be seeing some sort of return to action came on May 18, when it was announced that players would be allowed to train together in groups of 10. That was soon followed by the government announcing that sports would be allowed to commence on June 8. La Liga was quick to act on that, announcing that they would start the ball rolling on the season on June 11, albeit with all games to set be played behind closed doors.
La Liga Format for the Remainder of the Season
Full training sessions will begin again on Monday, June 1, and while it is great to see that the games will be returning, it was not without some disagreements along the way, most notably about which days the games should be played on. Things have now been worked out, which means that we can look forward to a very busy schedule over the next few weeks as the league tries to finish in a timely fashion so that preparations can begin for next season.
The great news for fans is that we will have games being played every single day, starting with the match between Sevilla and Real Betis on June 11. There was some concern about the Monday games, as well as the space between games and time spent away from family during this run, but those issues have all been resolved, for the most part. Players will be assured at least 72 hours rest between games, which will mean that the final games of the season will be played on July 19, barring any sort of setback.
With 11 rounds to be played, Barcelona currently have a slender 2-point lead on Real Madrid at the top of La Liga standings. The cramped nature of the schedule is going to be tough for all to navigate, so we may see a rather frantic finish to the season that should be a ton of fun to watch.
