FC Barcelona maintains the lead in LaLiga EA Sports 2025/26 on matchday 18, still with a 4-point lead over Real Madrid. Both teams won in the match prior to the Spanish Super Cup, Barça on Saturday at Espanyol's ground (0-2) and Los Blancos on Sunday against Betis at the Bernabéu (5-1).
Xabi Alonso's team arrived at the duel against the 'Verdiblancos' under the pressure of being 7 points behind Barça and without Kylian Mbappé available due to injury. However, an afternoon to forget for the Betis defense and a 'hat-trick' from Gonzalo García set the stage for the locals' 'five-goal haul'.
Raúl Asencio and Fran García also scored for Madrid, while Cucho Hernández scored for a Betis that only reacted when the score was 3-0 in favor of the Whites. With the victory, Real reaches 45 points and remains 4 behind Barça (49). Villarreal is third with 38 and a couple of games in hand, while Atlético de Madrid closes the 'Champions zone' with 37 units
LaLiga EA Sports 2025/26 Standings on Matchday 18
| Pos. | Club | PJ | PTS | DG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1️⃣ | FC Barcelona | 19 | 49 | 33 |
| 2️⃣ | Real Madrid | 19 | 45 | 24 |
| 3️⃣ | Villarreal | 17 | 38 | 18 |
| 4️⃣ | Atlético Madrid | 19 | 38 | 17 |
| 5️⃣ | Espanyol | 18 | 33 | 3 |
| 6️⃣ | Betis | 18 | 28 | 6 |
Barça closed a brutal first half of LaLiga
Barça, for their part, secured their ninth consecutive victory on Saturday after defeating Espanyol in a very heated derby in Cornellà. Joan García was a standout in his return to the RCDE Stadium with 6 saves, while Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski scored the goals for the Catalan victory.
Both were assisted by Fermín López in the 86th and 89th minutes, respectively, to break the tie in a match that seemed destined to end goalless. The team managed by Hansi Flick earned 49 out of a possible 57 points and finished just 6 points shy of the club's record for a first half of the season (55), achieved by Tito Vilanova in the 12/13 season.
Compared to the previous season, Barça's improvement is notable. In 24/25, **the team closed the first half of the tournament in third place with 38 points**, 6 behind leaders Atlético de Madrid (44). Adding what they did in the second half of last season, the Catalans have accumulated 99 points in the last 38 matchdays played, with only 3 losses and the same number of draws.
Regarding matchday 18 of LaLiga, at the moment **only Celta and Real Madrid managed to win at home**. The Galicians thrashed Valencia on Saturday (4-1), while Villarreal and Levante, like Barça, won away against Elche (1-33) and Sevilla (0-3), respectively. Rayo and Osasuna drew against Getafe and Athletic, with both matches ending in a one-goal tie.
All the results from LaLiga Matchday 18 25-26
- Rayo 1-1 Getafe (Friday)
- Celta 4-1 Valencia (Saturday)
- Osasuna 1-1 Athletic (Saturday)
- Elche 1-3 Villarreal (Saturday)
- Espanyol 0-2 FC Barcelona (Saturday)
- Sevilla 0-3 Levante (Sunday)
- Real Madrid 5-1 Betis (Sunday)
- Alavés vs Oviedo (Sunday)
- Mallorca vs Girona (Sunday)
- Real Sociedad vs Atlético (Sunday)