We're 23 weeks into another exciting Spanish League soccer season, and the defending champions are in third place.

Atletico Madrid has a 16-2-5 record giving them 50 points. Barcelona is currently riding a six-game winning streak giving them 56 points, while Real Madrid is in first place with 57 points. There's still 15 games remaining in the season, but a Week 23 loss to ninth place Celta Vigo wasn't what manager Diego Simeone had in mind.

Atletico Madrid lost to Celta Vigo, 2-0 in their last game.

Barcelona was the last team to win consecutive La Liga championships, when they did so in 2009 and 2010. The last time an Atletico Madrid squad won back-to-back championships was 1949 and 1950. It's been more than half a century for Atletico Madrid, but their fans want this one badly.

Unfortunately for Atletico Madrid, the odds are heavily stacked against them. Last season, Atletico Madrid finished the 38-game season 28-6-4. Atletico Madrid has already lost five games this season and we still have 15 games remaining. Another big difference from last season has been goaltending. When Atletico Madrid won it all last season they allowed an amazing 26 goals in 38 games. This year, Atletico Madrid has allowed 22 goals. That's not bad at all, but it's hard to compare to last season's greatness.

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was phenomenal for Atletico Madrid last season, winning the Ricardo Zamora Trophy for best goalie. This year, former Getafe goalkeeper Miguel Moya has played average for Atletico Madrid, but the loss of Courtois may be too much to fill.

Another factor to consider is lack of offense. Antoine Griezmann and Mario Mandzukic make up one of the best duos in the league today having a combined 23 goals, but the team does lack scoring depth. Griezmann and Mandzukic have scored nearly half (23 of 47) of Atletico Madrid's goals this year while the next highest scorers on the team have just four goals each, Raúl García and Tiago Mendes.

Outside of team issues, Atletico Madrid always has to keep an eye on their rivals. Barcelona has won six consecutive games and Lionel Messi is playing better than ever. First place Real Madrid is seven points ahead of Atletico Madrid in the standings, but Atletico Madrid did beat them twice this season in the Madrid Derby. Inconsistent play has led Atletico Madrid to a win over powerhouse Real Madrid, but a loss to mediocre Celta Vigo over the last two weeks.

This isn't the kind of team you want to place bets on.

Atletico Madrid isn't out of it just yet. The team still has a huge game against Barcelona in Week 37 on May 17. It will certainly take some luck that is out of their control, but Atletico Madrid will not go down without a fight. Atletico Madrid takes on Almeria in their next game on Saturday, Feb. 21.

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