La Liga Week 7 Schedule, Fixtures & Stream: Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo Look to Take Over First Place in Madrid Derby

By Damon Salvadore First Posted: Oct 02, 2015 10:45 AM EDT

Week 7 of the La Liga season kicks off this Friday with Getafe taking on Celta Vigo. This has been a very balanced season so far. Neither Barcelona or Real Madrid sit atop the standings. That distinction belongs to Villarreal.

Villarreal is in first place with 16 points with five wins and one draw. They tied Real Betis in Week 1, and have won their last five consecutive matches. They were the most impressive team last week defeating Atletico Madrid, 1-0. Villarreal will take on Levante on Sunday. Cédric Bakambu has been Villarreal's best scorer this year thus far with a team-leading three goals.

Barcelona is currently in second place in the standings, but they will be without Lionel Messi. Barcelona picked up a huge 2-1 win in the UEFA Champions League without the Argentine forward, but this will be a big test. Messi is regarded as the best player in the world, and he is scheduled to miss the next months. It's going to be up to Neymar and Luis Suarez to step and prove their worth.

Barcelona has a 5-1 record this season. Last week they defeated Las Palmas with Suarez scoring both goals. This weekend they will take on Sevilla, who has just one win. Claudio Bravo will be out once again because of a calf injury. It won't be easy, but Barcelona just has to manage without Messi.

Third place Real Madrid will also be in action this weekend. Cristiano Ronaldo has a chance to overtake Raul as the all-time leading goal scorer in franchise history. Karim Benzema actually has five goals this La Liga season, which is tied with Ronaldo for the team lead. Real Madrid has yet to lose a single game this season, but two disappointing draws against Sporting Gijon and Malaga have them in third place looking up.

Real Madrid faces Atletico Madrid this weekend in the "Madrid Derby." This is without a doubt the biggest game of the week. Both of these clubs have won a Spanish League title in the last three years, and Atletico has had Real Madrid's number lately. Atletico Madrid swept Real Madrid last season by a goal count of 6-1.