For the first time since Week 9, Real Madrid does not sit atop the La Liga standings.

Their upsetting defeat against Athletic Bilbao in Week 26 was a heartbreaker. Athletic Bilbao doesn't even have a winning record, so this is regarded as the most disappointing loss of the season for Real Madrid, just ahead of the 4-0 beat down to Atletico Madrid in the "Madrid Derby" in Week 22.

Real Madrid is presently 20-1-5 with 61 points.

Barcelona has been on fire lately winning eight of their last nine games to take over first place. Barcelona now has a 20-2-4 record with 62 points. Incredibly, Barcelona has overtaken Real Madrid in goals scored, despite the fact that Real Madrid was previously on a record scoring pace. The same goes for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi has now tied Ronaldo for the league lead in goals scored with 30, thanks to his hat trick against Rayo Vallecano.

To make matters worse for Real Madrid, Colombian superstar James Rodriguez is still out with a foot injury. Rodriguez broke his foot against Sevilla on Feb. 4, and is expected to miss at least another three weeks. Without Rodriguez, Real Madrid has two wins, one draw and two losses in their last five games. Rodriguez will not play in the much anticipated "El Clasico" game against rival Barcelona in Week 28 on March 22.

That game against Barcelona will be played on the road at Barcelona. Real Madrid previously defeated Barcelona in Week 9 at home, 3-1.

Luckily, Real Madrid gets to face off against Levante next week, who sit in 17th place in the standings with just six victories. Obviously, this is a critical must win game for Real Madrid. Although Ronaldo and the Real Madrid offense has been struggling lately, goalkeeper Iker Casillas hasn't lost a step. Casillas has allowed just 22 goals in his 24 starts. Unfortunately for Real Madrid, Claudio Bravo has been playing even better this season in net.

ESPNFC has even explored the option of possibly benching Ronaldo. That's obviously an absurd claim to even consider, but it just shows how much some fans are panicking at the moment. Real Madrid has the most Spanish League Championships with 32, their last coming in the 2011-12 season. We've seen three different champions over the last three seasons, and head coach Carlo Ancelotti has to make adjustments to the offense.

Real Madrid has three of the four most expensive footballers in the world, but a recent slump, injuries and a Barcelona win streak has got many Real Madrid fans worried. Real Madrid still isn't out of this by any means. They are still in second place with 12 weeks remaining. Eventually Rodriguez will return, hopefully back to 100 percent form.

Atletico Madrid isn't the powerhouse that they were last season, and Valencia is barely hanging around in fourth place with 54 points. That being said, this is considered a two team race between Real Madrid and Barcelona by most La Liga fans. Regardless of who wins, soccer fans are in for quite a finish to remember.

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