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Sports Mole's La Liga Team of the Week

Sports Mole picks out its 11 star performers from what was another enthralling weekend of La Liga action.

Barcelona edged four points clear at the top of La Liga this weekend with a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid in El Clasico.

Cristiano Ronaldo cancelled out an early header from Jeremy Mathieu to leave the two teams on terms, but Luis Suarez's 56th-minute effort ensured that Barca stretched their lead over second-placed Los Blancos with 10 games remaining.

Valencia are also now just four points behind Real Madrid following a 4-0 win at struggling Elche on Friday, while Atletico Madrid returned to winning ways in the league with a comfortable 2-0 victory over local rivals Getafe.

Saturday's action also saw victories for Rayo Vallecano and Celta Vigo, with the former beating Malaga, before Celta won 1-0 at struggling Levante.

Athletic Bilbao continued their five-game winning run in all competitions with a 2-1 success over Almeria, before Saturday's action drew to a close with a goalless draw between Granada and Eibar.

Sunday's opener also brought a goalless draw as Deportivo La Coruna held Espanyol at the Riazor, before Sevilla took charge of fifth position with a 2-0 victory over European rivals Villarreal.

Real Sociedad then won their fourth game in five with a 3-1 victory over Cordoba, who remain bottom of the table and now seven points from safety.

Here, Sports Mole picks out its 11 star performers from what was another enthralling weekend of La Liga action.

Sergio Rico (Sevilla)
Villarreal had nine shots on target during their home match against Sevilla on Sunday, but somehow failed to find the back of the net in what ended in a 2-0 defeat. Much of that was due to the performance of Rico, who has been sensational since replacing the injured Beto between the sticks.

Coke (Sevilla)
Another of Sevilla's heroes, Coke scored his side's first in their 2-0 victory at Villarreal. Defensively, the Spaniard was superb as he marked Joel Campbell out of the game, but his biggest contribution came early in the second period when he showed class and composure to find the bottom corner from close range.
Gerard Pique (Barcelona)
Pique continued his stunning run of form with a towering display in Sunday's El Clasico. Real Madrid enjoyed a very strong spell towards the end of the first period, but the Spaniard was on hand to make a number of key challenges and interceptions. The centre-back has been back to his very best in 2015.
Jeremy Mathieu (Barcelona)
The Frenchman picked some match to open his league account for Barca as he netted the opener in Sunday's 2-1 win over Real Madrid. The defender showed excellent determination to find the back of the net, but his performance down the other end also impressed. He was simply excellent alongside Pique.
Nicolas Otamendi (Valencia)
Otamendi further enhanced his growing reputation with another strong performance in Valencia's 4-0 win over Elche on Friday. The hosts simply had no change from the Argentine, who also got his name on the scoresheet late on. One of Valencia's main tasks this summer will be to keep hold of the centre-back.

Koke (Atletico Madrid)
At just 23, Koke is already Atletico's most important player. His return to fitness has coincided with Atletico's return to form and he had another super game this weekend. The midfielder provided the assist for Fernando Torres's opener against Getafe, while he absolutely ran the show from a deep position.
Mikel Rico (Athletic Bilbao)
Rico's form in recent weeks has been a large contributor to Bilbao's upturn and the midfielder made another big impact at the weekend. He scored his side's second in their 2-1 win over Almeria with a beautiful chip from the edge of the area. For the remainder of the match, Rico continued to drive his team forward.
Andre Gomes (Valencia)
Gomes has had to bide his time on the sidelines in recent weeks, but he made a bit of a point on Friday evening with a man-of-the-match display at Elche. The midfielder scored the first of his side's four goals, before setting up Paco Alcacer for the second. It was a strong and classy midfield performance from Gomes.
Vitolo (Sevilla)
Buoyed by his recent call-up to the senior Spain squad, Villarreal were the latest team to suffer against the in-form attacker. The 25-year-old scored Sevilla's second of the match at El Madrigal with an excellent volley, while he gave the away side's back four nightmares with his pace in the latter stages.

Luis Suarez (Barcelona)
Suarez capped his home El Clasico debut for Barcelona with their winner in Sunday's 2-1 success over Real Madrid. The striker showed excellent composure under pressure to finish from a difficult angle and he caused the visitors problems all evening. It was perhaps his finest moment in a Barca shirt.
Fernando Torres (Atletico Madrid)
The Spaniard finally scored his first league goal for Atletico since returning to the Vicente Calderon with their first in Saturday's 2-0 win over Getafe. The goal itself was an excellent header and Torres remained a threat throughout the match. There is no question that he has an extra spring in his step back in Madrid.

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Written by
Matt Law
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La Liga Team of the Week
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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Atletico MadridAtletico18125133122141
2Real Madrid18124241182340
3Barcelona19122551222938
4Athletic Bilbao19106329171236
5Villarreal188643430430
6Mallorca199371921-230
7Real Sociedad187471613325
8GironaGirona187472625125
9Real BetisBetis186752122-125
10Osasuna186752327-425
11Celta Vigo187382728-124
12Rayo Vallecano185762021-122
13Las PalmasLas Palmas186482327-422
14Sevilla186482027-722
15Leganes184681728-1118
16AlavesAlaves184592130-917
17Getafe183781115-416
18Espanyol1843111630-1415
19Valencia172691626-1012
20Real ValladolidValladolid1833121237-2512


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