Real and Barca have won the title in 15 of the last 16 seasons, with Atletico breaking the duopoly in 2014.
Barcelona were held to a 1-1 home draw, a result which leaves the champions three points behind league leaders Sevilla.
Barcelona put one foot in the Champions League last 16 with a 5-0 away drubbing of Basel and are the only team with a 100 percent record.
Leaders Barcelona and Real Madrid were held to draws while Sevilla made up ground on the top two and Alaves slipped after a promising start. Here are five talking points from the weekend's La Liga action.
Barcelona's attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar were all on target as the champions roared back into life in La Liga with a dominant 5-1 victory at promoted Leganes on Saturday. Messi sidefooted in a simple cross from Suarez to strike the opening goal after 15 minutes and returned the favour for the Uruguayan to nudge in the second in the 31st.
A naturally shy character who rarely gave interviews or spoke Spanish in public, Bale never ingratiated himself to Madrid supporters
Real Madrid continued their impressive start to the new year with Karim Benzema giving them a 1-0 victory in the King's Cup quarter-final first-leg tie away to Espanyol on Tuesday.
Bayern edge closer to Bundesliga title after win at Arminia
Valencia's Fernando Morientes returned to the fold for next Wednesday's friendly against Romania.
New Real Sociedad coach David Moyes faces a tough challenge to get the Basque club back on La Liga track but it is also a chance for the Scot to restore his reputation after a failed stint at Manchester United.
Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale has expressed disappointment over the sacking of Rafael Benitez as a manager, saying that it was really sad to see him go. "I had a very good relationship with Rafa, obviously it was a big disappointment to see him go," Bale was quoted as saying by goal.com. Benitez was replaced by former French great Zinedine Zidane after just seven months in charge due to club's recent slump in form in the La Liga. Zidane's appointment seemed to be in favour of Real as they thrashed Deportivo La Coruna 5-0 in La Liga match.
IMAGES from the Europa League matches played on Thursday
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte indicated that striker Diego Costa will stay at the club, despite a series of reports in the Spanish media linking him with a return to Atletico Madrid.
Koeman grateful for Messi support in transitional season for Barca.
Marseille cement second place with Montpellier win
Moffi penalty gives Lorient 1-0 win over Monaco.
The Euro 2020 Championship is being held across Europe for the first time in the competition's 60-year history, with 11 host cities in total.
Real Madrid's playing and coaching staff have voluntarily agreed to take a wage cut of between 10 and 20 percent this year to help the club deal with the stoppage caused by the coronavirus outbreak, the La Liga side said in a statement on Wednesday. While Bundesliga club Schalke 04 have asked season ticket holders to waive their right to a rebate and help the cash-strapped club through the lockdown due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.
The result meant Real moved up to third place, one point ahead of Valencia and three behind leaders Barcelona.
The Portuguese is reported to be demanding another new deal to bring his salary in line with Lionel Messi and Neymar, the top two earners in world soccer.
Real Madrid's unbeaten start to the La Liga season came to an abrupt and surprising end as Real Mallorca claimed a stunning 1-0 victory at a rocking Son Moix on Saturday to climb out of the relegation zone.
Barcelona have filed a formal complaint against two former Real Madrid players turned pundits after they suggested Barca forward Neymar deserved the kick he received from Real midfielder Isco in this month's La Liga 'El Clasico'.
Karim Benzema's hat-trick earned Real Madrid a 3-1 win at reigning European champions Chelsea in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday. In another quarter-final match, Villarreal stunned six times European Cup winners Bayern Munich 1-0.
Fernando Morientes scored twice to help Valencia climb to third place with a 3-1 home win over direct rivals Atletico Madrid in the Primera Liga on Saturday.
Atletico Madrid kept pace with leaders Barcelona and restored their five-point lead over third-placed city rivals Real when Diego Costa and David Villa each scored a penalty in a 2-1 win at Granada in La Liga on Thursday.
Real Madrid's Gareth Bale has the qualities to fill the void left by his fellow forward Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Juventus, the Spanish side's new manager Julen Lopetegui has said.
France coach Didier Deschamps confirmed his final Euro 2016 squad on Tuesday, including defenders Adil Rami and Samuel Umtiti in place of the injured Raphael Varane and Jeremy Mathieu. Liverpool centre back Mamadou Sakho was not included even though his 30-day provisional suspension for failing a drugs test expired last weekend. Hosts France geared up for the finals with a 3-2 victory over Cameroon in Nantes on Monday. They take on Scotland in Metz on Saturday.
Unbeaten in six games, the draw leaves third-placed Sevilla on 51 points, four ahead of Real Sociedad and five ahead of both Getafe and Atletico Madrid, while Levante are 12th on 35 points.
Three months after the last ball was kicked, the Premier League emerges from the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic this week for what will be a 92-match slog to the finish.
A fitter Atletico Madrid will face off against Spanish neighbours Real Madrid in their second UEFA Champions League final in three years.
The Dutch striker has spent four seasons at Stamford Bridge, making 177 appearances and scoring 87 goals.
Ronaldinho was in inspirational form as he returned to lead Barcelona to a 5-1 home victory over an unfortunate Real Betis in the Primera Liga on Saturday.
Barcelona left it late to snatch a 1-0 win at Valencia on Sunday after Atletico Madrid's 2-0 victory at home to Deportivo La Coruna was overshadowed by the death of a visiting fan hours before kickoff.
Now, Real Madrid have never won the Spanish treble and are fighting tooth and nail in La Liga to prevent arch-rivals Barcelona scooping Champions League and domestic league and Cup titles for a second time.
Real Madrid secured a 10th European Cup when they snatched a stoppage-time equaliser before extra-time goals by Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo gave them a 4-1 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final on Saturday.
Spain coach Luis Aragones could call up a replacement with Celta Vigo's Borja Oubina, Villarreal's Cani or Valencia's Jaime Gavilan among those pressing for a place.
Super sub Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting struck the stoppage-time winner.
The Real Madrid striker will miss the club's King's Cup match against Athletic Bilbao
Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak produced a heroic performance to repel holders Real Madrid and help secure a 0-0 draw in their Champions League quarter-final, first leg at the Calderon on Tuesday.
