State of LaLiga as title race bursts back to life
After the Bundesliga's successful return, LaLiga will be the next to get up and running among Europe's top-five leagues.
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Spain's top flight has been suspended since March 12 after Real Madrid went into quarantine when a player on their basketball team tested positive for coronavirus.
A resumption date of June 11 has been set and a tense title tussle is back on the cards between the country's two grandest clubs.
Ahead of the big kick-off behind closed doors, we take a look at the story so far in this LaLiga campaign.
What is the state of play?
Madrid has won the domestic league title in just one of the past seven seasons, yet it is poised to push Barcelona all the way this time.
It is Barca though, which has the advantage for now, holding a two-point lead over its bitter rival, having reclaimed top spot ahead of the suspension when Zinedine Zidane's side lost at Real Betis.
Defeat in Seville represented a bitter blow for Madrid, which seemed to have seized the initiative by beating the Blaugrana at the Santiago Bernabeu the previous week.
The big two still have work to do in the Champions League - Madrid trails Manchester City after the last-16 first leg, as Barca-Napoli stands at 1-1 - but there is no third horse in the race positioned to take advantage.
It is all to play for in the battle for Champions League qualification, as just two points separate third-placed Sevilla and Atletico Madrid in sixth.
Shot-shy draw king Atleti upset holder Liverpool to reach the quarter-finals of Europe's elite club competition but must battle past Real Sociedad and Getafe to be assured of a return to the big time next season.
At the foot of the table, Espanyol, Leganes and Real Mallorca occupy the relegation places. Celta Vigo is a point clear of Mallorca in 17th.
What have been the big controversies?
Even by Barca's colourful standards, this has been a particularly tumultuous season.
Manager Ernesto Valverde was sacked in January after a Supercopa de Espana semi-final reverse to Atleti, and sporting director Eric Abidal bravely picked a fight with the squad, including former team-mate Lionel Messi, by suggesting players were not working hard enough for the dismissed boss.
Messi fired back and claimed Abidal was "dirtying" the squad, with reports of discontent behind the scenes persisting ever since.
It all increased speculation that club great Messi could make the most of a contract clause and walk out on a free transfer, although that option has now reportedly expired.
Ivan Rakitic is among the Blaugrana stars who might well depart, reminding the club: "I am not a sack of potatoes. I will decide my future. I want to be where I am valued."
Sales are said to be required to fund potential big-money bids for Lautaro Martinez and ex-Barca forward Neymar.
Who had momentum before everything stopped?
New manager Quique Setien was not immediately able to arrest Barca's January slump and it ceded top spot to Madrid after a run of just two wins in six in the league.
However, the Catalan giant had been a picture of consistency since the January 25 loss at Valencia - until visiting Madrid.
A run of four straight wins was ended by Zidane's men, yet Barca was back on track when it beat Sociedad prior to the pause in play.
Madrid, by contrast, has taken just four points from its past four games, with the Barca game sandwiched between a pair of defeats. Los Blancos had previously lost just once in the league this season.
The suspension came at a frustrating time for Sociedad, meanwhile, after four wins in five - losing only to the leader - moved the Basque outfit into the top four.
Wins for Leganes and Mallorca in their most recent fixtures ensured both sides retained survival hopes.
Which clubs have had it toughest during the COVID-19 months?
The positive test for a Madrid basketball player may have prompted the season's suspension, but Valencia was the LaLiga club most prominent in early discussion of coronavirus.
Ezequiel Garay, Jose Gaya and Eliaquim Mangala each confirmed diagnoses, before Los Che revealed on March 16 that 35 per cent of those at the club tested had returned positive results.
Madrid still made the headlines, though, as forward Luka Jovic was criticised for breaching self-isolation measures on his return to Serbia.
Fifteen cases were soon confirmed at Deportivo Alaves, too, as Spain became one of the worst-affected countries with more than 27,000 related deaths. A strict lockdown helped authorities to get control of the outbreak.
The country's leading players at least helped to limit the financial impact of the crisis with pay cuts, with Barca stars forgoing more than 70 per cent of their wages.
