La Liga Results 2014 Week 16: Tracking Final Scores, Top Scorers for Matchday 16

La Liga's top contenders for the 2014-15 top scorer's title will have a chance to gain on leader Cristiano Ronaldo in Week 16, as the Portuguese superstar and his Real Madrid teammates won't be playing due to the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup.

Lionel Messi and Neymar will go up against Cordoba, one of the league's worst defensive teams, and Barcelona could move within a single point of Los Blancos with a win.

Defending champions Atletico Madrid face a difficult trip to the Basque Country to play Athletic Bilbao, while Valencia will take on surging Eibar . The full schedule for Matchday 16:

The current La Liga standings:

The list of La Liga's top scorers:

Juan Ignacio Martinez led Almeria to a 1-0 win over Celta Vigo in his La Liga debut as manager of the club, taking advantage of the Galicians ' dreadful run of form to end 2014 on a positive note, via AS English:

Tomer Hemed was gifted the only goal after 17 minutes, as Andreu Fontas tried to chest a ball back to his goalkeeper and horribly overshot his mark. As shared by Hispanospherical , all the Israel international had to do was tap it in:

Celta Vigo hadn't won a single match since their shock win over Barcelona, and the Galicians couldn't even score in their last four losses. Their struggles were once again evident on Friday against Almeria, as they wasted chance after chance.

The hosts had over 75 percent of possession, double-digit shots on goal and were even given a penalty in the second half, but as shared by Matchbook Exchange, Duran Nolito's slump continued:

Almeria were booked for time-wasting on several occasions, but the visitors held firm amid some pressure from Celta throughout the second half. As shared by Sport's Joseph Sexton, they did it all without literally any supporters:

The second half delivered little excitement, apart from the penalty, and in his first La Liga match as manager of Almeria, Martinez was able to celebrate the win. He told reporters that was the plan before the match, via Inside Spanish Football's Jamie Kemp:

We’re going to Vigo with the intention of adding points because we desperately need them. The victory in the Copa del Rey has been good for us mentally and although we’re facing a good team in Celta Vigo , we want to end the year on a positive note.

We have to worry more about ourselves than our opponents, but clearly we have to be cautious of them given the potential that they have. I expect a fast-paced game with lots of football being played. We have to be strong to ensure we bring back the three points that we very much want.

The fast pace certainly wasn't there on Friday, but Martinez and Almeria won't care one bit. The win sees them climb out of the relegation zone, while Celta Vigo 's free-fall continues.