4 bold predictions for the rest of the La Liga season

With the invasive international window mercifully in the rearview mirror, and remaining that way until its next intrusion in March, we can shift our collective gazes back to the various club competitions. Few leagues figure to be as explosive as Spain's top flight for the remainder of the campaign.

• Bold predictions for the rest of the Premier League season
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• Bold predictions for the rest of the Ligue 1 season

Here are four bold predictions for the rest of the La Liga season.

Atletico Madrid rebounds to win title

Already six points adrift of table-topping rival Real Madrid, Atletico heads into Saturday's derby against Los Blancos in danger of seeing the gap widen to an unrecoverable level. Recent losses to Real Sociedad and Sevilla set the Rojiblancos behind the eight ball, and it was difficult not to feel like the international window, so disruptive for teams on a roll, came at a perfect time for Diego Simeone's sputtering squad.

Though inevitably flying in the shadow of both Real and Barcelona, Atleti has quietly put together and attacking unit that, on paper, is capable of racking up goals at levels that compete with Spain's illustrious duo. More impressively, that newfound scoring competence hasn't been attained at the expense of Simeone's legendary defensive solidity; Jan Oblak has been forced to make just 1.1 saves per match this season on shots from inside the penalty area.

Antoine Griezmann is the undisputed star, but with the underrated Kevin Gameiro settling, Yannick Ferreira Carrasco blossoming, and midfielders Saul and Koke continuing to develop, Atleti has the talent going forward. Six points can seem like an already massive gap, but starting with a victory on Saturday at the Vicente Calderon, Simeone and Co. will once again taste domestic glory.

Ronaldo finishes outside top five in league scoring

Age comes for us all. Even the very best. Cristiano Ronaldo will score plenty of goals this season. One of the most prolific players in the sport's history, the bronzed Portuguese is too talented, too deadly in front of goal to see his production simply wither away completely as his 30th birthday continues to drift farther in the rearview mirror.

But there are already small signs that his otherworldly production of recent seasons may be a thing of the past. The 31-year-old, who recently signed an extension with Los Blancos that will keep him at the club until 2020, has endured a slow start to the campaign; a knee injury suffered in the final of Euro 2016 has surely played a significant role, as Ronaldo looked laboured and unusually blunt early in the year.

That he's found the net only five times thus far in La Liga isn't the issue. The sculpted superstar is producing fewer shots than ever before - 6.3 per match so far signals his lowest-ever output in Spain's top flight. Naturally, he isn't firing as frequently from inside the penalty area, where he typically dominates. Though he could very well go on a scoring tear at some point, the presence of fellow goal machines in La Liga - the vaunted Barcelona trio, in particular - could very well see Ronaldo not only fail to claim the Pichichi award, but fall well behind the pack in the scoring table.

None of Barcelona's MSN wins Pichichi

Speaking of Barcelona's terrific trio of attacking superstars ...

The campaign has gotten has gotten off to a predictably rampant start for Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar; the three men have already combined for 20 goals and 10 assists in league play, with the Argentine and Uruguayan tied atop the scoring chart on eight tallies apiece. Messi's 19 shots on target lead the league, while Suarez isn't far behind with 16 efforts on goal. They're completely dominant forwards on their own, and entirely unfair when combined to create this vaunted three-headed monster that virtually nobody can stop.

Maybe the only way they can be slowed down is by one another? Grasping at straws, I know.

Unlikely as it may be, with so many mouths to feed at the Camp Nou, could someone like Griezmann, Gareth Bale, or even a relative outsider like Alvaro Morata nip in and capitalize on the Catalan club's need to spread the wealth?

Suarez captured the Pichichi - given to La Liga's top scorer - by finding the net 40 times last season, finally breaking the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly that had existed for six seasons. Maybe this is the year neither Barcelona nor Real Madrid can put that award on display in their bloated trophy cabinets.

Plucky Las Palmas nabs Europa League berth

The darling of Spain's top flight, Las Palmas has captured hearts of supporters everywhere with its tantalizing brand of quick, incisive football that was epitomized with this breathtaking team goal that featured a flying backheel pass and thunderous scissor kick from Kevin-Prince Boateng, who has been something of the poster boy for the club's wild success so far.

Returning to La Liga for the first time in 14 seasons last year, Las Palmas looked set for a quick return down the pyramid - second from the bottom after eight matches in 2015-16, Paco Herrera, who guided the club into La Liga, was sent packing.

In came Quique Setien, and the results followed.

Sitting ninth in the table this season, Las Palmas' 21 goals are good enough for fourth in the league this season - only the big three have scored more. The flair is infectious; a fittingly exuberant style for a club from the Canary Islands, described by Spanish football writer Sid Lowe as Spain's Brazil.

Can Setien and his men ride this attacking wave into Europe? Neutrals everywhere, and perhaps even the odd rival supporter, will be hoping so.