LALIGA preview: Atlético Madrid vs Real Sociedad headlines a busy Sunday
THERE are some very intriguing fixtures coming up in Matchday 9 of the 2023/24 LALIGA EA Sports season, not least the duel between Atlético Madrid and Real Sociedad.
That fascinating match is one five fixtures taking place on Sunday, ahead of the October international break.
First, the opening fixture of this matchday takes place in Bilbao on Friday night, as Athletic Blibao meet Almería.
Iñaki Williams and co will view this as a good chance to bounce back from last weekend’s Basque Derby defeat, as they face a struggling Almería side that is currently bottom of the table and without a permanent coach, with B team boss Alberto Lasarte set to take charge of the Andalusian outfit for a second match in a row.
Another team keen to get back on track this weekend is Girona. The Catalan side have been a revelation this season and are still third in the table, despite losing their first game of the campaign against Real Madrid last weekend.
This matchday, they pay a visit to Cádiz, where they have never won an official match. Los Blanquivermells will aim to change that this Saturday.
Real Madrid return home for a duel with Osasuna, who have drawn at the Bernabéu on their past two visits. With it so tight at the top of the table right now, Los Blancos know they can’t afford to drop points this time.
Mallorca vs Valencia follows, with Los Che making the short hop across the Mediterranean Sea to seek revenge for their two defeats against the islanders last season.
If they are to win against Mallorca this time, though, Valencia will have to contain Vedat Muriqi, who has scored in each of his past four games.
The Saturday night game this weekend is Sevilla vs Rayo Vallecano. It has been an up and down season so far for José Luis Mendilibar’s side, but they did win 5-1 in their last home game and will hope to put on another show for their fans at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán.
It’ll be a super Sunday as there are five fixtures in one day, the first of which is Villarreal vs Las Palmas, a battle of the possession kings.
These are two of the top five teams in the competition for possession stats, with the home side averaging 53.7 per cent and the islanders 59.7 per cent. It’ll be an interesting tactical tussle to begin Sunday.
Atlético Madrid take on Real Sociedad next, and that is a game that will be watched around the world. Both these sides finished inside the top four last season and they’re currently fourth and fifth respectively, heading into Matchday 9.
With some of the very best players in LALIGA involved in this one, such as Antoine Griezmann, Nahuel Molina, Jan Oblak, Mikel Oyarzabal, Takefusa Kubo and Mikel Merino, this should be a thriller.
There are then two games in evening, with Celta Vigo looking to move out the relegation zone when they host Getafe and with Deportivo Alavés desperate to get back to winning ways when they welcome Real Betis to Mendizorrotza.
The matchday then concludes with Granada vs Barcelona, a match all the supporters of the Andalusian club have been looking forward to ever since they were promoted back into the top flight.
Interestingly, Barça have failed to win any of their past three meetings with Granada, drawing two and losing one. Although Xavi’s side travel south as major favourites this time, given that they’re placed second and Granada CF are second-bottom, he’ll know that anything is possible in LALIGA EA Sports.
Watch LALIGA EA Sports live this weekend on your local broadcasters.
