LaLiga preview: Goals expected at Real Madrid vs Espanyol, Bilbao vs Barca, Girona vs Atletico

THERE are some very interesting and even match-ups coming up in Matchday 25 of LaLiga Santander, including several fixtures where recent history and recent results suggest there will be a lot of goals.

The thrills should be spread out over the entire weekend, with each of the top three teams playing on a different day, as Real Madrid vs Espanyol is early on Saturday, before Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona on Sunday night and Girona vs Atlético Madrid on Monday night.

The Friday night game should be fascinating too, as Cádiz host Getafe with both of these clubs currently outside the relegation zone but only by the slimmest of margins.

This is well and truly a relegation battle and both coaches know that they need to win this fixture, as a draw might not be enough.

Real Madrid host the first of four matches on Saturday, taking on Espanyol in the early kick-off. Los Blancos have an incredible home record against the Catalans, as Los Pericos haven’t won away at the capital city side this century.

Real Madrid can make it 10 Bernabéu wins vs Espanyol in a row this weekend and will try to put on a show once again, as those previous nine victories saw Real Madrid score 24 and concede just one.

Elche vs Real Valladolid follows and this is an interesting one as the home side are full of confidence following their win away at Mallorca last weekend. They’ll be looking to make it two victories in a row for the first time this season.

Later on Saturday, Celta square off against Rayo Vallecano in a battle between two teams who have been playing a very vertical style of football, and to great effect.

Gabri Veiga has been the star man for the Galicians of late and will present his February Player of the Month award to the Balaídos crowd before kick-off.

The final game of Saturday is Valencia vs Osasuna at Mestalla, with the home side currently inside the relegation zone and fighting to stay up, whereas the away team are on the brink of European qualification.

Even if they’re striving for very different objectives, this should be a fun one as in-form Giorgi Mamardashvili aims to thwart the tricky trio of Chimy Ávila, Ante Budimir and Abde Ezzalzouli.

Sunday starts with a game between two teams who have met twice already, as Real Sociedad have defeated Mallorca 1-0 in LaLiga Santander and 1-0 in the Copa del Rey, scoring inside the opening five minutes on each occasion.

This time, though, the islanders will be at home and looking to bounce back after a pair of defeats in a row.

A high-stakes Andalusian derby then follows, as Sevilla welcome Almería to the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán.

The home team are currently just outside the relegation zone whereas Almería are inside it in 18th, but both clubs are level on 25 points, making this a massive relegation six-pointer.

At the other end of the table, a battle for European qualification follows in the form of Villarreal vs Real Betis. Both these clubs will come into this game following their European fixtures on Thursday and they’ll want the three points on offer to try to secure continental competition again for next season.

Making this duel even more interesting is the fact that both coaches will be taking on a former club, as Quique Setién coached Real Betis between 2017 and 2019, while Manuel Pellegrini was in the Villarreal CF dugout between 2004 and 2009.

Athletic Bilbao are also pushing to finish in the European spots this season and they’ll welcome Barcelona to Bilbao on Sunday night. Matches between these two clubs are usually epic, as was the case the last time Barça went to San Mamés, when the Basque side won 3-2 after extra time in a Copa del Rey thriller.

Looking at these two clubs’ duels there across all competitions over the past 10 years, there have been eight Barça wins, six Athletic Club wins and three duels, with 3.2 goals scored on average. So, we could be in for another spectacle on Sunday.

Then, on Monday, there is another fixture that should produce a lot of goals if looking at recent form. Girona and Atlético Madrid will meet in the final match of the round and come into Matchday 25 after high-scoring duels, as the Catalans lost 3-2 to Getafe CF and the capital city side just thrashed Sevilla FC 6-1.

In fact, Girona’s matches have been producing the most goals of the whole division, an average of 3.17 total goals per game this season. This, then, is a Monday night game that football fans won’t want to miss.

Watch LaLiga Santander live this weekend on your local broadcasters.