Ten things we learned this week in LaLiga EA Sports

What has been going on in LaLiga this past week? Here are 10 of the top stories, from the wins of Barça, Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid to the appearance milestone of Dani Parejo.

Club football returned with Matchday 10 of LaLiga EA Sports and there were several interesting results, including victories for each of the top three. Those games are discussed in more detail below, along with the other main headlines of the week.

FC Barcelona enter El Clasico week with a three-point lead

FC Barcelona put on a show in front of their home fans on Sunday evening to defeat Sevilla FC 5-1. That means Hansi Flick’s side head into next weekend’s El Clasico with a three-point lead over rivals Real Madrid.

Real Madrid close in on FC Barcelona’s unbeaten record

They enter El Clasico week in second place, but Real Madrid are keeping the pressure on Barça. Carlo Ancelotti’s side earned a 2-1 win at RC Celta on Saturday night, thanks to goals from Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius. That means they have now gone 42 LaLiga EA Sports matches without defeat, so are one game away from the all-time unbeaten record, the 43 achieved by FC Barcelona between 2017 and 2018.

Atlético de Madrid tighten their grip on third place

Atlético de Madrid had to come from behind to defeat CD Leganés, but managed to do so thanks to two goals from Alexander Sørloth and one from Antoine Griezmann. It snapped a three-match winless streak for Los Colchoneros, who have consolidated third place in the table.

Iñaki Williams leads Athletic Club to a big win

Athletic Club put together one of the best performances of the weekend to win 4-1 at home against RCD Espanyol. Iñaki Williams led the way for the Basque outfit, scoring two goals in the space of two minutes.

Chimy Ávila downs CA Osasuna on his return to El Sadar

Former CA Osasuna striker Chimy Ávila has scored many goals at El Sadar during his career, but his latest was against Los Rojillos. Now at Real Betis, the Argentinian forward was the match-winner against his former club on Saturday when the Andalusian club won 2-1 away at Pamplona.

Oyarzabal scores his first goal since the Euro 2024 final

Real Sociedad secured a vital road win in Matchday 10, defeating Girona FC 1-0 at the Estadi Montilivi. Mikel Oyarzabal scored the only goal of the game, which was his first goal of the season and his first since scoring the winner against England in the Euro 2024 final.

Parejo reaches 500 LaLiga EA Sports appearances

In Villarreal CF’s 1-1 draw against Getafe CF, Dani Parejo made his 500th appearance in LaLiga EA Sports. The 35-year-old midfielder enters a select group of just 15 players to hit this milestone, while he also made his 200th official appearance in Villarreal CF’s colours in this game.

Gavi return from injury after 348 days

FC Barcelona had more to celebrate this past week than just their win over Sevilla FC, as midfielder Gavi returned from his ACL injury. After missing almost a full year of action, the 20-year-old was back in action. It was an emotional moment, as the crowd at the Estadi Olímpic gave him a standing ovation and as he was given the captain’s armband when he made his entrance.

RC Celta give Claudio Giráldez a new contract

RC Celta announced this past week that they have given coach Claudio Giráldez a contract extension. The Galician side have had a good start to the season overall and are backing their coach, extending his deal until 2027.

Spain qualify for the Nations League quarterfinals

Before the Matchday 10 LaLiga EA Sports action, there were several eye-catching games during the October international break. The Spanish national team, which was packed with LaLiga EA Sports stars, kept up their impressive run. They defeated Serbia 3-0, a result which means they’ve already qualified for the 2024/25 Nations League quarterfinals.