LaLiga Preview: Atletico and Barça look to return to winning ways home

The 2024/25 LaLiga EA Sports title race is proving to be a rollercoaster, and each of Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid and FC Barcelona have spent time at the top of the table. It’s currently the reigning champions who sit first, after Atleti and Barça dropped points on the road last weekend. In front of their home fans, they’ll both look to get back to winning ways in Matchday 21.

It’s a matchday that begins in the Canary Islands, where UD Las Palmas take on CA Osasuna on Friday night. Both of these teams have seen their league form drop off in recent weeks, so they’ll each view this game as a good opportunity to get back on track.

The second fixture of the matchday is also being held off the mainland, this time in the Balearic Islands, where RCD Mallorca and Real Betis will face off in the first game of Saturday. Real Betis are in really poor form, with just one league win from their past nine fixtures, and Manuel Pellegrini knows that they need to win matches like this one if they are to qualify for European football for a fifth season in a row.

The next game of the day takes place in Spain’s capital, where Atlético de Madrid will look to kick off a new winning run after falling to defeat away at CD Leganés last weekend, a result which snapped a 15-match win streak. It won’t be easy against Villarreal CF, a team Atleti have dropped many points against over the years, but Diego Simeone will hope that home advantage can make the difference.

Sevilla FC v RCD Espanyol follows and Dodi Lukebakio, the fifth-top scorer in the division, will aim to keep up his impressive scoring form, especially given that the Belgian netted twice in a 2-0 win when these teams faced off in Catalonia earlier this season.

On Saturday night, at 21.00 CET, there is a duel between the team currently bottom of the table, Real Valladolid, and the club entering the matchday in first place, Real Madrid. This may look like a mismatch on paper, but the points will be decided on the Estadio José Zorrilla pitch, a pitch where Real Valladolid have won their past two home games.

There are four more fixtures on Sunday, starting with Rayo Vallecano v Girona FC. It’s always a special occasion for Girona FC coach Míchel when he returns to Vallecas to take on his former club, and he’ll hope it’s as happy a trip as it was last season when the Catalan outfit won 2-1.

Real Sociedad and Getafe CF face off on Sunday afternoon and there should be some excellent defending on display, given that these two teams currently boast the second-best and third-best defensive records in the division, respectively.

The action stays in the Basque Country, as Athletic Club host CD Leganés in Bilbao. The team from Madrid just defeated Atlético de Madrid, only a few weeks after also conquering FC Barcelona, so now Los Pepineros will seek another scalp when they visit San Mamés.

FC Barcelona v Valencia CF is next, taking place at the Estadi Olímpic on Sunday night. This is a preview of their upcoming Copa del Rey quarterfinal, but for now the focus is on the three league points at stake, as Barça look to catch up in the title race and as Los Che aim to escape the relegation zone.

The final game of the matchday comes on Monday night, as Deportivo Alavés take on RC Celta at Mendizorrotza. The Basque outfit will enter this fixture full of confidence after their impressive road win at Real Betis last weekend, in which Kike García scored a hat-trick to become the top-scoring Spaniard of the competition. In front of their home fans, Deportivo Alavés will set out to make it back-to-back wins.

Watch LALIGA EA SPORTS live this weekend on SuperSport LaLiga (Dstv Channel 204).

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