21.10.2016 » La Liga preview: Real Madrid have chance to outpace rivals
Some big games in La Liga this weekend, straight after midweek action in Europe with multiple Champions League and Europa League games. The league leaders Atletico Madrid face a tricky trip to Sevilla on Sunday, whilst on the very same day, Real Madrid will complete the weekend's action at home against Athletic Bilbao. Barcelona on the other hand, could temporarily go top of the league already on Saturday with a win at bottom half Valencia. Even though Sevilla currently sits in 3rd place on the table, our focus for La Liga action this weekend will be on Atletico, Real Madrid and Barça.
Real Madrid - La Liga 2016-17 promotional video:
Valencia vs Barcelona
Barcelona weren't overly impressive in their 4-0 thrashing of Manchester City on Wednesday, not at least until Claudio Bravo was dismissed for the Premier League side early in the second half at 1-0. Still, they ran out comfortable winners and Lionel Messi helped himself to a hat-trick.
Valencia have turned their form around in recent weeks with three wins from their last four, after starting the season with four consecutive defeats. Whether they will be match for the defending champions is questionable, but Barça hadn't been at the top of their game prior to their 4-0 drubbing of Deportivo last weekend.
One has to expect Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar will be too much for the Valencia defence to handle and that Barcelona will run out comfortable winners on Saturday...
Sevilla vs Atletico Madrid
Of the big three, Atletico Madrid certainly face the toughest test of the weekend as they travel to third-place Sevilla, whom are only one point below having won their last two. Diego Simeone's side had a tough trip to Russia on Wednesday night for their UEFA Champions League win against Rostov, whilst Sevilla were in Croatia 24 hours earlier.
This is certainly the game of the weekend in Spain and it's a difficult one to pick a winner. Nevertheless, a victory for either side would give them a real post for finishing in the top four this season. Diego Simeone has a wealth of talent and depth in his squad, but he'll surely wants to play as many of his top stars as he can in this one, though knowing they will most likely be more fatigued from Europe than their opponents...
Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao
The La Liga weekend concludes in Madrid when Zinedine Zidane's side take on Athletic Bilbao. Starting the weekend in second place, Real Madrid fans will be expectant of three points from this one after thrashing Real Betis 6-1 last weekend and then Legia Warsaw 5-1 midweek in the UEFA Champions League. Real Madrid's La Liga odds are now down to 2/1, with Barcelona still remaining the outright favourites despite being 4th in the league.
This comes after four consecutive draws in all competitions, so Zidane won't want to make too many changes to his side in order to keep the momentum going. Athletic Bilbao won't be a roll over either - they have won four of their last five in La Liga themselves.
Real Madrid have some exciting players in attack, but their defence has been a weak point at times. At least they have one of the world's top goalkeepers between the posts in Keylor Navas to keep the opponents at bay. It will be an interesting match with no guarantees of a home win...
Cristiano Ronaldo next game is a La Liga fixture for Real Madrid on October 23 of 2016, against Athletic Bilbao. You can watch Juventus live stream, Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao, Valencia vs Barcelona, Liverpool vs WBA, Arsenal vs Middlesbrough, and Bournemouth vs Tottenham, all matches provided from our football and sports game pages.
Real Madrid next game:
Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao kick-off time (23-10-2016):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 02:45
Jakarta (Indonesia) | UTC/GMT+7: 01:45
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 00:15
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+2: 20:45
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+1: 19:45
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 15:45
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 14:45
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 11:45
Sources: ronaldo7.net / skysports.com / bbc.com
