Madrid, Oct 29 (IANS) Barcelona will look to recover from last weekend’s Clasico defeat in the 11th round of La Liga matches, while Atletico Madrid could go top of the table for a few hours, and the Basque derby between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad will provide plenty of tradition and local rivalry.
The weekend’s action kicks off on Friday night when Villarreal host struggling Espanyol.
Espanyol sacked coach Manolo Gonzalez on Tuesday following their Copa del Rey exit. Although the club has announced Eder Sarabia as Gonzalez’s replacement, B-team coach Sergio Garcia will be in the dugout for Friday’s game.
Atletico Madrid will go top of the table if Diego Simeone’s side wins away to Levante on Saturday. Atletico will look to benefit from the attacking quality of Argentine forward Julian Alvarez, although it will need to be wary of a well-organised and hard-working Levante side that has beaten both Betis and Athletic Bilbao at home.
Barcelona have a lengthy injury list ahead of their home game against Alaves on Saturday night, with Xavi Espart the latest player to be ruled out.
Jules Kounde could return from an ankle injury in time for Saturday’s game, which would be a boost for Hansi Flick as his side looks to bounce back from consecutive defeats.
Alaves travel to Barcelona after their positive start to the season gave way to a run of four defeats and two draws since their last win on September 6.
Betis will look to return to winning ways after a defeat to Barcelona and a goalless draw away to Celta Vigo when they host Malaga on Saturday. Malaga have yet to win in 11 games since returning to La Liga, although Juanfran Funes’ side came close to their first victory last weekend, only to be denied late away to Alaves.
Saturday also sees Rayo Vallecano host Celta Vigo.
Sunday’s standout fixture is the Basque derby between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad, with the traditional rivals meeting at San Mames.
Athletic could welcome midfielder Oihan Sancet back into contention after a muscle injury, while Spain international Aymeric Laporte returns from suspension after missing last week’s 4-0 home win over Getafe.
Getafe need to find some defensive stability after conceding nine goals in their last two games. They face a tough test against Sevilla, who have made a positive start to the season under Luis Garcia Plaza, a former Getafe coach.
Racing Santander play at home on Sunday, while Elche welcome Valencia, who remain second from the bottom of the table and have managed just two draws and a defeat since Javier Aguirre took over as coach.
Valencia will be without promising teenage winger David Otorbi, who has suffered a right hamstring injury. The round concludes on Monday when Deportivo La Coruna host Osasuna.
–IANS
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