Goals are expected in Real Madrid vs RCD Espanyol on Saturday, Athletic Club vs Barça on Sunday and Girona FC vs Atleti on Monday. Here is a preview of the weekend’s LaLiga Matchday action.
There are some very interesting and even match-ups coming up in LaLiga Matchday 25 , 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 RCD Espanyol is early on Saturday, before Athletic Club vs FC Barcelona is on Sunday night and Girona FC vs Atlético de Madrid is on Monday night.
The Friday night game should be fascinating too, as Cádiz CF host Getafe CF 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 RCD 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 RCD 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 CF vs Real Valladolid follows and this is an interesting one as the home side are full of confidence following their win away at RCD Mallorca last weekend. They’ll be looking to make it two victories in a row for the first time this season.
Later on Saturday, RC 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 CF vs CA 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 RCD 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 FC welcome UD Almería to the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán. The home team are currently just outside the relegation zone whereas UD 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 CF 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.
Still on LaLiga Matchday 25, Athletic Club de Bilbao are also pushing to finish in the European spots this season and they’ll welcome FC 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.
The final fixture of LaLiga Matchday 25 will take place on Monday as Girona FC and Atlético de Madrid meet. Girona FC’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 SuperSport, your world of Champions.
