La Liga: Five things to watch out for this weekend as Real Madrid and Barcelona look for wins on the road

On target: Gareth Bale scored in Real Madrid's 2-0 win over Getafe
REUTERS
Ben Hayward25 August 2018

La Liga returns for a second weekend of action and there is plenty to look forward to again this time.

Barcelona beat Alaves 3-0 at Camp Nou last Saturday, with Real Madrid 2-0 winners over Getafe at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday and Atletico Madrid were held to an entertaining 1-1 draw at Valencia on Monday.

Newly-promoted side Huesca shocked Eibar after winning 2-1 at Ipurua to defy their tag of relegation favourites.

This weekend's action kicked off with Getafe winning 2-0 at home Eibar in the first game of the second round of matches on Friday night, while Real Sociedad beat Leganes 2-0 in the late game.

But the bulk of the action will take place on Saturday and Sunday and here, Standard Sport takes a look at some of the biggest talking points this weekend…

Courtois could make Real Madrid debut

Thibaut Courtois did not feature in the Uefa Super Cup loss to Atletico on August 15 and was left on the bench by coach Julen Lopetegui for the game against Getafe last Sunday.

The Belgium goalkeeper signed for Real Madrid from Chelsea on August 8 and said at his unveiling that he was prepared for a fight to be the starter for the Spanish side.

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Current first choice Keylor Navas said after Courtois’ arrival that he was up for the battle as well, while Lopetegui said that he did not see a problem, but two solutions.

Now, some reports in Spain claim Lopetegui will hand Courtois his Real debut in the team’s trip to Girona in La Liga on Sunday night.

An Englishman in La Liga

Manchester City midfielder Patrick Roberts has signed for Girona on loan and the 21-year-old winger could feature for the Catalan club against Real Madrid on Sunday.

Roberts, who has made one senior appearance for City, spent the last season and a half on loan to Celtic, but has now moved to the Premier League champions’ partner club Girona for the 2018-19 season.

An England international from Under-16 level through to the U20s, Roberts appeared as a late substitute in Girona’s goals draw at home to Valladolid last Friday and looked bright in his 10-minute appearance at Montilivi.

The youngster could now feature against the current European champions on Sunday, although he will likely have to wait for his opportunity from the bench.

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Keep an eye on Andre Silva and Sevilla

Sevilla ran out 4-1 winners away to promoted side Rayo Vallecano last weekend and Portugal striker Andre Silva hit a hat-trick on his league debut for the Andalusians.

Silva is only on loan from AC Milan, but the 22-year-old made an instant impact for Pablo Machin’s men at Vallecas and looks like a shrewd signing for Sevilla.

This weekend, Sevilla (seventh in 2017-18) are at home to Villarreal (fifth last season), in what will be another test of their progress, with early signs positive after last weekend’s win and a good showing against Barca in the 2-1 Spanish Supercopa loss a week earlier.

Villarreal, having lost their opening game 2-1 at home to Real Sociedad, will also be keen to bounce back. Unfortunately, this match has been scheduled on Sunday night at the same time as Girona-Real Madrid (21:15 BST). Nevertheless, it is one to watch out for.

Barcelona worried about the pitch in Valladolid

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Barcelona travel to promoted side Valladolid on Saturday night in a fixture the champions will be expected to win with relative ease.

However, there is concern at the Catalan club over the state of the playing surface at Zorrilla, with a new pitch planted just this week.

“It’s not normal to plant a new pitch just four days before playing a game,” Barca boss Ernesto Valverde said on Friday. “I don’t know who had that idea.

“Experience tells me that in such little time, the pitch will deteriorate, it won’t be solid and people will slip and fall over. It’s not the best thing for the play.”

Last chance for Spanish sides to see where they need to strengthen

With the transfer window set to shut on August 31, this weekend will be the last opportunity for Spanish sides to see what they still need ahead of deadline day.

Barcelona’s business is probably done, with Arthur, Arturo Vidal, Clement Lenglet and Malcom all brought in, but Real Madrid have only signed Courtois and right-back Alvaro Odriozola and could do with at least one further addition – especially after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus and due to the lack of back-up for Karim Benzema.

Atletico appear to be happy with what they have after a strong summer in the market, but Valencia will hope to tie up a deal for Portugal forward Goncalo Guedes after his successful spell on loan from Paris Saint-Germain last season.

Plenty of other sides in La Liga will also be looking to strengthen in the final week, with a number of loans and cut-price deals likely as Spanish sides – particularly those with smaller budgets – roll the dice in an attempt to build a squad with sufficient depth and talent to avoid the drop.

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