Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Classic LaLiga Weekend In Store With Madrid Derby and Barca vs Athletic


Fri 08 Feb 2019 | 01:26 PM
maydaa nadar

 Ibrahim El-Shawarby, Maydaa Abo El-Nadar

BILBAO, Feb.8 (SEE) - LaLiga Santander leaders Barcelona continue their historic relationship with Athletic Club in a weekend's action which also features Real Madrid and Atletico de Madrid meeting in a second versus third placed Madrid derby encounter.

Barcelona travel to a resurgent Athletic Club side on Sunday evening in one of LaLiga’s most historic encounters and a particularly special match for blaugrana coach Ernesto Valverde who returns to the club he played for and twice coached.

By then Barça

will know the result of Saturday afternoon’s Madrid derby at the Wanda

Metropolitano. Atletico de Madrid and Real Madrid kick off separated by just two points in the table, but

so much more than local pride is at stake, especially with Blancos goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and new rojiblanco striker Alvaro Morata facing their former sides.

The weekend’s

action begins at the Estadio Jose Zorrilla on Friday evening with a six-pointer

at the wrong end of the table. 15th placed Real Valladolid are looking over their shoulders after just one win

in seven league games while 19th placed Villarreal are now nine LaLiga outings without a victory.

RC Celta picked up a

badly-needed first three points of 2019 last weekend so should travel in good

spirits for Saturday lunchtime’s visit to a Getafe team riding high in fifth spot and aiming for European

competition next season.

18th

placed Rayo Vallecano will also be

looking to continue their recent good run on Saturday afternoon when they visit

an Espanyol side now just two points

ahead of them in the table.

Girona are another team

looking to avoid being dragged into the relegation battle. The Catalans face a

test in Saturday’s late game, as visitors Huesca

may still be bottom but come into the game in high spirits after last weekend’s

4-0 win over Valladolid.

Sunday

lunchtime sees 13th placed Leganes

aiming to build on Monday’s South Madrid derby win over Rayo, with the visitors

to Butarque a Real Betis team

dreaming of Champions League football next season after last Sunday’s victory

over Atletico.

Another side

with Champions League aspirations are Valencia,

who host Real Sociedad on Sunday

afternoon. Los Che took further

confidence from last weekend’s 2-2 draw at the Camp Nou but the Txuri-urdin will not fear anything after

their Basque derby win over Athletic last time out.

After some

up-and-down form recently Sevilla

will be looking to tighten their hold on fourth spot with a win at the

Sanchez-Pizjuán early on Sunday evening, though visitors Eibar will travel knowing they have taken six points and scored

eight goals across their last three LaLiga games.

The action

wraps up Monday evening with Alaves

aiming for three points to steady things after a rough spell, while Levante come to Mendizorroza looking

for a first victory on the road since October at the Santiago Bernabeu.