La Liga Gameweek 8 – All Eyes on Wanda, As Atletico Hosts Barcelona

Both of these teams will be tired following their respective UEFA Champions League challenges, but that won’t be an alibi for an eventual failure. They don’t have any room for making mistakes on Saturday night because losing points would allow Real Madrid to increase its advantage in the standings.

Atletico lost last week against Alaves on the road. The Colchoneros couldn’t create a comeback in the final few minutes of the game as on the previous two road trips. Simeone was unhappy following the match, and to be honest, the Argentinian had a lot of reasons to worry about.

Barcelona’s next three LaLiga games are against Atletico Madrid, Valencia and Real Madrid 👀 pic.twitter.com/EA57YZEXIb

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 28, 2021

Barca is in even bigger problems. The team is not performing well, the head coach is under heavy pressure, with the media expecting him to leave every day now, and on top of that, all the financial troubles are creating a negative atmosphere. After three winless matches, a 3-0 triumph vs. Levante was a breath of fresh air for this unit.

We expect to see a cautious and very tactical matchup, with Atletico trying to kill the pace on the field and impose its own tempo. Under 2.5 goals is the first thing that crosses our mind, especially now, when Barcelona doesn’t have the offensive capacity to attack like before.

The league leaders are heading for Barcelona to meet Espanyol, who came back from Segunda this year. No doubt the hosts will be motivated to snap some points from the Los Blancos, but the way they play, such a scenario isn’t very realistic.

In seven games this year, Vicente Moreno’s unit has only one win, and three losses and draws each. What is the biggest problem for this crew is the efficiency. They scored only four goals this season, which is tied for the third-worst in the league.

⚡ Now you see him, now you don't! ⚡@vinijr | #UCL pic.twitter.com/Z0p6nV8AuD

— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) September 27, 2021

On the other side, Real is doing its part of the job perfectly and is currently without a loss in seven games – five wins and two draws. They have the best attack in La Liga with 21 scored goals and are looking much better than in the previous season. After all, Ancelotti’s boys are topping the standings.

This match shouldn’t be too problematic for them, and a routine win is expected from Los Blancos. Espanyol doesn’t have enough quality to resist Real’s strong attack, and that is the difference-maker in this case.

Granada, one of three teams without a win, hosts Sevilla, one of three teams that haven’t lost. It is the closing match of the round, left for Sunday night.

The hosts have three points in seven games, scoring five and allowing 12 goals. But, their form is on the downhill, with just one draw and four losses in the past five events.

Sevilla is no.3 in the standings, with 14 points, three fewer than Real, but with a game in hand. During the last week’s doubleheader, they posted two wins, both at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, against Valencia 3-1 and Espanyol, 2-0.

One year since @ivanrakitic scored on his second #SevillaFC debut 👌

🎥 @LaLigaEN | #OTDpic.twitter.com/h4QHoL6Bjg

— Sevilla FC (@SevillaFC_ENG) September 27, 2021

Julen Lopetegui’s guys play very well at the moment, and Granada shouldn’t be a problem for them. With Barca and Atletico struggling and Real being the only worthy opponent at the moment, his team could find itself in the position to attack Los Blancos and the title pretty soon. Due to that, three points for Sevilla are a must here.