La Liga weekend preview | La Liga Schedule

Atletico Madrid enter the weekend at the top of the table
Atletico Madrid enter the weekend at the top of the table

The international break provided an impressive spectacle for football fans as several records fell by the wayside and a few other teams pulled off stunning victories.

However, after the conclusion of those fixtures, the clubs take centre-stage as Europe’s top leagues gear up for another instalment of intense battles.

La Liga resumes on Friday with RCD Mallorca hosting Athletic Bilbao in the opening match of the weekend.

On Saturday, Real Madrid welcome Levante to the Santiago Bernabeu as the former looks for a spark to ignite their season. Though Los Blancos are unbeaten in the league, they’ve looked a shadow of their former selves, meaning plenty of criticism has come the team’s way. However, the return to fitness of Eden Hazard and James Rodriguez should boost the hosts' charge.

Leganes take on Villarreal in the next encounter on Saturday at the Estadio Municipal de Butarque with the Yellow Submarine hoping to notch their first win of the campaign.

The next game sees table toppers Atletico Madrid travel to Real Sociedad as Los Rojiblancos look to solidify their position at the summit of the standings.

The final match on Saturday involves defending champions Barcelona and Valencia. The Blaugrana have endured a patchy start to the season and they would want to rectify their offensive problems, sans Lionel Messi, when the pair clashes at the Camp Nou.

Griezmann would hope to give Barcelona the impetus they need
Griezmann would hope to give Barcelona the impetus they need

On Sunday, Espanyol make the trip to Eibar while that game is followed by Alaves locking horns with Sevilla. The latter has started the campaign extremely well and are hot on the heels of Atletico.

Celta Vigo and Real Valladolid play host to Granada and Osasuna respectively in the next couple of fixtures with each side embroiled in a mid-table scrap at the moment.

The last match of the fourth game-week features Real Betis going toe to toe with Getafe at the Benito Villamarin Stadium. Under their new manager, Betis have struggled a touch and are languishing in the 15th spot. Thus, they would want to find their groove soon and that occasion could come on Sunday, considering they are at home.

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Edited by Arvind Sriram