Athletic Club vs Barcelona headlines a riveting gameweek

LALIGA Athletic Club vs Barcelona headlines a riveting gameweek

Faruq Ibrahim 19:41 - 10.03.2023

Barcelona face a difficult trip away to Athletic Club, while Real Madrid host Espanyol.

The previous gameweek saw Barcelona establish a ten-point lead at the top of the table with a slender victory over Sevilla, as Real Madrid slipped up against Real Betis.  

Real Sociedad continue to slip up, allowing Atletico Madrid to leapfrog them on the league table with their convincing 6-1 victory over Sevilla.

Valencia's defeat at the hands of Barcelona sent them to 19th on the table, while Sevilla are now only a goal difference away from a relegation spot.

This weekend, LaLiga teams will be in action again as they continue to fight towards their season goals. 

Athletic Club vs Barcelona

This gameweek is headlined by a clash between two of the most historic sides in LaLiga, as Ernesto Valverde lines his team up against his former club Barcelona.

This hosts have struggled against Barcelona in recent seasons, having failed to beat them in six attempts in LaLiga, losing five times and drawing once, with their last victory against Barcelona in the league coming thanks to a late Aritz Aduriz strike in 2019.

Barcelona lost in their last game on the road against Almeria and have not lost consecutive away games in the league since they lost to Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano in 2021.

Ronaldo Araujo will be unavailable for the game due to a red card suspension. Pedri and Dembele are also ruled out due to injuries.

Lewandowski and Frenkie de Jong would need to pass a late fitness test to be available for the game.

Athletic Club will be without top scorer Oihan Sancet for the game as he is serving a suspension.

Villarreal vs Real Betis 

In another game that sees a managerial return, 6th-placed Villarreal host 5th-place Real Betis as Quique Setien will manage Villarreal against his old side.  

Villarreal have dominated this fixture whenever they host it, winning five of the last six games against Real Betis at the Benito Villamarin.

However, Betis are on a good run in the league recently, being unbeaten in their last four, winning three consecutive games, and drawing against Real Madrid.

Canales is expected to return to the lineup for Betis after a short injury spell, but William Carvalho will be unavailable following yellow card accumulation. Etienne Capoue is a doubt for Villarreal in the tie.

Real Madrid vs Espanyol

Real Madrid host the less strong Catalan team, but the Madrid-Catalonia rivalry remains all the same 

Real Madrid have been dominant in this tie, winning 15 of their last 17 games against Espanyol and each of the last eight played at the Santiago Bernabeu.

They are the side Madrid have beaten the most in the competition, with 106 wins, but they have also conceded the most goals against Espanyol (387) in LaLiga. 

However, Madrid are in shaky form at the moment, drawing each of their last two games in the league; Espanyol, on the other hand, have won two of their last four away games.  

LaLiga Gameweek 25 fixtures

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