La Liga Matchday 7 Preview, September 18-20

La Liga has barely left any time to catch breath. Matchday 6 finished on Thursday, and the next round starts as early as Friday. In that short spell, Barcelona have turned an excellent start into something almost frightening — six wins and 28 goals scored. Real Madrid are three points behind, while Betis, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla have already formed a tight group just behind them.

The first Madrid derby of the season is the main event. But there is plenty of intrigue beyond that. Osasuna will try to stop their slide after conceding 11 goals in three rounds, Celta Vigo are still searching for their first win, and Villarreal have only just found theirs. Another attraction is whether anyone can finally slow down Barcelona's attack.

Espanyol vs Elche

Espanyol are still living in bursts. After a confident 2-0 win over Osasuna, the Catalans lost 1-2 to Rayo and remain on seven points. Their defence, however, has held up reasonably well — seven goals conceded in six rounds. For a team that rarely creates huge numbers of chances, that is important insurance.

Elche remain winless, although they nearly produced a miracle against Real Madrid. They came back from 0-2 but still lost 2-3. They are unlikely to get that much freedom in Barcelona. The last meeting between these sides at Espanyol ended in a 1-0 home win, and after their setback in Madrid the Catalans have little reason to turn this into a shootout.

Match link:

Espanyol vs Elche

Osasuna vs Rayo Vallecano

The Osasuna we saw in August seems to have disappeared. First the Pamplona side lost 2-5 to Alaves, then 0-2 to Espanyol, and in midweek they were thrashed 0-4 by Atletico Madrid. That is 11 goals conceded in three rounds, and they failed to score in the last two.

Rayo have defensive problems of their own, having already conceded 15. On the other hand, the Madrid side have scored in every round, while Sergio Camello already has six goals. The 2-1 win over Espanyol lifted the mood a little, but Rayo still have not kept a clean sheet in the league. For Osasuna's attack, this opponent arrives at a very convenient time.

Match link:

Osasuna vs Rayo Vallecano

Athletic Bilbao vs Alaves

Athletic unexpectedly received a short break when their match with Levante was called off because of the condition of the pitch. The Basques therefore come into the derby fresh, although their last result will hardly have satisfied them — they could only draw 1-1 with Elche at home. After five matches, they have seven points and a 7-6 goal difference.

Alaves lost to Racing (1-2) and Valencia (0-1) after a strong start, but have conceded only six goals at the beginning of the campaign. The Basque derby itself rarely turns into a spectacle either: 10 of the last 11 head-to-head meetings finished with no more than two goals.

Match link:

Athletic Bilbao vs Alaves

Celta Vigo vs Racing Santander

Celta have reached Matchday 7 without a single win: four draws, two defeats and only three goals scored. Even at home to Malaga they could only manage a 1-1 draw, before the Galicians also lost 0-1 to Omonia in the Europa League. Another cautious evening will do little for them now — it is time to look for goals.

Racing are almost the ideal opponent for that. The promoted side have scored 11 times themselves but already conceded 16. There is no need to be too alarmed by the 2-7 defeat to Barcelona either: part of the first-choice lineup was rested, and even the experimental side found the net twice against the leaders. These teams produced a 3-2 cup match in January. On top of that, the current Racing still refuse to play dull football.

Match link:

Celta Vigo vs Racing Santander

Sevilla vs Barcelona

Sevilla have quietly climbed towards the leading group. Wins over Valencia (1-0) and Deportivo (1-0) took them to 13 points, while the defence kept consecutive clean sheets for the first time. Now, however, their familiar plan of finding a single goal will have to be tested against a completely different level of pressure.

Barcelona remain perfect and have scored 28 goals in six rounds. Racing were the latest team to be run over, as the Catalans won 7-2 and Raphinha scored a hat-trick. The head-to-head record is also hugely one-sided: 37 wins in 54 meetings. The hosts will have to spend long spells without the ball, and their limited opportunities to attack may feel like a luxury.

Match link:

Sevilla vs Barcelona

Getafe vs Malaga

Getafe have scored only three times in six rounds, but they have also conceded just seven. In midweek the Madrid side lost 0-1 to Betis, having drawn twice in a row before that.

Malaga are not producing much in attack either — three goals in six matches and still no wins. On Thursday they lost 1-3 to Villarreal, but there is no need to expect another goal festival. None of Getafe's last five La Liga matches featured more than two goals.

Match link:

Getafe vs Malaga

Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid

Atletico arrive for the derby in the kind of form that had been expected of them since August. Diego Simeone's side first thrashed Real Sociedad 3-0 and then swept aside Osasuna 4-0. Across those two rounds: seven goals scored and none conceded.

Real Madrid's attack has heated up too. After beating Rayo 4-1, they almost threw away their advantage at Elche but still won 3-2. Across 58 head-to-head meetings, the teams have averaged 2.76 goals. Given the current form of both attacks, there is little reason to expect a cautious derby.

Match link:

Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid

Deportivo La Coruna vs Real Betis

Deportivo's honeymoon has lasted a little longer than expected. Their first defeat since returning to La Liga did not come until Matchday 6, when they lost 0-1 at home to Sevilla. Before that, the Galicians had scored in every match.

Betis, meanwhile, are calmly collecting wins: first they beat Villarreal 2-1, then defeated Getafe 1-0. The Seville side have 15 points from a possible 18, although they kept clean sheets in only half of the opening rounds. At the Riazor, two teams will meet who look more comfortable with the ball than sitting in a deep defensive block.

Match link:

Deportivo La Coruna vs Real Betis

Villarreal vs Levante

Villarreal have finally found a win. In Malaga, the Yellow Submarine conceded first but turned the game around and celebrated a 3-1 victory. The timing was ideal, as they had gone five rounds without taking three points before that.

Levante had more time to recover after their meeting with Athletic was postponed. Their last full test was Barcelona, a 2-4 defeat in which the Valencia side still scored twice against the leaders. In five matches, the visitors have a 7-9 goal difference, while the hosts continue to allow too much around their own goal. That is why this match could produce plenty of goals.

Match link:

Villarreal vs Levante

Valencia vs Real Sociedad

Valencia have finally won. After losing 0-1 to Sevilla, they took all three points against Alaves with a 1-0 victory. That has not fixed much yet — the Bats have scored only twice in six rounds.

Real Sociedad have problems of their own. The Basques lost 0-3 to Atletico, then were beaten 1-2 by Bournemouth in the Europa League on Thursday. They have six goals in six league matches, so fireworks at Mestalla are hardly guaranteed. Especially as three of the last five head-to-head meetings here ended with no more than two goals.

Match link:

Valencia vs Real Sociedad

Matchday 7 Summary

Matchday 7 will test how quickly the teams can recover. Most have had only three or four days between matches, while Betis, Villarreal, Getafe and Malaga all played on Thursday. At the opposite end of the spectrum are Athletic and Levante, who unexpectedly received a break because their head-to-head meeting was postponed.

But the main storyline is still at the top. Atletico head into the derby after two emphatic wins, Real Madrid cannot afford to let Barcelona move further away, while the Catalans themselves are scoring almost five goals per round. Betis and Sevilla are also staying close. After such a congested schedule, the table may finally start to show who is truly ready to maintain the pace of the season. And to more accurately assess the teams' chances in the upcoming fixtures, it is worth paying attention to the odds from leading bookmakers https://scores24.live/en/sportbooks-es