La Liga Round 8 Preview, October 9-12

La Liga returns after a break of almost three weeks. During that time, Valencia changed head coach and handed the team to Javier Aguirre, Rayo finally returned to their home stadium, Elche effectively staged a mini pre-season, while several clubs used the break for friendlies and to recover injured players.

The table before the restart looks a little unusual. Barcelona have won all seven matches, scored 31 goals and opened up a five-point lead over Atletico and Betis. Real Madrid dropped to fourth after losing the derby, while Alaves sit sixth. Things are even tighter at the bottom: only four points separate Celta in 14th from bottom-placed Malaga.

Malaga – Espanyol

Malaga went into the break at the bottom: three points, three goals scored and no wins in seven rounds. Ahead of Espanyol, Juan Cruz returned to full training under Funes, but Jens Cajuste, Diego Murillo, Aaron Ochoa and Julen Lobete are still recovering. After the 0-1 defeat to Getafe, the hosts urgently need goals and points.

Espanyol have problems of their own: two straight defeats and only seven points from a possible 21. Manolo Gonzalez used the break to work on the team's structure, while a friendly against Ipswich ended in a 0-1 defeat. The Catalans have also conceded 10 goals in seven rounds. Malaga have a rare chance to wake up their attack, but keeping a clean sheet will not be easy either.

Match link:

Malaga – Espanyol

Rayo Vallecano – Athletic

The biggest news for Rayo is not even about football — the team are finally returning to Vallecas. In the league, the Madrid side played three home fixtures at Butarque. Before the break, Rayo drew 1-1 with Osasuna and moved to eight points, although they have already conceded 16 goals.

Athletic return with a fresher squad: Dani Vivian, Gorka Guruzeta and Peio Huestamendia have recovered, while Nico Williams remains the main absentee. During the break, the Basques also beat Real Sociedad 1-0. Both Rayo and Athletic know how to close games down — their last two La Liga matches finished with fewer than three goals. After such a long pause, the result may once again be decided by one or two moments.

Match link:

Rayo Vallecano – Athletic

Alaves – Atletico

After seven rounds, the Basques sit sixth with 11 points and only six goals conceded. Before the break, they held Athletic to a 0-0 draw at San Mames, while Quique Sanchez Flores had almost the entire long pause to work calmly with his squad.

Atletico, by contrast, sent a large group of players away on international duty: Diego Simeone had 17 footballers called up. There were almost no serious injuries, although Alex Grimaldo, Alex Baena and Lee Kang-in returned with minor issues. Before the break, Atletico had built strong momentum with three straight wins, including a 2-1 derby victory over Real Madrid. But after that international workload, expecting a clean sheet from the visitors in Vitoria may be too optimistic.

Match link:

Alaves – Atletico

Barcelona – Getafe

The break came at the wrong time for Barcelona. Hansi Flick's side won all seven matches, scored 31 goals and beat Sevilla 3-1 in the previous round. The good news is that Raphinha's injury during the break was not serious. The bad news is that a large group of internationals returned only two days before the match.

Getafe are operating at the opposite end of the football spectrum — four goals scored and seven conceded in seven rounds. Before the break, Jose Bordalas' side edged Malaga 1-0, but historically they have struggled in Catalonia. In their last three league visits to Barcelona, Getafe failed to score. For the La Liga leaders, this looks like a convenient opponent for a smooth return to action.

Match link:

Barcelona – Getafe

Real Madrid – Villarreal

Real Madrid entered the break after a painful defeat to Atletico and are now six points behind Barcelona. The injury list is gradually clearing, though: Kylian Mbappe is ready to play, Ibrahima Konate has returned to full training and Federico Valverde is close to recovering. Dean Huijsen is suspended, so Mourinho still will not have a perfectly settled defence.

Villarreal came alive just before the league stopped. After a poor start, they beat Malaga and Levante by the same 3-1 scoreline. Across seven rounds, the Yellow Submarine have scored 13 and conceded 12. Head-to-head meetings are rarely dull either: the average total across 39 matches is 3.33 goals.

Match link:

Real Madrid – Villarreal

Elche – Celta

Elche went into the break on a positive note — their first win of the season came away from home and was quite convincing, 3-1 against Espanyol. After that, Martin Anselmi effectively gave the team a second pre-season: a training camp, intensive sessions and friendlies. Special attention was paid to the defence, because 17 goals conceded in seven rounds is one of the worst records in La Liga.

Celta thrashed Racing 5-0 before the break, but those five goals should be viewed separately from what came before. Prior to that match, the Galicians had scored only three times in six games. During the break, the team returned to its calmer style with a 1-1 draw against Santa Clara. The upcoming match could also be tight. Across eight head-to-head meetings, the teams have averaged 2.13 goals, so another run of September goalfests may not materialise.

Match link:

Elche – Celta

Real Sociedad – Deportivo

Real Sociedad went into the break after beating Valencia 3-2 and climbing to eighth with 10 points. However, their balance problems remain — nine goals scored and 13 conceded. During the break, the Basques lost to Athletic.

Deportivo also have 10 points but only one defeat. The promoted side have already scored 10 goals and rescued a 1-1 draw with Betis in Round 7 before the break. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Zakaria Eddahchouri remain unavailable. Even so, the visitors still have players capable of scoring. Bil Nsongo returned from Cameroon duty in good spirits after registering a goal and an assist. In addition, both teams scored in eight of Real Sociedad's last 10 matches and seven of Deportivo's last 10, so another exchange of goals is quite possible.

Match link:

Real Sociedad – Deportivo

Betis – Osasuna

Betis are enjoying an almost perfect start: five wins, one draw, one defeat and 16 points. Before the break, the Seville side failed to finish off Deportivo in a 1-1 draw, but now they have four straight home games in all competitions. The first looks like the most comfortable opportunity to get back into rhythm.

Osasuna have faded badly after a bright August — they are winless in their last four league matches and conceded 11 goals in that stretch. According to media reports, Luis Miguel Ramis used the break to work specifically on the defensive side of the game. That still may not be enough to avoid defeat, though: the hosts have won 12 of 17 head-to-head meetings and lost only once.

Match link:

Betis – Osasuna

Racing – Valencia

Racing have gone from being one of the main sources of entertainment at the start of La Liga to a harsh return to reality. Before the break, Celta thrashed the Santander side 5-0, taking the promoted club to 21 goals conceded in seven rounds. Racing's matches have produced 32 goals in total — an average of 4.57 per game.

Far more happened at Valencia during those three weeks: after the 2-3 defeat to Sociedad, the club replaced Carlos Corberan with Javier Aguirre. The new coach had time to work calmly with the squad, while Cesar Tarrega and Mouctar Diakhaby moved closer to returning. At the same time, Valencia have scored only four goals in seven rounds. A match against the league's leakiest defence is a good moment to see how much the break has changed them.

Match link:

Racing – Valencia

Levante – Sevilla

Levante have played only six matches and remain close to the relegation zone: five points with an 8:12 goal difference. Before the break, they lost to Villarreal, but the long pause helped with recovery. Karl Etta Eyong and Hugo Sotelo gradually increased their workload and are hoping to return for the match against Sevilla.

The visitors enter October in fifth place, although they lost 1-3 to Barcelona before the break. Most internationals have already returned, while Marcao and Luka Stassin are still recovering. As for this match, the Andalusians have scored 10 and conceded nine in seven rounds. Their head-to-head meetings have often been lively as well: the average total across 33 matches is 3.06 goals.

Match link:

Levante – Sevilla

Round 8 Summary

The main question of Round 8 is what the three-week break has done to teams that started either very well or very poorly. Barcelona need to get their engine running again after a large group of players went away on international duty, Atletico must preserve their September momentum, and Real Madrid cannot afford to let the leaders pull even further away.

The situation in the lower half is even more tense. Malaga are still searching for their first win, Valencia begin life under Aguirre, Elche have effectively completed another training camp, and Rayo will play a league match at Vallecas for the first time this season. The teams had three weeks to change plenty of things. This weekend will show what actually worked.However, how well these changes have already been priced in by the market will be best shown by the odds. You can compare the odds for all matches of the round and assess the teams' chances here: https://scores24.live/en/sportbooks-es