The Spanish La Liga is coasting towards the fourth round of fixtures, with the usual suspects at each other's neck. The summit of the lo...
Real Madrid, Celta Vigo, Villarreal and Eibar trail the Catalan giants with seven points apiece. That's the definition of a close call between these sides.
Arguably the biggest talking point of Real awaits Cristiano Ronaldo, as he's on the verge of becoming the club's all-time leading scorer when they host Granada at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
The Portuguese international is just two goals shy of Raul Gonzalez 323-goal record, despite having played over 400 games fewer than the Spanish legend. 'Los Blancos' will miss the services of Gareth Bale, Sergio Ramos and James Rodriguez due to calf and shoulder injuries respectively. Victory can take Real to the top of the table for 24 hours, as the league leaders Barca are not in action till Sunday when they host Levante.
Meanwhile, Luis Enrique's men will be without defenders Gerard Pique, Thomas Vermaelen and Dani Alves, as well as goalkeeper Claudio Bravio. The Nou Camp based side are suffering a deficit in terms of personnel, as Rafinha will be sidelined thanks to the cruciate ligament injury he suffered in the 1-1 draw in their Uefa Champions League opener on Wednesday.
Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid lost their perfect start to the season when Barca won 2-1 at the Estadio Vicente Calderon last weekend, but Diego Simeone's men recovered well to get the UCL campaign off to a winning start at Galatasaray on Tuesday.
"Los Rojiblancos' visit Eibar on Saturday hoping to end the Basque minnows unbeaten start to the season.
At the other end f the log, Sevilla are looking to add their first league win of the campaign backed by the confidence of comfortable 3-0 triumph over Borussia Monchengladbach in their UCL opener midweek.
Valencia were on the losing end of the UCL competition, as they experienced a 3-2 loss at the Estadio Mestalla. 'Los Che' will be hoping for better fortune at home to Real Betis on Sunday, while David Moyes Real Sociedad will aim to register a goal against Espanyol after failing to do so in their first three games of the season.
Here's the full fixture list of Week 4 round of matches for the Spanish La Liga:
Friday, 18th September
Getafe CF vs. Malaga | 7.30pm
Saturday, 19th September
Real Madrid vs. Granada | 3.00pm
Valencia vs. Real Betis | 5.15pm
Eibar vs. Atletico Madri | 7.30pm
Real Sciedad vs. Espanyol | 9.00pm
Sunday, 20th September
Sevilla vs. Celta Vigo | 11.00am
Deportivo la Coruna vs. Sporting Gijon | 3.00pm
Villarreal vs. Athletic Bilbao | 5.15pm
Barcelona vs. Levante | 7.30pm
Las Palmas vs. Rayo Vallecano | 7.30pm
