With the International Break finally over, La Liga resumes its action with a host of interesting matches.
The battle for the top spot of the competition will have one more chapter written this weekend, with Atlético Madrid trying to defend their lead when they host Granada, the last placed-team in La Liga. Lucas Alcaraz took over as coach for Los Nazaríes, but his first challenge as their boss might not end as well as he could hope for.
As for the other Spanish top-flight giants, Real Madrid's fans can only hope for their current slump to end, as Los Blancos head to Sevilla to face Betis. Poyet's men have only won one of their last four games, but their home-field advantage could be too much for Zidane's crew to handle.
While Atlético and Real hope for the best, fourth-placed Barcelona will try to climb back up when they host Deportivo, one of the teams in the lower half of the standings. Luis Enrique is toying with the possibility of having Lionel Messi on the pitch, but his presence isn't a certainty as he is still recovering from a muscular injury he picked up last month.
Matchday 8: Full La Liga fixtures, Oct 14-17
Oct. 14: Las Palmas vs Espanyol : 11:45 PDT/ 14:45 EDT/ 18:45 GMT/ 19:45 BST/ 20:45 CEST
Oct. 15: Leganés vs Sevilla : 04:00 PDT/ 07:00 EDT/ 11:00 GMT/ 12:00 BST/ 13:00 CEST
Oct. 15: Barcelona vs Deportivo la Coruña : 07:15 PDT/ 10:15 EDT/ 14:15 GMT/ 15:15 BST/ 16:15 CEST
Oct. 15: Atlético Madrid vs Granada : 09:30 PDT/ 12:30 EDT/ 16:30 GMT/ 17:30 BST/ 18:30 CEST
Oct. 15: Real Betis vs Real Madrid : 11:45 PDT/ 14:45 EDT/ 18:45 GMT/ 19:45 BST/ 20:45 CEST
Oct. 16: Deportivo Alavés vs Málaga : 03:00 PDT/ 06:00 EDT/ 10:00 GMT/ 11:00 BST/ 12:00 CEST
Oct. 16: Athletic Club vs Real Sociedad : 07:15 PDT/ 10:15 EDT/ 14:15 GMT/ 15:15 BST/ 16:15 CEST
Oct. 16: Sporting Gijon vs Valencia : 09:30 PDT/ 12:30 EDT/ 16:30 GMT/ 17:30 BST/ 18:30 CEST
Oct. 16: Villarreal vs Celta Vigo : 11:45 PDT/ 14:45 EDT/ 18:45 GMT/ 19:45 BST/ 20:45 CEST
Oct. 17: Eibar vs Osasuna : 11:45 PDT/ 14:45 EDT/ 18:45 GMT/ 19:45 BST/ 20:45 CEST
Matchday 8: Social Media Buzz
One of the most interesting stories prior to the beginning of Matchday 8 was Toni Kroos' contract extension with Real Madrid. The German midfielder will remain playing at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium until the end of the 2021-2022 season, and he shared his enthusiasm on Twitter.
#kroos2022 @realmadrid #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/BYXdgjiIhs
— Toni Kroos (@ToniKroos) October 13, 2016
Matchday 6: La Liga standings
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid | 31 | 24 | 6 | 1 | 67 | 20 | +47 | 78 | WWWWD | |
| 2 | Barcelona | 31 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 62 | 34 | +28 | 70 | WWWWD | |
| 3 | Girona | 31 | 20 | 5 | 6 | 63 | 39 | +24 | 65 | LWLWL | |
| 4 | Atlético Madrid | 31 | 19 | 4 | 8 | 59 | 36 | +23 | 61 | WWLLW | |
| 5 | Athletic Club | 31 | 16 | 9 | 6 | 51 | 29 | +22 | 57 | DLWWD | |
| 6 | Real Sociedad | 31 | 13 | 11 | 7 | 45 | 33 | +12 | 50 | DWWWL | |
| 7 | Valencia | 31 | 13 | 8 | 10 | 34 | 32 | +2 | 47 | WWDLW | |
| 8 | Real Betis | 31 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 38 | 37 | +1 | 45 | WLLLL | |
| 9 | Villarreal | 31 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 49 | 54 | -5 | 39 | DLWWW | |
| 10 | Getafe | 31 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 37 | 43 | -6 | 39 | DLWLD | |
| 11 | Osasuna | 31 | 11 | 6 | 14 | 36 | 44 | -8 | 39 | LWLLW | |
| 12 | Las Palmas | 31 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 29 | 35 | -6 | 37 | LLLLD | |
| 13 | Sevilla | 31 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 39 | 44 | -5 | 34 | WWLDW | |
| 14 | Deportivo Alavés | 31 | 8 | 8 | 15 | 26 | 38 | -12 | 32 | LLLWL | |
| 15 | Mallorca | 31 | 6 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 36 | -11 | 31 | LDWLW | |
| 16 | Rayo Vallecano | 31 | 6 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 38 | -13 | 31 | DDWLD | |
| 17 | Celta de Vigo | 31 | 6 | 10 | 15 | 33 | 46 | -13 | 28 | LDWLW | |
| 18 | Cádiz | 31 | 4 | 13 | 14 | 21 | 41 | -20 | 25 | LWLWD | |
| 19 | Granada | 31 | 3 | 8 | 20 | 32 | 60 | -28 | 17 | WLLLL | |
| 20 | Almería | 31 | 1 | 11 | 19 | 30 | 62 | -32 | 14 | DLWDL |
