Matchday 8 in the Spanish top-flight may be a turning point in the competition, as the two main contenders to win the title will face serious opponents.
Real Madrid is set to continue their unbeaten streak against Granada, the team holding on to the second spot. Meanwhile, Barcelona will lock horns against Sevilla in what could be the best game of the weekend.
Elsewhere, Atlético Madrid will take a tough trip to face Real Valladolid. Simeone's men need the points to try and steal the top of the league from Real Madrid in the event of a loss. The other team ready to take the top spot if Los Blancos slip is Real Sociedad, who will host Getafe on Sunday evening.
Real Betis and Eibar will kick off this weekend with their clash on Friday. Fans around the world will have four La Liga games to watch, including Real Madrid's clash, and all action will come to an end on Sunday, with five games scheduled to be played.
Without further ado, here's what you need to keep an eye on for Matchday 8 in La Liga.
Team news - Who's in, who's out?
Barcelona will not have a full squad to choose from, as Junior Firpo, Samuel Umtiti and Jordi Alba will not be around for this game due to injury. Furthermore, Clement Lenglet will have to serve a one-match ban after his red card against Getafe.
Atlético Madrid will get to Sunday's game without two players: Sime Vrsaljko (who has not been able to make his debut in the current season) and Vitolo, who picked up a muscular injury in the past couple of days.
Real Madrid's injury woes carry on, and this weekend, coach Zinedine Zidane will have to work his magic without Marco Asensio, Nacho, Marcelo and Ferland Mendy, who have been ruled out due to different medical problems. Furthermore, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois cwill be assessed before the game after having to deal with a gastric problem that forced Zidane to take him off the pitch during Los Blancos' game against Brugge.
Coach's quotes ahead of Matchday 8
Real Madrid's coach Zinedine Zidane assessed the relevance of the game between his team and Granada, which could very well give any of those teams the top spot of the league, at least for one week.
Listen to Zidane's thoughts ahead of tomorrow's #RMLiga clash against @GranadaCdeF. #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/GNq8H9pgOk
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) October 4, 2019
Key historical stats ahead of La Liga's Matchday 8
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Real Madrid has won their last eight games against Granada in all comps.
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Barcelona is yet to drop a single point at Camp Nou. All of their losses or draws have taken place in away games.
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Atético will try to keep their sixth clean sheet in eight La Liga games.
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Sevilla has failed to win a single point at Camp Nou in their last five visits.
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Granada enters this game on a five-match streak without a loss (4 wins, one draw).
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Athletic Club will try to put an end to a three-game drawing streak when playing away from home.
What is social media talking about ahead of Matchday 8?
Barcelona fans around the world will get a chance to witness how their favorite team prepares for a clash, and how they react to it once it comes to an end. Los Blaugranas are set to unveil "Matchday", a documentary that will include never-seen footage of the team's reactions after that loss against Liverpool. Needless to say, fans, are ready to catch a glimpse of Messi and Co. in this new project.
[FCB] | OFFICIAL | 'Matchday', a new documentary series showing FC Barcelona from inside as it has never been seen before
— BarçaTimes (@BarcaTimes) October 4, 2019
The series, which will consist in 8 episodes, will premiere in Europe in November exclusively on Rakuten TV. pic.twitter.com/ASbtBVXhiQ
La Liga - Matchday 8 games
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Real Valladolid 0 - 0 Atlético Madrid
October 6, 2019 10:00amEstadio Municipal José Zorrilla (Valladolid)This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
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