The tussle for the crown in La Liga has already started and teams will look to go again this weekend as the competition gathers pace and the table shapes up. The midweek's round of matches brought about a few interesting outcomes with defending champions Atletico Madrid being held to a 2-2 draw away to Levante. City rivals Real Madrid were also denied the opportunity to go past Los Rojiblancos as they picked up a 0-0 draw against Osasuna while Barcelona were subjected to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of in-form Rayo Vallencano, a result that ultimately faciliated the sack of manager Ronald Koeman.
Meanwhile, Real Sociedad capitalised on the slump by the league's heavyweights to take a three-point lead atop the table with a 2-0 away win over Celta Vigo. On the contrary, both Sevilla and Villarreal dropped two points apiece with their respective draws against Mallorca and Cadiz. Ahead of the weekend's round of matches, here is all you need to know:
La Liga table as things stand
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Elche vs Real Madrid: Real Madrid will look to go back to winning ways in La Liga on Saturday afternoon when they travel to Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero to face Elche. Los Blancos were held to a goalless draw by Osasuna on Wednesday but maintained their lead at the top of the league, while Elche comes into the game after a 1-0 setback at Alaves on Tuesday.
Atletico Madrid vs Real Betis: Atletico Madrid will be seeking to get back to winning ways in La Liga when they face Real Betis at home on Sunday afternoon. Diego Simeone's team approach the contest after a 2-2 draw at Levante on Thursday evening, while Betis, who have improved this season, won 4-1 at home to Valencia in their last encounter.
Real Sociedad vs Athletic Club: Real Sociedad will host rivals Athletic Bilbao in the Basque derby on Sunday evening at the San Sebastian. Real Sociedad leads the standings with 24 points from their first 11 games, while Athletic is eighth with 17 points from their first ten games of the 2021-22 season.
