Matchday 8 in La Liga is here, with the latest round in the Spanish top-flight kicking off on Friday with the Athletic Club vs Deportivo Alavés 3 p.m. ET showdown before wrapping up on Sunday with Sevilla's away encounter with Granada.
Spain's top dogs will be in action over the weekend, with Atletico Madrid and Barcelona locking horns on Saturday in this round's standout fixure. All eyes will be on the Blaugrana ahead of this Matchday as the pressure continues to pile on Ronald Koeman, with several reports suggesting his sacking is imminent after losing 3-0 to Benfica in the UEFA Champions League.
However, the Catalan giants aren't the only Spanish heavyweights to suffer a shock defeat over the midweek as Real Madrid fell victim to a similar fate. Los Blancos lost at home to Moldovan champions Sheriff in a game that will go down in UEFA Champions League history and will thus need to bounce back when they take to the field on Sunday.
Here's everything you need to know about Matchday 8 of the Spanish Primera Division.
La Liga standings ahead of Matchday 8
.jpg?q=75&w=634)
Top games to watch on Matchday 8 in La Liga
Atlético Madrid vs Barcelona: All eyes will be on this fixture as it could be Ronald Koeman's final game in charge of Barcelona. The Dutch boss finds himself under immense pressure, having lost 3-0 in the UEFA Champions League for the second time in a row, this time at the hands of Benfica.
In La Liga, the Blaugrana sit in sixth and are in danger of falling further behind should they fail to triumph. While the Catalan giants are unbeaten in six games, Depay and Co. have managed only three wins so far and thus sit five points behind league leaders Real Madrid. As for Atletico, they sit two points ahead in fourth spot. Simeone's men enter this clash on the back of a confidence-boosting 2-1 comeback victory at the San Siro over AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League but it should not be forgotten that Suarez and Co. fell to a 1-0 defeat vs Alaves in their last league outing. Do not miss this clash.
Espanyol vs Real Madrid: Given that Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are locking horns this weekend, Real Madrid have the golden opportunity to stretch their advantage over their two biggest rivals. Unfortunately for Los Blancos, they too enter this clash on the back of a disappointing result, losing 2-1 at home to Sheriff Tiraspol. Back-to-back defeats for Ancelotti's men would be devastating but given their form in the league, it's hard to see this occurring.
Villarreal vs Real Betis: Unai Emery's side will host Valencia this weekend in what should be an interesting encounter. The Yellow Submarine, who sit in 11th, just two points outside the top 10, look to bounce back from their heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Man United in the UCL. Real Betis, on the other hand, are in seventh and could leapfrog sixth-placed Barcelona, fifth-placed Rayo Vallecano, and fourth-placed Atletico Madrid if the weekend results go in their favor. Make sure to check out this tie.
Who's in and who's out?
Here are the list of players ruled out for the upcoming round from La Liga's top clubs:
Barcelona: Ousmane Dembele, Sergio Aguero, Martin Braithwaite, Jordi Alba
Real Madrid: Marcelo, Gareth Bale, Dani Carvajal, Dani Ceballos
