La Liga Fixtures 2014 Week 11: Schedule, Live Stream Info, Picks and Key Players
After a couple of defeats on the spin, Barcelona have slightly fallen off the pace allowing Real Madrid to sit proud at the top of the La Liga table.
Los Blancos lead their Catalan rival by a slim margin of two points, with Valencia and Atletico Madrid sandwiched between the pair.
Madrid will hope to now extend the lead over the chasing pack as they welcome Rayo Vallecano to the Bernabeu, with Barca facing a tricky tie at Almeria.
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Here is a list of the weekend's fixtures, with score predictions and live stream information:
| Cordoba v Deportivo La Coruna | Nov. 7 | 7.45 p.m. | 2.45 p.m. | 1-2 | Sky Go / BeIN Sports Connect |
| Almeria v Barcelona | Nov. 8 | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. | 1-3 | BeIN Sports Connect |
| Getafe v Elche | Nov. 8 | 5 p.m. | 12 p.m. | 1-1 | BeIN Sports Connect |
| Real Madrid v Rayo Vallecano | Nov. 8 | 7 p.m. | 2 p.m. | 4-1 | Sky Go / BeIN Sports Connect |
| Celta Vigo v Granada | Nov. 8 | 9 p.m. | 4 p.m. | 2-1 | Sky Go / BeIN Sports Connect |
| Malaga v Eibar | Nov. 8 | 9 p.m. | 4 p.m. | 2-1 | BeIN Sports Connect |
| Sevilla v Levante | Nov. 9 | 11 a.m. | 6 a.m. | 1-0 | BeIN Sports Connect |
| Espanyol v Villarreal | Nov. 9 | 4 p.m. | 11 a.m. | 1-0 | BeIN Sports Connect |
| Valencia v Athletic Bilbao | Nov. 9 | 6 p.m. | 1 p.m. | 2-2 | Sky Go / BeIN Sports Connect |
| Real Sociedad v Atletico Madrid | Nov. 9 | 8 p.m. | 3 p.m. | 1-2 | Sky Go / BeIN Sports Connect |
The Sky Go app (for UK viewers) can be found here.
BeIN Sports Connect (for U.S. viewers) can be accessed by clicking here.
Key Players
It is amazing Barcelona have had to wait so long to include Luis Suarez on a team sheet—to then fall to two straight defeats with the Uruguayan talisman in their side.
Suarez has yet to open his La Liga account for the Camp Nou club and will be hoping the trip to Almeria will be kind to him.
Undoubtedly, the former Liverpool striker is best suited to playing centrally but it appears that he might be used in a wider role for his new team.
And this is something that does not worry the player, as highlighted by ESPN's Miguel Delaney:
But it would seem strange if Suarez does not become the central spearhead of the attack after his goalscoring heroics of recent years.
Last season, Suarez blew the opposition away as Liverpool nearly reached the promised land of the Premier League title.
The player bagged 31 goals in 33 appearances in the league, per Squawka.com, proving himself to be one of the most potent attackers in Europe, and triggering his move to Spain.
But Suarez has to compete with two superstar footballers who supersede even his high standard in the glamour stakes: Lionel Messi and Neymar.
Uruguay have always somewhat been the poorer neighbour when it come to South American adulation for its players, and Messi and Neymar are the dominant forces from Argentina and Brazil. It might be the case that Suarez finds it difficult to impose himself around such characters.
However, the three players could make up a dream combination together, as long as they find the chemistry needed to win matches. Gareth Bale showed last year that he could co-exist and thrive next to Cristiano Ronaldo, and Suarez needs to prove he can emulate this at Barca.
Antoine Griezmann
Much is expected of Antoine Griezmann after his move in the summer to La Liga champions, Atletico Madrid.
The young prodigy has impressed in the past couple of seasons and was chosen to help Atletico replace the firepower lost in the sale of Diego Costa to Chelsea.
And the attacker has made a steady start in his new surroundings and is starting to find the back of the net with regularity.
The player now has four goals from his 14 La Liga and Champions League appearances, per WhoScored.com, and he is clearly starting to settle under Diego Simeone.
And Griezmann admitted that he has had to adjust his game to fit in at Atletico whist speaking to AS, per Dom Farrell of Goal.com:
"I knew I had to change some things when I came here and so I'm doing everything to do that. We always give everything at the Vicente Calderon and the supporters help us reach a higher level. The most important thing is I'm getting to know my team-mates and they're getting to know me.
"
And football presenter and pundit, Kay Murray, believes Griezmann's coach is having a positive effect on his current form:
Griezmann is certainly one of the most exciting attacking talents in Europe right now but it is debatable whether he has the maturity to lead a title charge for his new club. The 23-year-old has the capability of reaching the top level in Spain but he still needs time to find his feet.
But Atletico have done exceptionally well to acquire the talented young man and he is certain to blossom into a fine player. Simeone is a clever manager, instilling confidence into his professionals, and Griezmann will benefit from aligning himself with his new mentor.
