La Liga Fixtures 2014 Week 12: Schedule, Live Stream Info, Picks and Key Players
La Liga returns with another full slate of fixtures following the international break on Friday, and with several clashes between favourites for the European slots, Week 12 guarantees drama.
Atletico Madrid will host Malaga on Saturday, and Barcelona and Sevilla will face off just hours later at the Camp Nou. Both Atletico and Barcelona have stumbled of late, with the defending champions losing their recent match against Real Sociedad and the Catalans losing two of their last three.
League leaders Real Madrid have won their last eight and haven't shown any signs of slowing down, so it will be up to their main rivals to return from the international break reinvigorated and ready to turn their recent slumps around in a hurry.
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The full schedule for Week 12, including live stream info:
| Friday, Nov. 21 | 7.45 p.m./2:45 p.m. | Athletic Bilbao | Espanyol | Sky Go Extra (UK)/ BeIN Sports Connect (US) | 1-0 |
| Saturday, Nov. 22 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Atletico Madrid | Malaga | Sky Go (UK)/ BeIN Sports Connect (US) | 2-1 |
| Saturday, Nov. 22 | 5 p.m./Noon | Eibar | Real Madrid | Sky Go (UK)/ BeIN Sports Connect (US) | 0-3 |
| Saturday, Nov. 22 | 7 p.m./2 p.m. | Barcelona | Sevilla | Sky Go (UK)/ BeIN Sports Connect (US) | 2-0 |
| Saturday, Nov. 22 | 9 p.m./4 p.m. | Deportivo La Coruna | Real Sociedad | Sky Go (UK)/ BeIN Sports Connect (US) | 0-0 |
| Sunday, Nov. 23 | 11 a.m./6 a.m. | Rayo Vallecano | Celta Vigo | BeIN Sports Connect (US) | 0-1 |
| Sunday, Nov. 23 | 4 p.m./11 a.m. | Levante | Valencia | Sky Go (UK)/ BeIN Sports Connect (US) | 1-2 |
| Sunday, Nov. 23 | 6 p.m./1 p.m. | Elche | Cordoba | Sky Go (UK)/ BeIN Sports Connect (US) | 0-0 |
| Sunday, Nov. 23 | 8 p.m./3 p.m. | Villarreal | Getafe | BeIN Sports Connect (US) | 1-0 |
| Monday, Nov. 24 | 7.45 p.m./2:45 p.m. | Granada | Almeria | BeIN Sports Connect (US) | 0-1 |
The Sky Go app can be found here.
BeIN Sports Connect can be found here.
Key Players
Mario Mandzukic, Atletico Madrid
Malaga have quietly put together an impressive start to the season, sitting comfortably in sixth place in the standings thanks to a defence that ranks third in La Liga for goals conceded, via WhoScored.com.
Ignacio Camacho has been very impressive playing in front of the back four, while Carlos Kameni is easily fending off the challenge from World Cup hero Guillermo Ochoa thanks with an excellent run in goal.
The Cameroon international spent the last few seasons at Malaga as understudy to Willy Caballero, and he recently told AS (h/t Football Espana) how happy he is to finally get his chance:
"You feel happy when you’re playing. For two years I had to put up with it and keep working in the shadow of Willy, who did great. I’m enjoying it."
Atletico Madrid do a number of things well, but scoring is not one of them. Mario Mandzukic leads the team with five goals, and according to WhoScored, the defending champions' second leading scorer is a defender, Miranda.
Malaga will likely keep plenty of players behind the ball at the Vicente Calderon, using Atletico's preferred tactics against them. With limited space available, the Croatia international's ability in the air will be key for the hosts, who can't afford to drop points on Saturday and risk losing any more ground on city rivals Real Madrid.
Neymar, Barcelona
One of the top breakout players of the La Liga season is Grzegorz Krychowiak, who has been phenomenal playing in front of the Sevilla back four, just about shutting down the central areas for opposing teams.
The Poland international will have his hands full against Barcelona's vaunted attack, but Sevilla will take a long, hard look at how Celta Vigo battled to a win in Week 9 and attempt to copy the Galicians' tactics—loading up the centre of the pitch and forcing the ball out wide.
The Blaugrana are still looking for their offensive identity following the introduction of Luis Suarez, who was released early from international duty and has been training with the club all week, via Barcelona's Twitter feed:
Suarez has been working hard, and while he's yet to score for the Blaugrana, his movement in the passing game has been impressive so far. But for all of his best efforts, the Catalans still haven't found a way to effectively use him when playing the ball through the middle, and that likely won't change against Sevilla.
Instead, the danger will have to come from the other wing, where Neymar has put together a very strong season so far.
With 10 goals already this campaign, via WhoScored, he presents Barcelona with their strongest scoring option cutting inside, and the presence of Lionel Messi and Suarez will only lead to less defensive cover for the dribbling star.
Sevilla haven't won in their last two and would be more than happy with a draw at the Camp Nou—it will be up to the 22-year-old to break down what will be a tough defensive unit.
Isco, Real Madrid
Croatia international and star midfielder Luka Modric won't be playing any more football in 2014, as FIFA's official Twitter feed confirmed his thigh injury will keep him sidelined for three months:
The 29-year-old was enjoying another fantastic season for Los Blancos, and his consistent performances were one of the main reasons new signings Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez integrated into the squad so easily—the Croat was always there to pick up the slack.
But with Modric now sidelined, Carlo Ancelotti will have to go look for another midfielder to run his system from the central areas, and while Sami Khedira would be a logical choice, the Germany international has hardly featured so far this season due to injuries of his own.
Instead, Spain's Isco is the most logical choice, something ESPN FC's Nicholas Rigg also believes:
"Before Madrid's last match, a 5-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano that made it 13 straight wins for the European champions, the Italian was asked about his plans for in-form Isco given Gareth Bale's return from injury. "From time to time he can play as a central midfielder in place of [Toni] Kroos or [Luka] Modric," he said. "I'm thinking about playing him further back because he can do the defensive work he's going on the flank as a central midfielder too."
In place of Modric, you say? Step forward Isco.
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As unfortunate as the injury to Modric is, this is exactly the opportunity Isco has been waiting for. He looked excellent filling in for the injured Gareth Bale in a more advanced role in recent weeks, but as Ancelotti told reporters, he wants to see the 22-year-old perform as a more traditional central midfielder.
Surrounded by a wealth of attacking talent, the pressure to perform shouldn't weigh too heavily on Isco against a solid but unspectacular Eibar squad. A strong outing will lead to more opportunities for the youngster, who needs to grasp this chance with both hands.
