La Liga Fixtures 2015: Schedule, Live Stream and Week 8 Predictions
Both Real Madrid and Barcelona face injury concerns heading into Week 8 of the 2015-16 La Liga season, setting up an intriguing weekend of fixtures headlined by the clash between Villarreal and Celta Vigo.
The Yellow Submarine are the surprise La Liga leaders after seven matches, sitting one point ahead of the Galicians. The two sides will meet on Sunday, while Los Blancos host Levante and Barcelona are at home to Rayo Vallecano.
Here's a look at the schedule for Week 8, complete with live stream info and predictions:
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| Saturday, October 17 | Real Madrid | Levante | beIN Sports Connect (U.S.) | 3-0 |
| Saturday, October 17 | Eibar | Sevilla | beIN Sports Connect (U.S.) | 0-2 |
| Saturday, October 17 | Barcelona | Rayo Vallecano | beIN Sports Connect (U.S.), Sky Go (UK) | 3-1 |
| Saturday, October 17 | Valencia | Malaga | beIN Sports Connect (U.S.) | 1-1 |
| Saturday, October 17 | Real Betis | Espanyol | beIN Sports Connect (U.S.) | 2-1 |
| Sunday, October 18 | Villarreal | Celta Vigo | beIN Sports Connect (U.S.) | 1-0 |
| Sunday, October 18 | Real Sociedad | Atletico Madrid | beIN Sports Connect (U.S.) | 0-2 |
| Sunday, October 18 | Getafe | Las Palmas | beIN Sports Connect (U.S.) | 0-0 |
| Sunday, October 18 | Deportivo | Athletic Club | beIN Sports Connect (U.S.) | 1-2 |
| Monday, October 19 | Sporting Gijon | Granada | beIN Sports Connect (U.S.) | 0-0 |
Preview
The international break wasn't kind on several top clubs around the continent, and things were no different for Real Madrid, who will be without star midfielder Luka Modric for the foreseeable future. As reported by Marca, the Croatia international will be out for several weeks.
Manager Rafa Benitez confirmed Los Blancos are going through a bit of an injury crisis, with no fewer than nine players currently sidelined. Speaking to Onda Cero’s Al Primer Toque (h/t AS), he said:
"We’ve got a lot of players out injured, but due to very clear circumstances. The fans have no need to worry, we do a great deal of work to prevent these things from happening but we are playing intense games twice a week, we have a lot of international players… We don’t have as many injury problems as people make out – as it stands there are nine. An injury isn’t the same as a a sprain from overdoing it.
"
Young midfielder Casemiro impressed greatly during the derby against Atletico Madrid, and he could be in line for another start against Levante. Juanma Trueba of AS wrote a scathing review of Benitez's defensive tactics after the draw against Atletico, but Casemiro's form can't be ignored, and Los Blancos have plenty of attacking firepower to make up for his defensive mindset.
As ever, fans will keep an eye on Cristiano Ronaldo, who will have another chance of passing Raul on Real's all-time top scorers' list, per AS English. The Portugal international needs just one goal to achieve the feat, and with Levante fielding La Liga's second-worst defence, per WhoScored.com, he should like his chances on Saturday.
Barcelona face similar injury concerns as Real, and the Blaugrana enter their match against Rayo Vallecano having lost two of their last three La Liga matches. The loss of Lionel Messi has taken its toll on the team's creativity in front of goal, most evident in the 2-1 loss against Sevilla.
Luis Suarez and Neymar had numerous chances to hand the Blaugrana the win and top spot in La Liga, but poor finishing and some bad luck instead led to a loss. Fortunately for the Catalans, Rayo Vallecano shouldn't present too many problems.
Last year, the side from Madrid were rightly praised for their free-flowing attacking football, but without Leo Baptistao, whose loan deal came to an end during the summer, Rayo have looked like a shell of themselves.
Like Levante, they have already conceded 12 goals this season, including five in their last two, losses to Sevilla and Real Betis. Suarez should be fine to start after a slight injury scare earlier this week, per Javier Miguel of SPORT, and the Catalans should go back to their winning ways against a slumping Rayo squad.
For once, the two La Liga giants shouldn't soak up the headlines in Week 8, however. Villarreal and Celta Vigo have both enjoyed a fine start to the 2015-16 season, and they'll go head-to-head on Sunday, hoping to continue their momentum. As shared by football commentator Petter Veland, their players stood out on international duty for Spain:
Mario Gaspar celebrated his La Roja debut with a goal, while Nolito continued to show why he's the subject of constant transfer speculation.
Barcelona star Sergi Roberto became the latest to give his blessing for a potential move, speaking to Mundo Deportivo (h/t Goal's Dom Farrell), and a strong showing against the league leaders will only fuel the rumour mill.
Scoring has come easily for both sides, with Celta Vigo in particular standing out, but the Galicians looked less sharp going into the international break, drawing their last two matches. Villarreal will look to bounce back from a shock defeat at the hands of Levante and will have the advantage of playing in the daunting El Madrigal stadium.
