La Liga Fixtures 2015 Week 9: Schedule, Live Stream Info, Picks and Key Players
La Liga leaders Real Madrid and Celta Vigo will clash at the Estadio Balaidos in Week 9's most anticipated clash, giving the hosts another opportunity to show their fast start to the 2015-16 season is legitimate.
They have already beaten defending champions Barcelona, who will host Eibar on Sunday, and like Los Blancos, they enter Week 9 without a loss on their resume.
Atletico Madrid entertain Valencia in a match with big implications on the race for the Champions League spots, and Europa League winners Sevilla host Getafe on Saturday. Here's a look at the upcoming schedule, complete with live stream info and picks:
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| Friday, October 23 | Rayo Vallecano | Espanyol | Espanyol | BeIN Sports Connect (U.S.)/Sky Go (UK) |
| Saturday, October 24 | Celta Vigo | Real Madrid | Draw | BeIN Sports Connect (U.S.) |
| Saturday, October 24 | Granada | Real Betis | Draw | BeIN Sports Connect (U.S.)/Sky Go (UK) |
| Saturday, October 24 | Sevilla | Getafe | Sevilla | BeIN Sports Connect (U.S.)/Sky Go (UK) |
| Saturday, October 24 | Malaga | Deportivo | Malaga | BeIN Sports Connect (U.S.)/Sky Go (UK) |
| Sunday, October 25 | Levante | Real Sociedad | Draw | BeIN Sports Connect (U.S.)/Sky Go (UK) |
| Sunday, October 25 | Las Palmas | Villarreal | Villarreal | BeIN Sports Connect (U.S.)/Sky Go (UK) |
| Sunday, October 25 | Barcelona | Eibar | Barcelona | BeIN Sports Connect (U.S.)/Sky Go (UK) |
| Sunday, October 25 | Atletico Madrid | Valencia | Atletico | BeIN Sports Connect (U.S.)/Sky Go (UK) |
| Monday, October 26 | Athletic Club | Sporting Gijon | Athletic | BeIN Sports Connect (U.S.)/Sky Go (UK) |
Key Players
Nolito, Celta Vigo
Nolito is Celta's top scorer with six goals and once again showed why he's reportedly such a hot commodity on the transfer market by scoring the winner during last week's clash with Villarreal.
According to Mundo Deportivo (h/t Barcastuff), both Arsenal and former club Barcelona are interested in the Spain international, and the Blaugrana in particular haven't been shy about their interest. Sergi Roberto told Mundo Deportivo (h/t Goal's Dom Farrell) he'd love to play with Nolito again:
"I played with him at Barca B and I have great memories and off the field. He helped [Celta] a lot to climb to second. He's a great player who is at a high level, evidenced at Celta, and he is already in the Spanish national squad. It would be very good reinforcement, but the coach will decide."
Nolito isn't the only Celta forward who has been consistently excellent early this season, with Fabian Orellana and Iago Aspas standing out as well. The Guardian's Sid Lowe is a big fan of what the team's forwards have done as a group:
"Celta continue to impress, the most enjoyable team to watch in the primera, the side who tore Barcelona to bits; Iago Aspas, who has been brilliant until now, passed up on two great chances, missing the first and running beyond the ball on the second; Orellana cut through Villarreal on the left; and Nolito, arguably Spain’s outstanding performer so far this season, scored his sixth league goal. Only Neymar has more.
"
But Nolito is the top star, and those players usually make the difference in the matches against the very best La Liga has to offer. He was sublime against Barcelona with a goal and two assists, and it's that kind of performance that may be needed again to get past Los Blancos.
Real have conceded just two goals all season, per WhoScored.com. That is by far the best defensive record in La Liga. Raphael Varane's big breakout campaign seems to have finally arrived, and paired with Sergio Ramos, Los Blancos have an almost impenetrable wall in the heart of their defense.
Speed and trickery out wide will be key to demolishing that wall, and that's where Nolito comes in. If he can keep up the strong form he has shown so far, the hosts will have a real shot of beating the La Liga giants and continuing their Cinderella run.
Casemiro, Real Madrid
Luka Modric has been unavailable for Los Blancos the past couple of weeks, but in his absence, an unlikely new hero has emerged for Real. Young Brazilian Casemiro looked fantastic during pre-season and has been given an extended run due to a number of injuries in midfield, and, so far, he's made the most of his chances.
Manager Rafa Benitez couldn't help but shower the 23-year-old with praise before the Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain, via AS English:
Casemiro isn't much of a creative force, but his defensive contributions cannot be overlooked. He was excellent against Atletico Madrid and everywhere against Levante, which allowed Toni Kroos to focus more on helping in the attacking third.
Celta Vigo's biggest strengths lie up front, where Nolito, Orellana and Aspas can do a lot of damage with their ability to switch positions in the blink of an eye. Movement is a big part of their game, confusing defences and creating gaps.
They have also found success with balls over the top, so pressuring Celta's midfielders and stopping them from playing the forwards in will be key. Casemiro will hope to continue his fine form on Saturday to shut down as much of the pitch as possible.
If Casemiro can win the midfield battle, the likes of Isco won't have to worry about defending and can instead focus on what they do best: scoring goals. Celta Vigo are conceding at a fair rate, so if the chances are there, Real should have the firepower to score a couple and beat the La Liga upstarts.
