La Liga Fixtures 2016 Week 29: Schedule, Live-Stream Info, Picks and Key Players
Barcelona will look to continue their impressive unbeaten streak in La Liga when they host Getafe in Week 29.
The Catalans are cruising toward the Spanish title and are expected to waltz past Getafe, while their main competitors are looking to do the same. Atletico Madrid will host struggling Deportivo La Coruna, and Real Madrid face a tricky trip to Las Palmas.
Elsewhere, Valencia visit Levante, while Villarreal and Sevilla will do battle with the fourth UEFA Champions League ticket on the line.
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Here's a look at the schedule for Week 29, complete with live-stream info and picks:
| Friday, March 11 | 7:30 p.m. GMT/2:30 p.m. ET | Malaga v Sporting Gijon | Sky Go (UK)/BeIN Sports Connect, fuboTV (USA) | Malaga |
| Saturday, March 12 | 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET | Barcelona v Getafe | BeIN Sports Connect, fuboTV (USA) | Barcelona |
| Saturday, March 12 | 5:15 p.m. GMT/12:15 p.m. ET | Celta Vigo v Real Sociedad | Sky Go (UK)/BeIN Sports Connect, fuboTV (USA) | Celta Vigo |
| Saturday, March 12 | 7:30 p.m. GMT/2:30 p.m. ET | Atletico Madrid v Deportivo | Sky Go (UK)/BeIN Sports Connect, fuboTV (USA) | Atletico |
| Saturday, March 12 | 9:05 p.m. GMT/4 p.m. ET | Rayo Vallecano v Eibar | Sky Go (UK)/BeIN Sports Connect, fuboTV (USA) | Draw |
| Sunday, March 13 | 11 a.m. GMT/6 a.m. ET | Levante v Valencia | Sky Go (UK)/BeIN Sports Connect, fuboTV (USA) | Draw |
| Sunday, March 13 | 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET | Sevilla v Villarreal | Sky Go (UK)/BeIN Sports Connect, fuboTV (USA) | Draw |
| Sunday, March 13 | 5:15 p.m. GMT/12:15 p.m. ET | Athletic Club v Real Betis | Sky Go (UK)/BeIN Sports Connect, fuboTV (USA) | Athletic |
| Sunday, March 13 | 7:30 p.m. GMT/2:30 p.m. ET | Las Palmas v Real Madrid | Sky Go (UK)/BeIN Sports Connect, fuboTV (USA) | Real |
| Monday, March 14 | 7:30 p.m. GMT/2:30 p.m. ET | Granada v Espanyol | Sky Go (UK)/BeIN Sports Connect, fuboTV (USA) | Granada |
Key Players
Ivan Rakitic, Barcelona
It's difficult to isolate a single player responsible for Barcelona's incredible success of late, but midfielder Ivan Rakitic has flown somewhat under the radar in 2016 compared to some of his team-mates.
Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar naturally soak up the headlines because of their scoring exploits, and Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets continue to put themselves in the discussion for best midfielders in the game.
Rakitic has been the glue holding the midfield together, however, and with a big Champions League clash against Arsenal on the horizon, some of his team-mates could be rested on Saturday.
Per the club's official website, Rakitic celebrated his 28th birthday on Thursday, and per the report, he has become close to indispensable:
"In under two seasons, Rakitic is already on 95 games for Barça, with 77 wins under his belt.
[…] Last campaign saw the Croatian play 51 matches and is on course to surpass that total this time around.
[…] Such is his important in the side, Rakitic is the fourth most used player in the first team. Only Luis Suarez (3,913 minutes), Sergio Busquets (3,412) and Javier Mascherano (3,335), have had more playing time this season than Rakitic (3,312).
"
Getafe are expected to dig in and defend their box at the Camp Nou, so look for Rakitic to make plenty of runs into the box in an attempt to break down the defence. He did this to perfection against Eibar, and things shouldn't be any different on Saturday.
Toni Kroos, Real Madrid
Don't look now, but Las Palmas have won three straight in La Liga and have risen from the depths of the standings in recent weeks. Seemingly destined for relegation, the club suddenly seem likely to survive the drop, and they'll look to continue their run against Los Blancos.
Las Palmas have a unique home advantage in La Liga thanks to the sheer distance visiting clubs have to traverse in order to make it to the Canary Islands. They just ended Villarreal's unbeaten streak and enter Week 29 in their best form of the season.
Real are expected to cruise to a win, but Las Palmas shouldn't be taken lightly. They're remarkably fearless with the ball, even in the big matches, and will try to take the game to Real's midfield.
Such a tactic would play right into the hands of Casemiro, who impressed in the Champions League win against AS Roma and drew praise from manager Zinedine Zidane, per the Champions League's official Twitter account:
But Casemiro hasn't been a regular starter this season, and if he is relegated to a bench role in the Canary Islands, the pressure to run down the gaps and recover the ball will fall to Kroos. The German has been an automatic starter when healthy this season, and while his statistics don't pop off the page, he's been a vital part of Los Blancos' plans.
Surrounded by midfielders with an attacking mindset, Kroos has been tasked with shielding the defence and distributing play, and the former Bayern Munich man has found a way to combine the two.
Las Palmas will look to pressure him early and force him out of Zidane's attacking plans, forcing the Real attackers to create for themselves. Los Blancos have all the individual talent in the world, but they tend to struggle when asked to break down defences with a single flash of brilliance―they need their conductor to pull the strings from midfield.
