La Liga Fixtures 2017 Week 23: Schedule, Live-Stream Info, Picks and Key Players

Real Madrid will be expected to extend their lead at the summit of La Liga on Saturday, as they welcome RCD Espanyol to the Santiago Bernabeu in Week 23 of the season.

Los Blancos battled to a 3-1 win over bottom side Osasuna last weekend, moving a point ahead of rivals Barcelona having played a couple of games less.

The Blaugrana have the chance to bounce back from their UEFA Champions League humiliation at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, when they welcome Leganes to the Camp Nou on Sunday.

Additionally, Sevilla face an in-form Eibar side at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium on Saturday, and Atletico Madrid—after their dramatic 3-2 win over Celta Vigo last week—travel to El Molinon to face Sporting Gijon earlier the same day.

Another absorbing weekend from the Spanish top flight is in store. Here is a look at the fixtures in full, the streaming details for the matches and some players who can make an impact for their respective sides.

Date	Time (GMT)	Fixture	Prediction
Friday, February 18	7:45 p.m.	Granada vs. Real Betis*	1-2
Saturday, February 19	12 p.m.	Sporting vs. Atletico Madrid*	0-2
Saturday, February 19	3:15 p.m.	Real Madrid vs. Espanyol	3-1
Saturday, February 19	5:30 p.m.	Deportivo vs. Alaves	1-1
Saturday, February 19	7:45 p.m.	Sevilla vs. Eibar*	3-1
Sunday, February 20	11 a.m.	Real Sociedad vs. Villarreal*	1-1
Sunday, February 20	3:15 p.m.	Valencia vs. Athletic Bilbao*	1-2
Sunday, February 20	5:30 p.m.	Celta Vigo vs. Osasuna*	2-0
Sunday, February 20	7:45 p.m.	Barcelona vs. Leganes*	2-0
Monday, February 21	7:45 p.m.	Malaga vs. Las Palmas*	1-1

R	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Real Madrid	20	15	4	1	54	18	+36	49
2	Barcelona	22	14	6	2	61	18	+43	48
3	Sevilla	22	14	4	4	44	28	+16	46
4	Atletico Madrid	22	12	6	4	39	18	+21	42
5	Real Sociedad	22	13	2	7	36	31	+5	41
6	Villarreal	22	9	9	4	29	15	+14	36
7	Athletic Club	22	10	5	7	28	26	+2	35
8	Eibar	22	10	5	7	36	29	+7	35
9	Espanyol	22	8	8	6	30	29	+1	32
10	Celta Vigo	21	9	3	9	33	36	-3	30
11	Las Palmas	22	7	7	8	31	33	-2	28
12	Alaves	22	6	9	7	21	28	-7	27
13	Real Betis	21	6	6	9	21	31	-10	24
14	Malaga	22	5	8	9	29	36	-7	23
15	Valencia	21	5	5	11	29	40	-11	20
16	Deportivo La Coruna	21	4	7	10	26	34	-8	19
17	Leganes	22	4	6	12	15	37	-22	18
18	Sporting Gijon	22	4	4	14	24	43	-19	16
19	Granada	22	2	7	13	17	48	-31	13
20	Osasuna	22	1	7	14	24	49	-25	10

Matches can be streamed via beIN Sports CONNECT (U.S.)

*Matches can be streamed via Sky Go (UK)

Fernando Torres, Atletico Madrid

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For much of the campaign, Fernando Torres has been a bit-part player at the Vicente Calderon, deputising for Antoine Griezmann and Kevin Gameiro up top. But in recent appearances he's proved he still has something to offer Atletico.

No more so than against Celta in a remarkable match last weekend. The veteran forward scored one of the goals of the La Liga season, flicking the ball up with his back to goal on the corner of the box and looping an overhead kick beyond Sergio Alvarez.

Per Squawka Football, the former Liverpool and Chelsea man is in a brilliant groove at the moment:

Although he went on to miss a penalty in that match, his recent levels mean manager Diego Simeone will pair Torres with Griezmann up top for the clash with Sporting. Both forwards will fancy their chances of getting on the scoresheet again, too.

Only two teams have conceded more than Sporting, who find themselves in 18th position and in a battle to beat the drop.

Atletico haven't been at their best as of late, but if Torres and Griezmann can link up, they should be too strong in this one.

Luka Modric, Real Madrid

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Against teams who come to the Santiago Bernabeu and sit deep, Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane looks to some of his playmakers to unpick the defensive masses. It's the reason why Modric is such a key cog in this setup.

Espanyol have been cohesive and aggressive under Quique Sanchez Flores and are capable of frustrating the league leaders for long spells. Modric, as such, must ensure the tempo of the match remains quick and incisive passes are played to find space in the visitors' defensive structure.

Per Bleacher Report UK, the Croatian's international team-mate, Darijo Srna, has had some effusive praise for Modric recently:

It's an assessment that is tough to argue with. Modric is unmatched in terms of technical ability, is superb at anticipating danger and capable of conjuring moments of tremendous ingenuity to assist his team.

His quality will pose a dilemma for Espanyol. Should they press Modric and push up the pitch, there will be space for Los Blancos' other attacking stars to blossom, but if the 31-year-old is afforded time to manage the match as he pleases, he can be devastating.

Neymar, Barcelona

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After being hammered by PSG in midweek, Barcelona need some of their big players to seize responsibility against Leganes on Sunday.

Neymar is one of them. Although the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez cut disinterested figures during the contest, the Brazilian was at least seeking to take the game to the French champions at the Parc des Princes with some ambitious running.

Per Bleacher Report's Karl Matchett, the winger's work on the ball did stand out on an otherwise forgettable night for the Catalan giants:

Even so, Barcelona fans will expect more from their No. 11. The 25-year-old has only scored once in his last six matches in all competitions and six times in La Liga all season; given his quality, the Brazil international should be a lot more prolific.

Leganes are not going to come to the Camp Nou and attack, meaning there will be plenty of opportunities for Neymar to get on the ball and drive at opposition defenders. Provided he shows a little more care in his decision-making, he can be crucial to Barcelona securing a critical win.