We’re now officially past the half-way point of the 2022/23 LaLiga season, and things are starting to shape up rather nicely, from the neutral’s perspective at least, towards both ends of the table.
After Athletic Club’s 4-1 demolition of Cádiz last night, inspired by a magnificent Oihen Sancet hat-trick, we’re looking ahead to Saturday’s action, to set the scene for what should be another enthralling day of Spanish football.
13:00 GMT - Espanyol vs Osasuna
Wins have been pretty hard to come by for Espanyol this season, particularly before the World Cup break, where Los Pericos picked up just two victories from their opening 14 games.
Nonetheless, with a few reinforcements - including LaLiga’s most expensive signing of the winter window, €8 million defender César Montes - the side from Cornellà have looked much more solid since the return, needing just four attempts to reach that two-win mark.
The talented Denis Suárez will add a creative spark for the in-form Joselu to feed off, having provided 15 assists across the last two LaLiga seasons, while the high-quality acquisition of Fernando Pacheco between the sticks, a position that has caused Espanyol some trouble this season, will be another welcome boost for one of the four teams hovering just one point above the relegation zone.
Visitors Osasuna will be a tough nut to crack however, looking to get back on the winning trail after a narrow 1-0 defeat to Atlético Madrid.
Los Rojillos have enjoyed one of their greatest seasons in recent memory so far, balancing an exciting cup run with a serious push for European football, sitting just three points off Villarreal in 5th.
Jagoba Arrasate’s men have only lost three of their last 18 games in all competitions, and danger men Moi Gómez and Chimy Ávila will be looking to test the new man Pacheco as often as possible. And, with their top-six rivals all at home to bottom-half sides, they could really do with all of the points here.
15:15 GMT - Elche vs Villarreal
Things are starting to look pretty ugly for poor old Elche, still officially on track to break the record for the lowest points tally in LaLiga history at their current rate.
Last week’s implosion at Sevilla was nothing new, either, as Pedro Bigas’s 40th-minute red card was the fourth time this season that an Elche defender had been sent off for a last-man foul in the first half.
New coach Pablo Machín hasn’t quite been able to work miracles just yet, but a new face in the form of loan signing Randy Nteka, to replace the outgoing Roger Martí, might give their long-suffering fans something to get excited about, as they continue to search for their first win of the campaign.
Things are much better for Quique Sétien’s Villarreal, but a frustrating 1-0 defeat to Rayo Vallecano last weekend saw the Yellow Submarine fall three points off the top-four pace.
The January transfer window only saw outgoings, as both Arnaut Danjuma and Gerónimo Rulli were allowed to leave without replacements, clearing, intriguingly, a first-team path for 20-year old Danish goalkeeper Filip Jörgensen.
The visitors won the return fixture by four goals to nil at the Ciutat de València back in September, so we’re expecting goals again here. Unless Elche can pull something out of the hat, Villarreal should really be breathing down the necks of Atlético Madrid come the final whistle.
17:30 GMT - Atlético Madrid vs Getafe
Speaking of the 2021 champions, Atlético will be looking for an instant response to Villarreal’s result, as they welcome Getafe to the Metropolitano for what could be a feisty Madrid Derby.
This fixture provided one of the games of the season last time out, as three penalties, six yellow cards and six goals were scored in the opening 45 minutes, before Mario Hermoso acrobatically sealed a 4-3 win for the hosts in the dying embers of the game.
With Antoine Griezmann and Rodrigo De Paul starting to replicate their dazzling World Cup form, Diego Simeone will be feeling much more comfortable in the hot-seat if they can make it nine points from nine.
The pressure is starting to mount for Cholo’s opposite number, as a late defeat to Real Betis last weekend saw Quique Sánchez Flores’s men lose their fourth consecutive LaLiga tie.
Now in 19th, three points from safety, the disappointment is palpable in southern Madrid, particularly after what looked to be an exciting summer, with Luis Milla, Domingos Duarte and Borja Mayoral all making permanent moves to the Coliseum.
Gonzalo Villar has returned to the club on loan this winter, but things need to turn around quickly for the former Watford boss, or he could well be the seventh managerial casualty of a tense relegation scrap.
20:00 GMT - Real Betis vs Celta Vigo
It certainly wasn’t pretty, but Real Betis’s 1-0 win over Getafe on Saturday night was huge for Manuel Pellegrini’s men, particularly after a tricky ten days that saw them lose out in the Supercopa, dumped out of the Copa del Rey, and beaten by Espanyol in LaLiga.
Los Verdiblancos have since lost again to Barcelona in the league, but a much-welcome second chance at the Benito Villamarín this weekend will be seen as a must-win to maintain their top-four charge.
With the electric Luiz Henrique running the wing, and a fired-up Borja Iglesias looking to rediscover his consistency in front of goal, expect a magnificent atmosphere at one of LaLiga’s finest arenas.
Things are looking much rosier in Vigo, however, who have looked defensively solid since the arrival of coach Carlos Carvalhal before the World Cup break. Coming in off the back of a five-game winless run, the Portuguese has slashed Celta’s average expected goals conceded value from 1.39 per game to 0.46
That has come at a slight attacking cost, but the inevitability of Iago Aspas has seen Os Celestes through, having scored in two 1-0 wins in the new year.
Academy graduate Gabri Veiga has added infectious positivity to the centre of the park, averaging 3 shots and 2.76 shot-creating actions per 90, while the signing of World Cup ever-present Haris Seferović adds even more bulk to a quietly quite talented forward line.
It will be a tough ask to completely quieten the Villamarín, but make no mistake, Celta Vigo are in a much better position to do it than they were a few months ago.
That’s all for today’s roundup, let us know any of your predictions in the comments section below!