La Liga Week 9 Schedule, Fixtures & Stream: Barcelona, Real Madrid Battle for First
Another big La Liga weekend is here. The UEFA Champions League is underway, but it's time for the club teams to get back to what they do best. The Spanish Premier League has an extremely tight race after eight weeks of play
Barcelona, Celta Vigo and Real Madrid are all currently tied for first place in the standings with 18 points. This is a huge week.
Lionel Messi may be out with a leg injury, but Neymar is stepping up in his absence. The Brazilian superstar had an incredible game last week against Rayo Vallecano in which he scored four goals. That was Neymar's first career four-goal game in a Barcelona uniform. Neymar now has eight goals, the most of any La Liga player.
Still, this is a big test for Barcelona, which currently has the most wins in the league with six. Playing without the best player in the world won't be easy, so the team just has to weather this storm. Thankfully, Luis Suárez is playing at a high level as well. Barcelona will be playing Eibar on Sunday. Eibar only has one loss so far this season, but Barcelona will be the home team.
Real Madrid has a huge game as well. They will be playing Celta Vigo on the road, and they're just trying to manage given the circumstances. James Rodríguez, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale are all injured at the moment. Cristiano Ronaldo will be counted on now more than ever. Real Madrid recently drew a 0-0 tie against Paris Saint-Germain, which is pretty impressive considering the injuries.
Real Madrid hasn't lost a single game this season. They have five wins and three draws. In their last La Liga game, they defeated Levante, 3-0. Their showdown against Celta Vigo this weekend will be the must-watch game of the week.
Atlético Madrid, which is in fourth place, also has a big game this week. They will be taking on the always-tough defending team Valencia. Atlético Madrid is one of the favorites to win it all this year, so they are going to need all three points this weekend. With Barcelona and Real Madrid each hurting, it's crucial that Atlético Madrid get on a roll in the coming weeks and make a little run in the standings.
Friday
Rayo Vallecano vs. Espanyol: 2:30 PM
Saturday
Celta Vigo vs. Real Madrid: 10 a.m.
Granada vs. Real Betis: 12:15 p.m.
Sevilla vs. Getafe: 2:30 p.m.
Málaga vs. Deportivo: 4:05 p.m.
Sunday
Levante vs. Real Sociedad: 7 a.m.
Las Palmas vs. Villarreal: 11 a.m.
Barcelona vs. Eibar: 1:15 p.m.
Atlético Madrid vs. Valencia: 3:30 p.m.
Monday
Athletic Bilbao vs. Sporting Gijon: 3:30 p.m.
All times listed above are ET. You can watch a live soccer stream here.
Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1
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