A weekend of tricky tests for Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico in LaLiga

The 2022/23 title race promises to be very tight and the top three of Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Real Betis each have tricky tests coming up this matchday.

Meanwhile, Sevilla FC and Atlético de Madrid face off against each other as they look to propel themselves back towards the top.

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Friday Night Football

It should be a fascinating weekend and it begins in Bilbao on Friday night as Athletic Club host UD Almería. Having won four of their past five games, Athletic Club is flying under Ernesto Valverde.

Almeria 1-2 Real Madrid AFP

The fans will fill up San Mamés once more, excited to see their front four of Álex Berenguer, Iker Muniain, Nico Williams and Iñaki Williams take on the newly promoted side.

Chukwueze returns with Yellow Submarines

Saturday begins with one of the rarest sights in Spanish football, which is when Super Eagles winger Samuel Chukwueze and his Villarreal CF side play in their second kit.

The team from Castellón can almost always wear their famous yellow colours, but not when they visit Cádiz CF for the battle of The Yellows.

Samuel Chukwueze came in as a 54th-minute substitute against Real Betis Getty Images

It could be a tough game for Unai Emery’s side, as Cádiz CF will be high on confidence after earning their first win of the season just before the international break.

Getafe CF vs Real Valladolid follows at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, which will be a duel between two sides looking to pull clear from the threat of relegation. Then,

Game of the weekend

The game of the weekend will see two teams looking to climb up the LaLiga table go head-to-head as Sevilla hosts Atletico Madrid at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez.

These two heavyweights have had slow starts to the season and desperately need the three points on offer.

Antoine Griezmann would be hoping to start for Atletico Madrid. AFP

Diego Simeone's men will be looking to put an end to a poor run against the Seville side having failed to pick all three points at Ramon Sanchez in four years. So, a thrilling end-to-end battle.

Culers take over later that night

Second-placed FC Barcelona is back in action and will be able to cement its position at the top of the table if they defeat RCD Mallorca away from home.

Barcelona forward Memphis Depay IMAGO / News Images

That’s much easier said than done, though, as RCD Mallorca’s back five have taken three clean sheets from six matches this season.

Talking about defenses, Barça has their defensive concerns, having lost Jules Koundé and Ronald Araújo to injury. It’ll be interesting to see what solutions Xavi comes up with on the island.

Super Sunday?

Sunday’s round of matches starts with the clash between two new coaches, as Diego Martínez welcomes Gennaro Gattuso and Valencia CF to face RCD Espanyol in Catalonia.

Gennaro Gattuso has been appointed Valencia manager on a two-year deal VALENCIA CF

This won’t be the first meeting between these tacticians, as Martínez’s Granada CF side eliminated the Italian and Napoli during their 2020/21 Europa League run.

But Gattuso comes into this weekend’s clash in a stronger position, while Martinez and Espanyol have had a poor start to 2022/23. Tactically, this could be a very interesting match-up at the RCDE Stadium.

Surprise title contenders Betis in tricky away tie

Real Betis and Real Sociedad both qualified for the Europa League last season and have started this new campaign well too, but both teams have complicated away fixtures on Sunday afternoon.

Sergio Canales scored for Real Betis against Real Madrid on Saturday Twitter

Los Verdiblancos visit RC Celta while La Real will make the trip to Girona FC. These are two difficult grounds to go to and against two complicated opponents.

Therefore, the Andalusian and Basque sides will have to be at their best if they’re to collect victories.

Defending champions time

League leaders Real Madrid will return to the Bernabéu on Sunday night to take on CA Osasuna, a match that should be a trickier test than expected at the start of the season.

The visitors from Pamplona have been brilliant this season, they sit fifth with 12 points from six matches and earned a point in this fixture when they visited the capital last season.

Real Madrid will be boosted by the return of striker Karim Benzema from injury. AFP

With the Osasuna defence in great form, this could be a complicated challenge for Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid team despite the expected to return of Karim Benzema from injury.

Monday Night Football

Matchday 7 ends with action on Monday night in the Spanish capital as Rayo Vallecano take on Elche CF. The visitors now find themselves bottom of the table, so coach Francisco knows he