Leaders Girona FC play on Monday, after tough fixtures for their title rivals

The penultimate LALIGA EA SPORTS matchday of 2023 is coming up this weekend, with surprise leaders Girona FC looking to tighten their grip on first place.

The Catalan outfit, who just won 4-2 at FC Barcelona, will be in action in the final game of the round, when they host Deportivo Alavés on Monday night. Before that, though, their three main title rivals each have tricky fixtures of their own.

The very first fixture of Matchday 17 is CA Osasuna vs Rayo Vallecano on Friday night. Each club is currently on a six-match winless run in league play, so the three points will be extra valuable when the ball starts rolling at El Sadar.

Two other sides in desperate need of a victory face off in the first of Saturday’s games, as third-bottom RC Celta host second-bottom Granada CF. Both these teams have just one victory in LALIGA EA SPORTS all season, and know that this could be a huge moment in the relegation battle.

On Saturday afternoon, attention turns to the top of the table as San Mamés hosts a battle between two members of the top five: Athletic Club and Atlético de Madrid. Matches between these two clubs are always thrilling and Antoine Griezmann will aim to keep up his impressive record against the Basques, who he has scored 14 goals against in 30 meetings.

Sevilla FC vs Getafe CF follows and Los Hispalenses will need to be at their best if they are to secure what would be a first LALIGA EA SPORTS win since September. That’s because Getafe CF compete well in every game and will travel to Andalusia with confidence.

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Football

The Saturday night game is between Valencia CF and FC Barcelona, two of the most historic clubs in Spanish football. Not only should this be a hard-fought match-up, but this will be a special occasion for a few of the players involved, as João Cancelo, Ferran Torres and Oriol Romeu return to Mestalla to take on their former club.

Four more fixtures follow on Sunday, the first of which is UD Almería vs RCD Mallorca. After a Cyle Larin goal earned the islanders victory last matchday, they’ll be optimistic about this visit to the bottom-placed club in the division.

On Sunday afternoon there is a massive game in the race to qualify for next season’s Champions League, as Real Sociedad host Real Betis. Currently sixth and seventh respectively, with just three points between them, this match could end up being decisive.

Just behind Real Sociedad and Real Betis in the race for European qualification stand UD Las Palmas, who’ll be looking to make up ground when they host Cádiz CF on Sunday evening. Curiously, this will be the first meeting in Spain’s top division between these two clubs since 1988.

Real Madrid vs Villarreal CF is the match that takes centre stage on Sunday night, and it could be an uncomfortable one for Los Blancos. That’s because Carlo Ancelotti’s side haven’t won any of their past four league duels against Villarreal CF, who even won 3-2 when they visited the Bernabéu last season.

League leaders Girona FC will be keeping a close eye on all of the weekend’s action before they take to the field again on Monday night, when they face Deportivo Alavés at the Estadi Montilivi. Thanks to their incredible run so far this season, during which the Catalan side have accumulated 41 points and scored 38 goals in 16 games, Girona FC enter this matchday knowing that they can stay as leaders if they win this Monday night game.