EA Sports LaLiga continues with the fourth round of the competition, scheduled for August 31 and September 1. FC Barcelona, which leads the table, opens the curtain on Saturday by hosting Valladolid at Montjuïc. On the same day, five other matches will take place, including the duel at San Mamés between Athletic Club and Atlético de Madrid. On Sunday, in which five matches will also be played, the highlight will be the match between Real Madrid and Real Betis at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, which will close the fourth round of the league championship.
Below are all the matches from Matchday 4:
FC Barcelona – Real Valladolid (Saturday 31 August at 17:00 | Movistar)
Barça will be looking to maintain the perfect start to the season when they host Valladolid at Montjuïc. For this match, Hansi Flick will be without Marc Bernal, a midfielder who had been a regular for the German coach and who tore his cruciate ligament in the match against Rayo Vallecano. The good news for the Blaugrana is that Dani Olmo seems to have found his feet in the team, revitalising the Catalans’ engine room.
Athletic Club – Atlético de Madrid (Saturday, August 31 at 7:00 p.m. | DAZN)
An Athletic Bilbao side that is renewed after its first win will host an Atlético de Madrid side that has already dropped points twice this season. Simeone’s team, which has been greatly strengthened during the summer, knows that it cannot continue to drop points if it does not want to fall behind at the top of the table. However, a difficult visit looms on the horizon, against a rival that also does not want to allow itself to drop points at San Mamés, where it was very strong last season.
Espanyol – Rayo Vallecano (Saturday 31 August at 19:15 | Movistar)
Espanyol came back to life a little after drawing against Atlético de Madrid at the Metropolitano and will now look to leave the bottom of the table against Rayo Vallecano. The newly promoted team knows how important it is to win and take advantage of home games when fighting to stay up and this Saturday they will try to get their first three points of the year. On the other hand, Rayo arrive with four points, which is not a bad haul so far, but they will want to climb a few places in the table after the defeat against Barcelona in Vallecas.
Valencia – Villarreal (Saturday 31st August at 21:30 | Movistar)
Valencia and Villarreal face each other in a regional duel in the Valencian Community. The locals arrive with three consecutive defeats, so winning the derby has become crucial for them. It will not be easy because they will face a Villarreal team that is second in the table, with two wins and a draw. In addition, Marcelino’s team is coming off a victory over Celta de Vigo, who until then were the league leaders, in an exciting match at the Cerámica, which showed the ability of the yellow submarine to come from behind and not give up.
Leganés – Mallorca (Saturday 31 August at 9:30pm | DAZN)
Leganés are having a great start to the season for a newly promoted side and will try to confirm this when they host Mallorca in Butarque this weekend. The team from the pepineros are still unbeaten after three games and are sixth in the table. Mallorca have not had the desired start and are going into the match in the relegation places, which could also give this match the flavour of a direct encounter for permanence, thinking in the long term.
Deportivo Alavés – Las Palmas (Sunday 1st September at 17:00 | DAZN)
Deportivo Alavés and UD Las Palmas open the action on Sunday at Mendizorroza. The locals arrive with high spirits after getting a victory in their visit to Real Sociedad, at a time when the bottom of the table was starting to burn, and they will try to get their first victory of the year at home. On the other hand, a needy Canarian team comes to the north looking for its first win of the season.
Osasuna – Celta de Vigo (Sunday 1st September at 17:00 | Movistar, GolPlay)
Osasuna welcomes Celta de Vigo to El Sadar, a team that has been a revelation after three rounds. After years of struggling at the bottom, the Celta de Vigo team finally seems to have found the competitive edge that defined them in the past and is looking to score another victory, after the defeat with their heads held high against Villarreal. The locals, for their part, return home to pick up three points on their field again, after suffering a thrashing against Girona in the previous round.
Sevilla – Girona (Sunday 1st September at 19:00 | DAZN)
It’s been a difficult start for Sevilla, once again, but this Sunday, at home against Girona, they have a great opportunity to make a statement and regain confidence. On the other side of the field will be a Catalan team that seems to have woken up, after beating Osasuna 4-0, after a couple of days of doubt. Míchel’s team will want to prove that, although it is not the same team as last season, it is still a very competitive rival, which presents itself with personality in any stadium.
Getafe – Real Sociedad (Sunday 1st September at 19:15 | Movistar)
Getafe host Real Sociedad in a tight duel between the fourteenth and thirteenth in the table. The blue-and-whites have yet to win at the start of the season – they have one game in hand – and will be looking to do so at home. Meanwhile, the San Sebastian team, which arrives with one win and two losses, will also be looking to take the win and start to climb positions to return to the places in the table to which it has been accustomed in recent seasons.
Real Madrid – Betis (Sunday 1st September at 9.30pm | DAZN)
Real Madrid and Betis close the fourth round of the championship at the Santiago Bernabéu. Doubts surround the white team after not having managed to win in either of the two games they have played away from home. It is never too late to get back on track and playing at home seems to be a good start for Carlo Ancelotti’s team. They will face a Betis team that did not play the previous match because they successfully contested the Conference League playoffs and now return to LaLiga in style, visiting the current champion of the competition.
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