New strength of La Liga: Osasuna Club sets out to conquer the top

Villarreal CF welcome RCD Espanyol to the Estadio de la Cerámica on Friday, 30 October 2026, in a LaLiga EA SPORTS clash that pits two sides separated by just a single point in the lower half of the 2026/27 table. Villarreal sit 12th on 9 points after a stop-start campaign, while Espanyol occupy 16th place on 8 points, with both teams desperate to build momentum before the November international break. The Yellow Submarine will be favorites with the European odds compilers, priced at around 1.75 for the home win, the draw at 3.80, and an Espanyol victory at 4.50. Villarreal's recent form shows flashes of quality, including a 2 : 1 win in the derby away to Valencia last weekend, though they were beaten 4 : 3 in a Champions League thriller at Anfield in midweek.

Manolo González's Espanyol arrive in Castellón with renewed confidence after grinding out results on the road, and they showed resilience in their recent 1 : 1 draw at Málaga in early October. However, their home form has been a concern, suffering a narrow 0 : 1 defeat to Atlético Madrid in their last outing at the RCDE Stadium. Historically this fixture has been one-sided: Villarreal are unbeaten in their last eight meetings with Espanyol, winning seven of them, including a commanding 4-1 victory when the sides last met at the Estadio de la Cerámica in February 2026. Espanyol's periquitos know that anything less than defensive discipline against this Villarreal attack could see that run extended.

FC Barcelona host Deportivo Alavés at the Spotify Camp Nou on Saturday, 31 October 2026 (20:00 GMT) in a LaLiga EA SPORTS Matchday 11 clash that comes at a pivotal moment in the title race. Hansi Flick's side suffered their first league defeat of the 2026/27 season last weekend, falling 1-2 to Real Madrid at home in a dramatic El Clásico decided by a late Kylian Mbappé winner, a result that cut Barça's lead at the top to just two points over Atlético Madrid. With the pressure back on, the champions will view the visit of Alavés as the perfect opportunity to bounce back and reassert their dominance before the international break.

Barcelona's form remains formidable overall: before the Clásico setback they had won all nine of their league matches, including a commanding 4-2 Champions League trip to Paris that ended in defeat but showcased their attacking firepower, and a thrilling 5-2 win at Real Betis. Flick has been boosted by the return of captain Raphinha — the league's top scorer with 13 goals — and Frenkie de Jong from injury, and his 2026/27 squad blends that experience with youth: Joan García in goal, Pau Cubarsí, Eric García, Gerard Martín and João Cancelo in defence, Pedri, Gavi, Rodri and Dani Olmo in midfield, with Raphinha, Lamine Yamal (8 goals) and Ferrán Torres leading the line.

Real Betis host Málaga CF at the Estadio La Cartuja in Seville on Saturday, October 31, 2026, in one of the standout fixtures of the 2026/2027 LaLiga season. Betis arrive in strong form with a 6-2-2 record and an attack averaging 1.60 goals per match, while newly promoted Málaga are still searching for their first win of the campaign after ten rounds (0-5-5). The European odds reflect that gap clearly: a home win is priced at 1.37, the draw at 4.70, and an away win as high as 7.00. Betis' most recent outings include a tight 1-1 draw away at Celta Vigo and a hard-fought 2-1 home victory over Feyenoord in Europe, before a narrow 1-2 defeat to Barcelona at home.

Málaga, meanwhile, have shown stubborn resistance despite their winless start, drawing five of their ten matches while conceding 1.90 goals per game. Their latest results include a 1-1 stalemate at Alavés, a disciplined 0-0 home draw against Real Sociedad, and a battling 1-1 share of the points with Espanyol. Coach Sergio Pellicer's side sits deep and looks to counter through Carlos Dotor and David Larrubia, but with only one clean sheet all season and a 10% clean-sheet rate, keeping Betis' star-studded 2026/2027 squad quiet for 90 minutes will be a monumental task on the road.

Levante UD host Atlético Madrid at the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia on Saturday, October 31, 2026, in a LaLiga Matchday 11 clash that pits 14th-placed Levante against Diego Simeone's title-chasing side, who sit second in the table with a 7-1-1 record. The Granotes arrive in poor form, having gone five league matches without a win after a 2-1 defeat away to Real Sociedad on October 25, while their home fixture against Athletic Club on October 21 was dramatically postponed minutes before kick-off due to a flooded pitch. Before that, Julián Calero's men picked up a point in a 1-1 draw at Deportivo La Coruña, leaving them with just one win from their opening league fixtures and real defensive concerns after conceding freely against Barcelona, Villarreal and Sevilla earlier in the campaign.

Atlético Madrid, by contrast, have been one of the stories of the 2026/27 season so far, and their recent run underlines their credentials: a hard-fought 1-0 win at Espanyol on October 17, courtesy of a late Álex Baena winner, followed by a 1-1 Champions League draw away to Stuttgart despite Morten Hjulmand's second-half red card. Simeone's squad for 2026/27 blends proven leaders with exciting summer arrivals — Jan Oblak remains in goal behind a defence featuring Robin Le Normand, Dávid Hancko and Cristian Romero, while the midfield now boasts Morten Hjulmand and Lee Kang-in alongside Pablo Barrios and Marcos Llorente, and the attack is spearheaded by Julián Álvarez, supported by Álex Baena, Mason Greenwood, Ademola Lookman and Alexander Sørloth. The headline departure was Antoine Griezmann, who left on a free transfer to Orlando City after becoming the club's all-time leading scorer.

Rayo Vallecano host Celta Vigo at the Estadio de Vallecas on Saturday, October 31, 2026, in a LaLiga Matchday 11 clash that pits two sides in very different runs of form. Rayo come into this fixture sitting 16th in the table with 9 points from 9 games, still reeling from a humbling home defeat to Elche in their last outing, where they fell 0-3 at Vallecas despite dominating possession. Before that setback, Iñigo Pérez's men had shown signs of life with a hard-fought draw at Getafe in a 1-1 stalemate, and the Madrid side will be desperate to bounce back in front of their home supporters.

Celta Vigo, meanwhile, arrive in the Spanish capital in 9th place with 12 points and unbeaten in their last six LaLiga matches, though four of those have ended in draws. Claudio Giráldez's side were held to a goalless draw by Betis in their most recent league game, a 0-0 affair at Balaídos, but they showed their resilience midweek in Europe, coming from behind to win at Celtic Park in the UEFA Europa League thanks to a Javi Rodríguez brace in a famous 1-2 away victory.

Athletic Club host Real Sociedad at San Mamés on Sunday, November 1, 2026 in the LaLiga Basque derby, with kickoff set for 21:00 local time after the international calendar and a packed October run-in. Athletic arrive with momentum from a dominant 4-0 home win over Getafe, but their previous away trip ended in a painful 3-1 defeat at Levante, where Aymeric Laporte was sent off and Alex Berenguer’s penalty was only a brief route back into the game. Real Sociedad, meanwhile, are fifth and looking sharper than their eighth-placed hosts: they beat Levante 2-1 at the Reale Arena and then produced the statement result of the week by winning 0-6 away to Lillestrøm in the Europa League.

The 2026/2027 squad context points to a tight, high-intensity derby rather than an open shootout. Athletic’s core is built around Unai Simón in goal, an experienced spine featuring Óscar de Marcos, Yeray Álvarez, Yuri Berchiche, Dani García and Iker Ruiz de Galarreta, plus decisive attacking outlets through Iñaki Williams, Nico Williams, Oihan Sancet, Álex Berenguer and Gorka Guruzeta, with Adama Boiro, Beñat Prados, Aitor Paredes and Maroan Sannadi giving Ernesto Valverde rotation options. Real Sociedad’s likely framework under their current staff leans on Álex Remiro; Héctor Fort, Jon Martín, Mamadou Sarr and Sergio Gómez; Luka Sučić, Jon Gorrotxategi and Beñat Turrientes; and Mikel Oyarzabal with Orri Óskarsson and Gonçalo Guedes, with Arsen Zakharyan, Ander Barrenetxea and Sheraldo Becker-type pace able to change the derby from the bench. The matchup hinge is whether Athletic’s wide speed can stretch Sociedad’s rebuilt defensive line before Oyarzabal and Sučić take control between the lines.

Elche host Valencia at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero on Sunday, 1 November 2026 (17:30 UTC) in a LaLiga Round 11 meeting between two sides trying to build momentum after difficult starts: Elche sit 15th, Valencia are 19th, and the most recent league meeting at this ground finished 1-0 to Elche in April. The home side arrive with confidence after a 3-0 win at Rayo Vallecano and back-to-back goalless draws, while Valencia were beaten late 1-2 by Villarreal and had Harvey Elliott sent off, adding tension to Javier Aguirre’s away plan.

The form line points to a tight contest rather than a repeat of Elche’s April clean sheet. Elche’s last three league games read 3-0, 0-0 and another goalless draw with Celta Vigo, showing a defence that has become hard to break down but an attack that still needs Ezequiel Ponce, Grady Diangana and Tete Morente to supply the finishing touch. Valencia’s response is built around Stole Dimitrievski, José Gayà, Guido Rodríguez, Pepelu and Arnaut Danjuma, yet their away form remains fragile after the 1-2 defeat by Villarreal and the 2-2 draw at Racing Santander.

Getafe CF host Sevilla FC at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez on Sunday, 1 November 2026, in a LaLiga EA Sports matchday 11 clash that pits two of Spain's most combative sides against each other. José Bordalás's men come into the fixture needing a response after a difficult week: they were thrashed 4-0 by Athletic Club at San Mamés last weekend, only days after a heavy UEFA Europa Conference League defeat to Lugano. Before that setback, Getafe had shown real resilience at home, fighting back with ten men to draw 1-1 with Rayo Vallecano in the South Madrid derby, a result that kept the Azulones in mid-table despite their limited attacking output this season.

Sevilla, meanwhile, travel to the capital with renewed confidence under Matías Almeyda after a solid run of form that has pushed them into the top six. The Andalusians earned a composed 2-0 home win over Osasuna last Monday, bouncing back from a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Real Madrid at the Bernabéu earlier in the month, and before that they were involved in a dramatic six-goal thriller, drawing 3-3 with Levante at the Ciutat de València despite finishing with ten men. Interestingly, these sides have already met once this season, with Getafe stunning Sevilla 2-1 at the Sánchez-Pizjuán back in September, so the visitors will be out for revenge at the Coliseum.

Racing Santander welcome Real Madrid to the Estadio El Sardinero on Sunday, 1 November 2026 (16:15 CET) for Matchday 11 of the 2026/27 LaLiga EA SPORTS season, in what promises to be a stern test of the promoted side's top-flight credentials. The Cantabrians sit 13th after a mixed run, having edged Espanyol 2-1 last time out but also fallen 2-0 at Osasuna and shared a 2-2 draw with Valencia, while José Mourinho's Real Madrid arrive third in the table and full of confidence after a five-match winning streak.

Los Blancos are riding the momentum of a spectacular October that peaked with a famous 1-2 El Clásico victory at the Camp Nou on 25 October, sandwiched between a 4-1 Champions League dismantling of RB Leipzig and an equally emphatic 4-1 league win over Sevilla, with Kylian Mbappé already into double figures for league goals. The visitors will be without suspended Vinícius Júnior plus injured Thibaut Courtois, Raúl Asencio, Ferland Mendy and Rodrygo, while Racing must cope without the suspended Jorge Salinas and injured Matteo Prati and Simon Eriksson.

Deportivo A Coruña host Osasuna at the ABANCA-Riazor on Monday, 2 November 2026 (21:00 CET) in a LaLiga matchday 11 clash between two sides locked together on 11 points in mid-table, with the Galicians 12th and the Pamplona outfit just ahead in 11th. The newly promoted Super Depor have been competitive at home this season, though their recent form has dipped: they fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat at Atlético Madrid last time out, before that were edged 3-2 at Real Sociedad despite goals from Mario Soriano and a Yeremay penalty, and were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Levante. Osasuna arrive in worse shape, having been beaten 2-0 at Sevilla on Monday night, thrashed 5-2 at Real Betis, and winning only one of their last five league matches, conceding 20 goals in ten games this season.

Deportivo's 2026/27 squad has been built around veteran firepower and loan-market cleverness, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leading the line after a remarkable start that saw him score in five consecutive matches and match a LaLiga record last achieved by Zlatan Ibrahimović. The forward options are completed by Yeremay, David Mella, Zakaria Eddahchouri, Luismi Cruz, Adama Traoré and Bil Nsongo, while midfield is anchored by captain Diego Villares, Barcelona loanee Marc Casadó and Jonathan Asp Jensen. At the back, coach Imanol Idiakez can call on José María Giménez on loan from Atlético Madrid, Angeliño on loan from Roma, Arnau Comas, Bright Ede and Ximo Navarro, with Leo Román in goal. Osasuna's 2026/27 squad, led by Jagoba Arrasate, relies heavily on Ante Budimir, who has netted seven league goals this term, supported by Rubén García, Raúl García, Moi Gómez, Aimar Oroz, Jon Moncayola and defender Alejandro Catena, with Sergio Herrera and Aitor Fernández competing in goal.