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

Málaga CF welcome RCD Espanyol to Estadio La Rosaleda on Friday, 9 October 2026, in a LaLiga EA SPORTS fixture that pits the league's only winless side against a visiting team desperate to stop a two-game slide. The latest news from the Costa del Sol is not pretty: newly promoted Málaga, back in the top flight after eight years away, sit bottom of the table having failed to win any of their opening seven matches, and head coach Juan Francisco Funes is under mounting pressure to deliver a first victory in front of the Rosaleda faithful. Espanyol arrive with their own problems despite sitting comfortably mid-table, having followed a promising start with back-to-back league defeats that have tempered early-season optimism in Barcelona.

Málaga's recent form makes grim reading for the home supporters. They were beaten 0-1 at Getafe last time out, sinking to the foot of the standings, and that followed a 1-3 home defeat to Villarreal in which they managed just a single shot on target. The 2026/27 squad, built largely on free transfers and loans, leans on goalkeeper Alfonso Herrero, captain Ramón Enríquez in midfield, Carlos Dotor on loan from Celta Vigo, Jens Cajuste on loan from Napoli, and forwards Chupe, Eneko Jauregi and David Larrubia — but with only a handful of goals scored all season, the missing ingredient has been obvious: a clinical finisher.

Deportivo Alavés host Atlético Madrid at the Estadio Mendizorroza on Saturday 10 October 2026 (14:15 UTC) in a LaLiga EA SPORTS Matchday 8 clash between two of the division's early-season overachievers. Alavés sit sixth after a promising start to the 2026/27 campaign, while Diego Simeone's Atlético arrive in second place, keeping pace with the leaders despite a mixed run before the international break. The last meeting between the sides came in January 2026, when Alexander Sørloth's strike sealed a 1-0 win for Atlético in Madrid, and the Rojiblancos lead the all-time head-to-head with 11 wins to Alavés' two.

Alavés' momentum stalled before the break: after an impressive 5-2 dismantling of Osasuna and a 1-0 win over Villarreal, the Basques ground out a goalless draw at San Mamés in their last outing, a 0-0 stalemate with Athletic Club, and slipped to a narrow home defeat against Valencia. Their 2026/27 squad under Chamon builds around Antonio Sivera in goal, a defence of Jonny Otto, Nahuel Tenaglia, Jon Pacheco and Víctor Parada, midfielders Pablo Ibáñez, Antonio Blanco, Carlos Vicente, Jon Guridi and Carles Aleñá, and forward Toni Martínez — though Ville Koski, Facundo Garcés and Mikel Rodríguez are all unavailable through injury.

Barcelona welcome Getafe to Spotify Camp Nou on Saturday, 10 October 2026 for Matchday 8 of the LaLiga EA Sports 2026/27 season, with kick-off set for 18:30 CEST. Hansi Flick's side sit top of the table and are aiming to extend a perfect start to the campaign, while José Bordalás' Getafe arrive in 11th place after a mixed opening month. The Blaugrana have dominated this fixture historically, winning 21 of the last 30 meetings, and will be confident of another three points on home soil despite a growing injury list that includes Lamine Yamal, Alejandro Balde, Marc-André ter Stegen and Gavi.

Barcelona's form this season has been sensational. They opened with a 4-2 away victory at Levante, followed by a stunning 2-4 away win, then thrashed Racing Santander 7-2 at Camp Nou in a nine-goal thriller, and most recently won 1-3 at Sevilla to keep pace at the summit. Getafe's recent run tells a very different story: a home draw with Deportivo La Coruña ended 1-1, followed by a narrow 1-0 defeat at Real Betis, before Bordalás' men finally returned to winning ways with a hard-fought 1-0 home victory over Málaga.

Rayo Vallecano welcome Athletic Club to the Estadio de Vallecas on Saturday, 10 October 2026, for a LaLiga Matchday 8 clash between two sides locked together in the middle of the table. Both teams have collected 8 points so far this season, with Athletic sitting 10th and Rayo just behind in 12th, meaning a win for either side would be a valuable step towards the European places. Kick-off is scheduled for 14:00 local time in Madrid, with Rayo looking to bounce back at home after a mixed start to the 2026/27 campaign.

Beñat San José's Rayo come into this fixture after a hard-earned 1-1 draw away at Osasuna, where Sergio Camello cancelled out Ante Budimir's opener. Camello has been the bright spark of Rayo's season, netting 7 goals to sit joint-second in the scoring charts. However, defensive frailties remain a concern, highlighted by the 4-1 defeat they suffered at the Bernabéu against Real Madrid. The hosts will rely on their familiar spine: Emil Audero in goal, Andrei Rațiu and Adrià Pedrosa on the flanks, captain Óscar Valentín and Unai López in midfield, with Jorge de Frutos and Álvaro García supporting Camello in attack.

Real Madrid host Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabéu on Saturday, 10 October 2026, in one of the standout fixtures of LaLiga Round 8. José Mourinho's side will be eager to bounce back after falling short in the Madrid derby, where they were beaten 2-1 by Atlético Madrid at the Metropolitano on 20 September. Before that setback, Los Blancos had shown impressive resilience, edging a five-goal thriller at Elche 3-2 thanks to a stoppage-time winner from summer signing Carlos Espí, and sweeping aside Rayo Vallecano 4-1 at home with Kylian Mbappé once again leading the line in devastating fashion.

Villarreal arrive at the Bernabéu full of confidence after back-to-back league victories. The Yellow Submarine dismantled Levante 3-1 at the Estadio de la Cerámica on 20 September, following up a midweek away win over Málaga, though their home defeat to Real Betis earlier in the month exposed some defensive frailties that Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior will be eager to exploit. Historically, this fixture has favored the hosts: Real Madrid have won five of the last six LaLiga meetings between the sides, including a 2-0 triumph in the reverse fixture at Villarreal in January 2026 and a 3-1 home win in October 2025.

Real Betis host CA Osasuna at Estadio La Cartuja on Sunday 11 October 2026, 18:30 local time, in a LaLiga 2026/2027 Week 8 match that arrives with Manuel Pellegrini’s side looking like the early front-runner: Betis are unbeaten in their key recent league run, following the 1-0 home win over Getafe with a hard-earned 1-2 away victory at Villarreal, while Osasuna reached the international break only after a late 1-1 draw with Rayo Vallecano and a painful 4-0 defeat at Atlético Madrid.

The 2026/2027 squad picture favors Betis if their creative midfield stays available: Álvaro Valles remains the reliable base, with Héctor Bellerín, Natan, Marc Bartra and Fran García/Júnior Firpo across the back, Marc Roca, Pablo Fornals, Isco and Dani Ceballos competing for control, and Antony, Abde Ezzalzouli, Cucho Hernández and Troy Parrott supplying the goals; Diego Llorente’s nose/mask issue and Isco’s workload are the main fitness watches. Osasuna’s group under Luis Miguel Ramis leans on Sergio Herrera or Aitor Fernández, Catena/Boyomo/Diego Rico/Abel Bretones/Iñigo Arguibide in defense, Lucas Torró, Jon Moncayola, Iker Muñoz, Aimar Oroz and Rubén García in midfield, plus Ante Budimir, Raúl García, Raúl Moro, Kike Barja and Romain Del Castillo in attack, with Valentin Rosier, Jorge Herrando, Aimar, Moi Gómez and Raúl Moro’s knock giving the medical room relevance.

Elche CF welcome Celta Vigo to the Estadio Martínez Valero on Sunday, 11 October 2026, in a LaLiga 2026/27 clash that pits two sides heading in opposite directions against each other. New Elche boss Martín Anselmi has finally seen his team click after a slow start to the campaign, and the visitors from Vigo arrive as slight favourites despite a frustrating opening to the season. Elche's recent form shows clear signs of life: after grinding out a 1-1 draw at San Mamés against Athletic Club and twice coming from behind before falling 2-3 to Real Madrid in a thrilling home contest, the Franjiverdes produced their best performance yet, stunning Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium with a 3-1 victory sealed by a Fer Niño brace and a Germán Valera strike — remarkably achieved while playing more than 80 minutes with ten men.

Celta Vigo, under Claudio Giráldez, have been the draw specialists of the early season, but they finally found their shooting boots in their last league outing, dismantling Racing Santander 5-0 at Balaídos with goals from Hugo González, Ilaix Moriba, Miguel Román and Pablo Durán. That emphatic win came as a relief after a winless stretch that included a 1-1 home stalemate with Málaga and a painful Europa League opener in which they fell 0-1 to Omonia in Nicosia via a late Jure Balkovec strike. The Galicians have not drawn any of their last seven meetings with Elche, and their head-to-head record historically favours them with 22 wins in 50 encounters — though Elche won the most recent league meeting 2-1 last season.

Racing Santander host Valencia at El Sardinero on Sunday, October 11, 2026 (21:00 CET) in a 2026/27 LaLiga relegation-zone pressure game: Racing are 16th with seven points from seven matches, while Valencia are 19th with four, and both arrive after defensively messy starts that have kept the draw and both-teams-to-score markets active.

Racing’s 2026/2027 core is built around Jon Agirrezabala in goal, Álvaro Mantilla, Pol Ramón Parra, Jeanuël Belocian and Jeremy Salinas across the back, André Almeida—on loan from Valencia—and Iñigo Martín in midfield, with Pablo García, Iker Vicente, Largie Ramazani/“Iñigo Luque” and Yannick Zabiri providing transitions; their recent baselines are heavy away defeats in 5-0 and 7-2, plus a home 2-1 win over Alavés.

Real Sociedad welcome Deportivo de A Coruña to the Reale Arena on Sunday, 11 October 2026 (kick-off 14:15 GMT) for a fascinating LaLiga Matchday 8 clash between two sides locked together on 10 points — Deportivo sitting seventh and La Real eighth in the early 2026/27 table. It is a special occasion for the visitors, who are back in the Spanish top flight after an eight-year absence following their promotion as Segunda División runners-up in May 2026, while Pellegrino Matarazzo's rebuilt Sociedad squad will be determined to defend their strong home record and keep pace with the European qualification places.

Both teams arrive in San Sebastián in decent early-season form. Real Sociedad claimed a dramatic late win at Mestalla last time out, edging Valencia 2:3 thanks to Ander Barrenetxea's 90th-minute strike, capping a five-goal thriller in which Luka Sučić and Carlos Soler also found the net. Deportivo, meanwhile, showed real character at ABANCA-RIAZOR on Matchday 7, captain Diego Villares heading an 86th-minute equaliser to rescue a 1:1 draw against Real Betis — a result that kept Antonio Hidalgo's men unbeaten in their recent league run and underlined why they have been so hard to beat this season.

Levante welcome Sevilla to the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia on Monday, October 12, 2026, in a LaLiga EA SPORTS 2026/27 Matchday 8 clash that pits two evenly matched sides against each other. The Granotes, back in the top flight and led by Luís Castro, have had a rough start to the campaign and were beaten 1-3 at Villarreal last time out, having also fallen 2-4 to a Lamine Yamal-inspired Barcelona at home in mid-September. Levante's only positive result in recent weeks was a hard-earned draw at Málaga, and Castro will demand a response from a squad built around Mathew Ryan in goal, Aïssa Mandi and Adrián Dela in central defence, and the attacking talents of Roger Brugué, Petar Ratkov and Dani Requena.

Sevilla arrive in Valencia with momentum of their own after a mixed September. The Andalusians pushed Barcelona hard at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán before Raphinha's hat-trick settled a dramatic game that finished 1-3 in favour of the league leaders, but Matías Almeyda's men had previously won back-to-back matches, edging Deportivo de A Coruña 0-1 at Riazor and beating Valencia 1-0 at home. Sevilla's 2026/27 squad blends experience and youth: Odysseas Vlachodimos keeps goal behind Juan Iglesias, Kike Salas and Gabriel Suazo, with Youssouf Fofana and Lucien Agoumé anchoring midfield and Isaac Romero, Lucas Stassin and Félix Correia providing the firepower.