El Glorioso were expected to fight for survival in La Liga last season, and they did extremely well by finishing 15th in the standings. Alaves were very busy in the summer transfer window and have strengthened their squad a lot. Youssef Enriquez, Carles Alena, Jonny Otto, Pablo Ibanez, Raul Fernandez and Cabela are the new players in Eduardo Coudet's side. They are now 10th in the La Liga table with 11 points from eight matches, four points behind fourth-placed Real Betis.
The 37-year-old, who scored for Poland in a 2-0 World Cup qualifying win against Lithuania on Sunday, will not feature in his club's La Liga game against Girona this weekend. Barcelona then face Olympiakos in the Champions League next Tuesday before taking on Real Madrid in El Clasico at the Bernabeu on 26 October.
FC Barcelona are very well stocked when it comes to the midfield department, with top players like Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, and Gavi complemented by up-and-coming talents like Marc Bernal and Marc Casado. But the Catalans are always on the lookout for young prospects with potential with an eye on the future, and it appears that a promising La Liga midfielder has caught their attention.
Once a year it seems to us like a way to promote the competition and, in addition, it is a way of having respect for the fans that we have all over the world.
Uefa said in a statement that it had reiterated its clear opposition to domestic league matches being played outside their home country but that because the relevant Fifa regulatory framework currently under review is not clear and detailed enough, the Uefa Executive Committee has reluctantly taken the decision to approve, on an exceptional basis, the two requests referred to it.
They were the football team so good, so much fun, that Luis Enrique declared himself a fan, tuning in to watch them every week. But that was then and this is now, and now even their actual fans aren't sure they want to watch any more. There were 11,048 people at Montilivi this Saturday, out of the city centre and to the south beyond the Free City of Braavos and Kings Landing. There were at the start anyway; by the time Girona FC, the last and briefest of the great disruptors, conceded the fourth goal of another miserable afternoon most of them had already gone. The few who stayed chanted for the board to resign, just about audible over the catchiest club anthem in La Liga being belted out of huge speakers hung from scaffolding stands. It was the fifth time in a row Girona's supporters had seen their team lose here going back to May, a summer break, a new start, offering no break at all; instead, they were bottom of the table and had been battered again.
Bayern Munich maintained their flawless start in the Bundesliga by beating Hoffenheim 4-1 away on Saturday after Harry Kane netted two penalties and bagged his ninth hat-trick for the German league leaders. It was Kane's second hat-trick of the campaign, after a second-half treble in their season opener against RB Leipzig, and he moved five clear at the top of the scoring charts with eight league goals in four matches. The victory moved Bayern up to 12 points.
Starting with the hosts, while Espanyol might have spent the majority of last season at the heart of a La Liga relegation scrap, the Parakeets have come roaring back in a sensational fashion. Last seen heading into September's fortnight interval with a gritty 1-0 victory at home against Osasuna, Manolo Gonzalez's side have come flying out of the traps since opening up the 2025/26 campaign. Getting proceedings underway with a famous 2-1 win against Spanish giants Atletico Madrid on August 17th, Espanyol have registered seven points from their first three La Liga showdowns.
Adrian Liso, the 20-year-old winger currently playing for Getafe on loan from Real Zaragoza, has exploded onto the La Liga scene, with three goals in three matches so far. It's obviously way too early to be making any conclusions, but if he can keep this kind of form up, he just might become the next big name when it comes to Spanish wingers, following in the footsteps of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams.
This summer's transfer window once more highlighted the widening financial gap between La Liga and the Premier League. English clubs splashed out more than 3bn, with Liverpool's 125m signing of Alexander Isak the headline move. Spanish sides, by comparison, spent only 592m, well behind not just England but also Italy (1bn) and Germany (739m). The numbers reflect how much financial clout La Liga has lost in recent years.
Jadon Sancho is close to a deadline-day move away from Manchester United (Image credit: Getty Images) The Premier League's summer transfer window closes on Monday with clubs still scrambling to get last-minute deals across the line. Alexander Isak, Jadon Sancho, Emi Martinez and Marc Guehi are just some of the names linked with last-minute moves away from their current clubs, with time running out. But what happens if their transfers fail to materialise before the 7pm deadline, and where else could they go?
Manchester United have accepted a bid from Real Betis for Antony, according to Old Trafford sources. While sources at Betis say there are still issues to resolve, as far as United are concerned the transfer is agreed, to the point where Antony has been given permission to travel to Spain to complete his medical. The 25-year-old helped guide the La Liga club to a European spot during a loan spell in the second half of last season and was part of the side who were beaten by Chelsea in the Conference League final.
Celta will head into the La Liga game against Real Betis on the back of a 1-1 draw with Real Mallorca away from home in the league. It came after a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Getafe in front of their fans in La Liga, which followed a 1-0 victory over Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers in a pre-season friendly match.
Levante are newly promoted to La Liga, and so are very much the underdogs against the defending champions and current league leaders. Barcelona's 3-0 win over Mallorca last weekend put them top after one round of fixtures, and they'll be looking to inflict similar damage here. With 92 goals from these sides' past 23 meetings an average of 3.8 goals per match we might be in for some more drama,
