Do Las Palmas have it in them to hand Barcelona their third straight upset in LaLiga? How about Real Valladolid later on Saturday against Atletico Madrid? Will Real Madrid’s woes continue in their derby matchup vs. scrappy Getafe? Which disappointing side will prevail, Real Betis or Real Sociedad? Will Girona get back into the Champions League discussion with a win over top-four side Villarreal? And can Sevilla continue their quiet climb up the table by upending underdog Champions League hopefuls Osasuna?
There are so many exciting matchups in LaLiga yet again this weekend, so I’ll do my best to preview and predict each of the games this weekend on Matchday 15.
Mallorca vs. Valencia
Friday night’s LaLiga opener between Mallorca and Valencia should be a firecracker. Valencia may be occupying one of the relegation places right now, but they can bring the heat offensively when necessary, which we saw last weekend in a 4-2 win against one of the league’s better teams, Real Betis.
Meanwhile, Mallorca really ARE one of the league’s better teams right now, as they continue to flirt with European qualification in eight place behind a strong collective ethos and fluid attacking patterns of play.
Trips to the island are never easy, and the home environment should help Mallorca push themselves to a 3-2 win in what could end up being the best game of Matchday 15.
Barcelona vs. Las Palmas
Las Palmas hail from a party city and have always tried to play in a way that reflects their roots, though they are only two points above Valencia in the drop zone after 14 matches.
Barcelona are coming off a loss to Real Sociedad and a collapse against Celta Vigo, blowing a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2. As it stands, Barcelona are four points ahead of rivals Real Madrid in the LaLiga table, but Madrid have a game in hand.
The good news for Barcelona is that the biggest reason for their dropped points will be erased, as Lamine Yamal is back from his injury and ready to break defenders’ ankles as the clear top one-on-one threat for the Catalans.
Barcelona should be able to get a statement-making 4-1 win at the Camp Nou, with Yamal contributing to at least two, probably three, goals.
Alaves vs. Leganes
Alaves and Leganes are safely in the bottom half of the table, and I don’t anticipate this game being a particularly interesting one to watch. Let’s call it a 1-1 draw.
Espanyol vs. Celta Vigo
Espanyol are 19th in the league and have won just one of their last six games with all the other results being losses. Not a single one of their starters is having a good season – not even phenomenal young goalkeeper Joan Garcia or veteran forward Javi Puado.
If Celta Vigo don’t take this one 2-0, I would be very surprised and disappointed, especially after how devastating they looked in their final third execution in the second half of last weekend’s draw with Barcelona.
Real Valladolid vs. Atletico Madrid
Real Valladolid are last in the league for a reason, and after putting up six goals at mid-week in the Champions League, if Atletico Madrid don’t win this one by at least three, I’ll be disappointed.
The Giuliano Simeone hype train continues as Atleti drop a five-burger, winning 5-0 over Valladolid.
Villarreal vs. Girona
Sunday’s games are much more interesting than Saturday’s, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Villarreal vs. Girona ends up being the best game of the week from a quality perspective, especially when you look at where these teams are in the table.
Girona started the season very slow, which was expected after they lost some of Europe’s best players of the last season in striker Artem Dovbyk (now with Roma) and left winger Savinho (shining for Manchester City these days).
With Bryan Gil finding his groove and Miguel Gutierrez continuing to shine on that left flank, Girona are up to seventh and sit just four points behind Villarreal for the fourth and final Champions League slot.
Villarreal will be the winners here, because they have too much talent and are at home. But it’s going to be a close, 4-3 win, fueled by a lot of heroics from Alex Baena and Ayoze Perez, who have seven goal contributions each in the LaLiga season.
Real Madrid vs. Getafe
Real Madrid embarrassed themselves against another elite opponent, and they clearly have Thibaut Courtois to thank that their match against Liverpool was only a 2-0 loss and not something like 5-0.
But as poorly as Real Madrid have played in their last three big games against Barcelona, AC Milan, and Liverpool, they have gotten the job done with a combined 7-0 scoreline over Osasuna and Leganes in their last two LaLiga matchups.
Getafe have generally been a tough matchup for Real Madrid, beyond just qualifying as a local rival. Their gritty, defensive playing style is a thorn in Madrid’s side, and they are not above playing a little dirty.
Without Vinicius Junior, Real Madrid could be in trouble this Sunday, but I foresee a late winner from Captain Clutch Jude Bellingham in the 90th saving the day for a 1-0 Merengue victory.
Rayo Vallecano vs. Athletic Club
I wouldn’t recommend sleeping on Rayo Vallecano vs. Athletic Club either. Athletic Club can bring the heat offensively, and while Nico Williams has been a bit of a disappointment in his follow-up campaign after two breakout ones and a great Euros, he may just be overworked.
Meanwhile, his brother Inaki has stepped up as the best player on the Lions. Rayo are only 13th in the table and haven’t beaten a quality opponent since Osasuna and Real Sociedad early in the season, but they can be dangerous at home in their unique stadium setup.
Expect Rayo to hunker down defensively at home and make this one ugly, forcing Athletic Club into a frustrating 1-1 draw where only an Oihan Sancet header proves to be the difference.
Real Sociedad vs. Real Betis
Usually, the Sunday night game to cap off the weekend is the one recognized as the best of the week, and it’s easy to see why a battle between two recent powers and Champions League contenders would be.
But the funny thing is that both Real Sociedad and Real Betis have been poor this season after bleeding talent in the summer transfer window, with La Real sitting 10th in the table and Betis 9th.
Like Girona, Betis and La Real have improved in recent weeks, and Imanol Alguacil’s men proved with their win over Barcelona that 1) they can beat anyone in LaLiga and 2) they just might be getting back to their best.
So Sunday’s battle at the Anoeta will be a great test of how far these teams have come. Real Sociedad and Real Betis both have scored as many goals as they have allowed, and both are very reliant on top playmakers Takefusa Kubo and Giovani Lo Celso to win them games.
A 1-1 draw in the Basque Country seems like a fair prediction for two teams who are almost dead even in the LaLiga table.
Sevilla vs. Osasuna
Sevilla started the season near the drop zone, but they have come roaring back in recent weeks and are now in 12th, just two points behind arch rivals Real Betis in the top half of the table.
Osasuna, meanwhile, are only three points behind Villarreal in the Champions League places and have shown that they are capable of playing their best attacking football yet, even outgunning Barcelona earlier this season to hand the LaLiga title favorites their first loss of the campaign.
Offensively, Sevilla tend to go as left-footed Belgian winger Dodi Lukebakio does. The 27-year-old has been an even bigger boon to the attack than Lucas Ocampos was, scoring five goals with well over two dribbles completed per game as one of the most underrated forwards in LaLiga.
Sevilla and Osasuna are both higher in the table than their goal difference suggests, and I also think Sevilla have a key advantage at home – the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan is one of the toughest stadiums in Europe to play in, especially when a match has stakes.
This match has stakes, given Osasuna just tied Villareal and are in the Champions League discussion. Sevilla will be able to scrape a point with a 1-1 draw that feels higher-scoring than the final total shows.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.