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All you need to know about LALIGA EA SPORTS week 2 featuring Barcelona’s new home, a battle of Europe between Real Betis and Atlético de Madrid, and a local derby this weekend.
Following an exciting opening weekend in the new LALIGA EA SPORTS season, Matchday 2 is upon us with some intriguing fixtures and talking points
Seven teams kicked off the new EA SPORTS era with impressive wins led by Atletico Madrid, who currently sit top of the LALIGA thanks to a superior goal difference.
Ahead of game two, here are five of the most interesting talking points that could define this weekend’s round of matches in the LALIGA.
Homecoming Friday
There are two matches set to kick off activities this weekend, with both encounters slated for the Balearic islands and Mediterranean city.
The first game will take place on a sunny Friday evening in the Balearic Islands, where RCD Mallorca meet Villarreal CF. This will be a homecoming for Sergi Darder, the skillful midfielder who was born on the island and who has just signed with Los Bermellones.
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Darder already provided an assist as RCD Mallorca started the season with a draw at UD Las Palmas, and now he’ll look to make an impact when taking on Villarreal CF at the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix.
The second fixture on Friday takes place in the Mediterranean city as Valencia CF face UD Las Palmas.
Real Madrid's Andalusia reunion
Giants Real Madrid will aim to make it two wins from two when they travel to take on UD Almería on the south coast.
But Carlo Ancelotti and his Los Blancos will be wary of their hosts who are expected to unleash former Madrid star.
Academy graduate Sergio Arribas, who just completed a transfer from the capital city side to UD Almería, will hope to show the capital club that they made a mistake in letting him go.
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He will look to combine with fellow new arrivals Dion Lopy, Edgar González, Iddrisu Baba and Marc Pubill to give their all in a bid stop the impressive Real side looking to reclaim their LALIGA crown.
The only local Derby
A tasty duel between CA Osasuna and Athletic Club concludes Saturday’s action, and it’ll be a thrilling watch at El Sadar as last season’s seventh-placed and eighth-placed clubs go head to head.
These two sides met four times in all competitions last season, with Osasuna proving to be a hard nut to crack for their more illustrious visitors Athletic.
The Basque side was unable to win any of those contests and will certainly be motivated as they make the short trip to Pamplona looking to end the poor run.
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Barcelona’s new home
Defending champions Barcelona play in what is the second match of the day on Sunday which is also slated to take place in Catalonia.
However, Barcelona will not be playing at the Spotify Camp Nou as they have started an important redevelopment project at their stadium.
Therefore, Barça will temporarily move to the Estadi Olímpic in the city’s beautiful Montjuïc gardens for 2023/24 and will play their first game at this stadium in Sunday’s clash against Cádiz CF.
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It will be interesting to see if FC Barcelona can start off with a victory at this historic venue, which hosted the 1992 Olympic Games.
Game of the week - Euro Battle
On Sunday night, there is a huge match at the Estadio Benito Villamarín as Real Betis and Atlético de Madrid face off.
These are two of the best teams in Spanish football and both started 2023/24 with a victory and will want to maintain their winning start.
Atleti have had the upper hand in this fixture in recent years, with seven wins for Los Colchoneros and one draw in the past eight meetings.
Full Fixtures
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