Real Madrid have a slender lead in La Liga over Barcelona and Giron, with just two points separating the three teams.
Round No. 9 will see Madrid and Barcelona in action against teams they will fancy defeating. Meanwhile, Rayo Vallecano are aiming to end a streak of three straight draws.
Real Madrid went unbeaten in their last six matches against Osasuna in all competitions. Los Blancos outscored their Spanish rival 10-3 in those six meetings. Osasuna were handed one red card in the teams’ last three meetings.
Osasuna took seven points from the last six matches. Los Rojillos scored seven goals and conceded eight times in those six matches. They are coming off a 2-0 win over Alaves.
Madrid picked up 15 points from their last six games. They go into round No. 9 on a two-game winning streak in La Liga. Carlo Ancelotti’s team also won 3-2 against Napoli in midweek Champions League play. Jude Bellingham is the shock La Liga goals leader with six.
Sevilla went unbeaten in five of their last six matches against Rayo Vallecano in all competitions. However, last season, Rayo picked up four points from two games versus Los Rojiblancos.
Rayo Vallecano are eighth in the division after a decent start to the campaign. The problem is the number of draws the team has earned. Three of Rayo’s eight matches ended in draws. This included each of their last three La Liga matches. Rayo scored nine goals in the opening eight rounds.
Sevilla started the season much like their poor campaign in 2022-23. Currently, Los Rojiblancos are 15th in the standings and are coming off a 1-0 loss at Barcelona. Sevilla took seven points from the last six matches, scoring 10 goals and conceding eight.
Deportivo Alaves won just one of their last six matches against Real Betis in all competitions. Alaves, who were promoted from the Segunda at the end of last season, are not in good form and sit 17th in the division.
Real Betis are seventh ahead of round No. 9, with 12 points. Los Verdiblancos go into the match on a three-match unbeaten run. Betis took eight points from the last six fixtures and were outscored 11-8. They are coming off a 3-0 win at home against Valencia.
Alaves picked up four points from the last 18 points on offer. They are not a strong goalscoring team, tallying a mere two goals during that time. Deportivo failed to win any of their last four fixtures in La Liga.
Barcelona are looking for a first win against Granada in four tries. Yes, Los Rojiblancos are unbeaten against Barcelona in their last three head-to-head matches. Granada secured 1-1 draws in the teams’ last two meetings. Will this week’s match end in another 1-1 stalemate?
Granada will start round No. 9 in 19th place. They failed to win any of their last five La Liga games but drew their last two fixtures against Real Betis and Almeria. Granada have conceded the joint most goals this season in La Liga with 21.
Barcelona are unbeaten this season with 20 points from 24 points on offer. They are La Liga’s only unbeaten team after eight matches. No team has scored more goals than Barcelona this term, with 19 goals.