MADRID, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) — The round of games in LaLiga this weekend is the last before the international break, which will allow teams to take stock of their situations after the first three matches of the new campaign: here are four things to look out for in Spain this weekend.
1 Moment for Vinicius?
Vinicius Jr has been a constant source of frustration since joining Real Madrid three years ago with the young Brazilian giving flashes of his talent, but without ever producing enough end product on a regular basis. The signs so far this season, however, have been promising with three goals in three games and a decisive cameo to save a point against Levante last weekend. Carlo Ancelotti’s dilemma for his side’s difficult away game against Betis is whether to start Vinicius ahead of Eden Hazard, who still doesn’t look 100 percent fit, or to stick with the Belgian and use Vinicius as an impact player.
Ancelotti’s conservative nature implies he may do the latter, but another good display from Vinicius would see more calls for him to start and Hazard to step down.
2 Forced changes for Barca
Last weekend’s 1-1 draw away to Athletic Club Bilbao was a difficult 90 minutes for Barca coach Ronald Koeman who not only saw how his side was at times swamped by their rival, but also lost defenders Gerard Pique and Eric Garcia to injury and suspension.
While Koeman should have no worries in bringing the impressive Ronald Araujo back into his team, Clement Lenglet struggled for form last season and always looks to have a mistake in him.
That and the fact that Pedri has finally been given a holiday after a season lasting 75 games, may see Koeman revert to a three-man defense, with two wing-backs when his side entertain Getafe on Sunday afternoon, although whether Sergi Roberto or Frenkie de Jong drop into defense is another question for Koeman to answer.
3 More firepower for Simeone
Angel Correa has so far been Atletico Madrid’s star of the summer with the Argentinean netting all three of his team’s goal so far this season. Indeed, the small, but dynamic forward has hit a rich vein of form with 8 goals from his last 11 shots going back into last season.
Correa’s form has allowed Simeone to give Luis Suarez time to get back to match-fitness (Suarez always seems to need time at the start of a campaign), and also to allow the club to bring in an extra forward.
Matheus Cunha’s arrival from Hertha Berlin sees Atletico bring in a powerful front man who can play with his back to goal and he should be a good foil for both Correa and Suarez when Atletico face Villarreal on Sunday.
4 First alarm bells of the season to sound?
Alaves, Getafe and Rayo Vallecano are the only three teams in LaLiga without any points so far this season, which will pile the pressure on their coaches.
Rayo’s start is understandable after tough away games to Sevilla (where they played most of the game with 10 men) and Real Sociedad and they battled well in both matches.
Getafe were poor away to Valencia and allowed Sevilla to catch them on the break to concede in the 93rd minute on Monday, while Alaves competed for 45 minutes against Real Madrid, but lost 1-0 at home to newly promoted Mallorca.
Getafe now travel to play Barca, while Alaves visit Valencia and Rayo entertain Granada and with Alaves and Rayo not known for patience with their coaches, they all need to improve if they want to avoid a difficult fortnight until their next match.