La Liga: Real Madrid drop points, Barca and Atletico win
Real Madrid dropped two points in the race for the La Liga title, being held to a 1-1 draw away to Rayo Vallecano.
Real Madrid dropped two points in the race for the La Liga title, being held to a 1-1 draw away to Rayo Vallecano.
The defender had to leave the pitch in the 39th minute of the game, and the tests carried out on Sunday confirmed he will be out of action until at least August.
La Liga wastes no time in kicking off the New Year with the 19th round of matches to be played over the coming three days.
Interestingly, Girona FC play in the final fixture of Matchday 14, on Monday night, so their title rivals will look to put the pressure on before the leaders are back in action.
Global sports brand Puma and La Liga on Monday unveiled Orbita Yellow Ball, a high-visibility ball designed specifically for La Liga and La Liga Hypermotion matches to be played from Monday till April 27, 2024.
Frenkie de Jong or Miralem Pjanic might fill the void in midfield left by Sergio Busquets' dismissal in the disappointing goalless tie that Barca played to open the new campaign, while Jordi Alba struggled last week and Balde might be given a chance.
Barca showed flashes of brilliance on Saturday, but Rayo defended well and have not conceded a goal in their last three meetings with the Catalans.
La Liga has filed a complaint to UEFA about what it believes to be Financial Fair Play (FFP) breaches by Manchester City and Paris St-Germain. However, both clubs have vigorously denied the complaints.
The Italian, who had coached Napoli and AC Milan, has agreed to a two-season contract and replaces Jose Bordalas, who left the club last week after just a season working at the Mestalla Stadium.
The club presided over by Chinese businessman Chen Yansheng announced the decision two days after a 2-1 defeat to Alaves left Espanyol 13th in the classification with 40 points from 36 games, in no danger of relegation.