Preview: Midweek games make weekend La Liga fixtures hard to call

MADRID, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The sixth round of games in La Liga kicks off on Friday, although for some sides playing in Europe, it will be their seventh game after midweek matches slotted into a hectic fixture schedule.

FC Barcelona to defend their 100 percent start to the campaign when they visit an impressive Villarreal on Sunday night.

Barca have Dani Olmo added to their list of absentees with a hamstring problem, while Ferran Torres is suspended after his sending off in Girona last weekend.

Villarreal don't have the handicap of European football in midweek and will look to test Barca's defense with their speedy attack of Yeremi Pino, Alex Baena and Arnaut Danjuma.

Real Madrid can thank Thibaut Courtois as much as anyone for recent wins, as they continue to take points without convincing at the start of the season.

Rodrygo has impressed, while Kylian Mbappe is adapting well to the team, but Carlo Ancelotti still hasn't been able to find midfield control in his side.

Espanyol have traditionally been an easy victim for Madrid in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, but the recently promoted side should be filled without confidence after Javier Puado's hat-trick saw them win 3-2 at home to Alaves last weekend.

The weekend has two Madrid derbies, with Atletico Madrid making the short trip to face Rayo Vallecano, with both sides starting the season brightly.

Atletico make their Champions League debut on Thursday, and Diego Simeone is likely to carry out some squad rotations for the game, while Rayo are boosted by an impressive win at home to Osasuna and have James Rodriguez looking to make his first start.

Getafe entertain Leganes in the 'south-Madrid' derby, and that is likely to be a tight match between two sides that give little away, but although Getafe have only conceded four goals in five games, they have only scored two and are so far without a win.

Alaves and Sevilla get the ball rolling on Friday night, with the home side unlucky to lose to Espanyol last weekend but looking like a compact outfit in midfield and defense.

Sevilla took their first win of the season last weekend, thanks to Jesus Navas' goal at home to Getafe, but lost Juanlu Sanchez to suspension. A visit to Vitoria will show if that win is a sign of improvement or a flash in the pan.

Although it's still early in the season, both Valladolid and Real Sociedad desperately need a win when they face each other on Saturday lunchtime.

Real Sociedad's 1-0 defeat to Mallorca on Tuesday means the team from San Sebastian have lost four games out of six and worryingly, they never looked like getting level after falling behind to a first half penalty.

Valladolid began the season with a win, but have struggled since, and 13 goals conceded shows just where their main problem lies.

Osasuna are favorites at home to Las Palmas when they play in El Sadar, although Osasuna need to tighten up a defense that conceded three goals away to Rayo Vallecano and four in Girona.

Las Palmas are second from bottom of the table with three defeats and no wins from five games and last weekend lost at home to Athletic Club Bilbao, who played for half an hour with 10 men.

Athletic entertain Celta, who have scored more goals than anyone other than Barcelona this season, but also concede a lot, and it promises to be another thriller in San Mames, although Athletic aren't helped by Thursday's visit to Leganes.

Valencia are in crisis after just one point from their first five games of the season, and Ruben Baraja's men have a tough task at home to Girona, who made their Champions League debut away to Paris Saint Germain on Wednesday.

One factor could be how Girona adapt to playing in Europe and the demands it will make on a squad that has previously had fewer midweek games.

The round of matches ends on Monday, when Betis entertain Mallorca. ■