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La Liga: Xavi in Barcelona dugout for Espanyol clash, Real Madrid travel to strugglers Granada

After La Liga broke off for international football, it returns this weekend. There’s plenty to look forward to, including Xavi making his managerial bow for Barcelona against Espanyol. We will also preview Granada v Real Madrid, and we will divulge the latest match odds. Check out our thoughts below.

Barcelona take gamble on Xavi after sacking Ronald Koeman

The writing was on the wall for Ronald Koeman. A 1-0 defeat to Rayo Vallecano last month left Barcelona consigned to ninth in the La Liga table. Xavi now has a big rebuilding job on his hands to turn around the Catalan giants’ fortunes. Nevertheless, Xavi – who enjoyed a decorated playing career at the Nou Camp – has been handed a two-year contract.

And with 38-year-old Dani Alves poised to make a spectacular return to Barcelona, Xavi wants to make all the right noises. Speculation has risen that Barca are interested in striking a deal for Chelsea left-back Marcos Alonso. The Spaniard has fallen out of favour under Thomas Tuchel, and he has slipped down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge.

Barcelona new boy Dani Alves and his extraordinary stats

Barca fans will be delighted to have Alves back, and his reunion with Xavi could spark a feel-good factor. Alves’ first spell at the Nou Camp was extraordinary, and there are a couple of stats that stand out. He won 23 trophies during his time at Barca. He also made 391 appearances for the club – only Lionel Messi (778) has amassed more as a foreigner.

Espanyol in good spot after Granada victory

Espanyol will be relatively with pleased how their season is panning out. Currently mid-table, they are level on points with Barcelona, and they ended a run of three winless games by picking up three points in a 2-0 victory over Granada before the international break. They will need to show courage if they are to spoil Xavi’s return to his boyhood club.

Barcelona v Espanyol: A tale of a La Liga derby

Despite all Barcelona’s woes this season, they will relish a derby clash with Espanyol on Saturday. Of course, they will want to kick off the Xavi era with a win. Espanyol have failed to score on their last two visits to the Nou Camp. And Barca claimed a 1-0 victory last season, with a Luis Suarez goal separating the two sides.

Real Madrid in a rich vein of form

Perhaps the international break came at the most inopportune time for Real Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti’s side have been grinding out the victories, and winning breeds confidence. Before the break, Los Blancos had won five of their past six matches in all competitions, and they are in the hunt as far as the title race is concerned.

A 2-1 victory away to Rayo Vallecano has set themselves up nicely for the challenges in the weeks ahead. After Granada, Real have some testing fixtures against Sevilla, Real Sociedad, and Atletico Madrid, which will test their title credentials. However, with Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior in electric form, their tails are up.

Meanwhile, Toni Kroos is glad that his form has not suffered after he sat out the first few weeks of the season with an injury. The German playmaker said: “I’m in good shape, having played so many games in the last three weeks.” Kroos undoubtedly will have to play a big role for Los Blancos, with the matches coming thick and fast.

Granada in desperate need of points to keep their heads above the water

So far, it has been a torrid season for Granada. Although they recently beat Levante 3-0, they have yielded just two wins in Spain’s top flight this season, and they sit just above the drop zone in 17th spot.

In their 12 games to date, they have netted just 11 times, and they will need to be at their best to keep Benzema and Vinicius Jr quiet. However, they could well run into a ruthless Real on Sunday. Last season, Los Blancos cantered to a 4-1 victory, with Luka Modric, Rodrygo, Alvaro Odriozola, and Benzema getting on the scoresheet.

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