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There’s no let-up in LaLiga Santander as the festive season approaches, with four matches taking place in midweek to provide some extra Christmas week entertainment. Over the coming days, football fans can tune in to some crackers, with Villarreal CF vs D. Alavés, Sevilla FC vs FC Barcelona, Granada CF vs Atlético de Madrid and Athletic Club vs Real Madrid all on the schedule.
The first three of these fixtures were postponed from earlier in the season, to prevent any competitive disadvantages as a result of the late South American World Cup qualifiers, while Athletic Club vs Real Madrid has been brought forward from Matchday 21, ensuring the final match before the Christmas break is a thriller.
First up will be the duel at the Estadio de la Cerámica between Villarreal CF and D. Alavés at 7pm CET on Tuesday, with Javi Calleja returning to the club he called home for eight years. Since taking over at Alavés Calleja has only faced the Yellow Submarine once, winning 2-1 at the end of the last season. He’ll hope for a similar result as the Basque side aim to snap a four-game winless run to finish the year, but it won’t be easy as Unai Emery’s team are in top form, winning their past four and scoring 15 goals in the process.
Later on Tuesday night it’s Sevilla FC vs FC Barcelona (9.30pm CET) as the Andalusian side look to keep up their title challenge. Sevilla are now just six points behind leaders Real Madrid after a statement victory over Atlético de Madrid on Saturday night, and they can further cut that gap to three points and put the pressure on Los Blancos with a win. Facing Barça won’t be easy, but Sevilla fans will be confident and a boisterous atmosphere is expected at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan, making this the toughest test so far for Xavi in his young LaLiga Santander coaching career.
More festive football follows on Wednesday, starting with Granada CF vs Atlético de Madrid at 7pm CET. This match will take place one day before Diego Simeone celebrates 10 years in charge of Atleti, but the Argentine has just seen his team lose three LaLiga Santander matches in a row for the first time. Atleti desperately need to get back to winning ways and will look to do so against a club they defeated home and away last campaign. Granada come into this match with confidence, though, having won their past two home matches and having just thrashed RCD Mallorca 4-1 with a hat-trick from 39-year-old Jorge Molina.
The final match before the Christmas break will take place on Spain’s northern coast in Bilbao and is a classic of the Spanish footballing calendar, with Athletic Club hosting Real Madrid. These two teams met in Spain’s capital at the very start of December with Los Blancos eked out a 1-0 victory courtesy of a Karim Benzema goal. But Athletic played well on the night and were just missing some clinical finishing in front of goal. Having scored three times in a dramatic 3-2 win over Real Betis at San Mamés on Sunday, it seems they’ve found their shooting boots again and that makes this Wednesday’s match all the more intriguing.
There will be one final match in 2021 after this midweek slate of fixtures, with Matchday 19 beginning on New Year’s Eve with a clash between Valencia CF and RCD Espanyol. Before that, this collection of fixtures in between matchdays is the perfect pre-Christmas treat.
Watch LaLiga Santander live this midweek on BeINSports
