La Liga, Round 3: Valencia, Sevilla both win on Sunday

Elche, with all due respect, seem like the kind of team Rayo Vallecano should beat at home in order to avoid relegation for the third consecutive season under Paco Jémez. Chelsea loanee Gaël Kakuta was brilliant for the Vallecas side, but Elche’s consistency was enough to earn the three points. Alberto Bueno scored from the penalty spot in added time to cut Elche’s lead, but Rayo were finally not able to pull out the miracle and savage a point.

Real Madrid went into the international break with an embarrassing loss, and they’ve come out of it with one that stings even worse. They’ve fallen 2-1 at home to cross-town rivals Atlético Madrid, who turned in a spectacular performance at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Atléti began with a bang, taking advantage of some woeful set piece defending in the tenth minute to take the early lead. It’s not clear exactly why nobody bothered picking up Tiago from Koke’s corner, but neither the defense nor the goalkeeper covered themselves in glory as the midfielder glanced his header just inside the near post.

The 19-year-old did put the ball in the back of the net in the 50th minute, but he started his run a moment too soon and was called offside on the initial pass across the Athletic Club box. Two minutes later Iraizoz denied Jordi Alba’s attempt, palming the ball away for a corner.

The onslaught of pressure from the Blaugrana continued as the second half rolled on but Athletic Club were up to the task, defending well and taking advantage of some very questionable decisions from the match officials. The lead referee missed a clear penalty for Barca in the first half and ignored an obvious foul on Neymar in the second half that should’ve been a free kick.

Cristiano Ronaldo is really good! SHOCKER! His absence and limited availability early in the season has clearly affected Los Blancos. Despite all the weapons -- Bale, James, Benzema, etc. -- there’s no player than can replicate Ronaldo’s impact on a match. His very presence causes problems for the defense, he could stand at the center line doing nothing and he’d still cause the opponents to adjust. If he’s finally healthy, which Carlo Ancelotti says he is, Real Madrid instantly become a better and more dangerous team. If he’s still not 100%, playing him, even in this big match, is extremely risky.

Key Matchup: The Spectre of Diego Simeone vs. Atléti’s Psyche

Athletic Bilbao starting XI (4-2-3-1): Gorka Iraizoz; Mikel Balenziaga, Aymeric Laporte, Carlos Gurpegui, Oscar De Marcos; Mikel Rico, Ander Itsurrape; Iker Muniain, Beñat, Markel Susaeta; Aritz Aduriz

Key Matchup: Athletic Club’s defense vs. The Inevitable Onslaught

The problem facing most Spanish teams when they face Barcelona is whether or not to bunker defensively. Thanks to Barca’s talent in the attack, it’s a risky proposition to try and play the Blaugrana in anything other that a formation that’s backloaded with defense. Typically coaches will just sit back and tell their team to counter attack selectively, hoping that they can hold their formation together and close down the passing lines over the course of 90 minutes. Athletic Club will likely do this at the Camp Nou and the game will come down to whether or not they’re able to frustrate Barca’s attack and survive the chances that Messi and company will still find a way to create.

After nearly two weeks away for the kickoff of UEFA Euro 2016 qualifiers, club football returns this weekend in Spain with a big time match between two of the country’s top clubs.

The two teams played in the two-leg Spanish Super Cup final in August, which was won by Atléti.