Here's Matchday 7 — a very significant round headlined by the Madrid derby, played Friday to Sunday, September 18–20, 2026, CEST. Quick note: Levante vs Athletic Club from Matchday 6 was postponed due to rain and will be rescheduled separately, so both sides go into this round with a game in hand.
## Table Snapshot (after MD6)
| Pos | Team | Pts | Record | GD |
|---|---|:---:|:---:|:---:|
| 1 | Barcelona | 18 | 6-0-0 | +22 |
| 2 | Real Madrid | 15 | 5-0-1 | +11 |
| 3 | Real Betis | 15 | 5-0-1 | +2 |
| 4 | Atlético Madrid | 13 | 4-1-1 | +8 |
| 5 | Sevilla | 13 | 4-1-1 | +3 |
| 6 | Alavés | 10 | 3-1-2 | +5 |
| 7 | Deportivo | 9 | 2-3-1 | +2 |
| 8-13 | Osasuna/Espanyol/Racing/Rayo/Real Sociedad/Athletic | 7 | — | — |
| 18-20 | Celta/Valencia/Málaga/Elche | 2-4 | — | Bottom cluster |
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## Matchday 7 Predictions & Analysis
**Espanyol vs Elche** (Fri, Sept 18, 21:00) — **2-0**
Espanyol are a solid mid-table side on 7 points, while Elche remain second-bottom with the league's worst combination of goals scored and conceded. This looks like a routine home win for Espanyol.
**Osasuna vs Rayo Vallecano** (Sat, Sept 19, 14:00) — **1-1**
Osasuna's once-stingy defense has leaked badly of late (-7 goal difference), while Rayo have found some form with back-to-back wins including a 2-1 victory over Espanyol. Both sides are level on 7 points — expect a scrappy, shared-points affair.
**Athletic Club vs Alavés** (Sat, Sept 19, 16:15) — **2-1**
Athletic have quietly built a solid campaign (7 points from just 5 games, with a game in hand) and were excellent in their 3-0 demolition of Atlético Madrid earlier in the season. Alavés have been one of the league's best surprises (10 points, +5 GD) but have shown occasional defensive slips. San Mamés form should give Athletic the edge in a close Basque-country clash.
**Celta Vigo vs Racing Santander** (Sat, Sept 19, 18:30) — **1-1**
Celta have drawn four of their six games — clearly a team that scraps for points without quite finding a way to win. Racing have an open, high-scoring profile (11 for, 16 against). This has all the makings of another shared-points result for Celta.
**Sevilla vs Barcelona** (Sat, Sept 19, 21:00) — **1-3**
The marquee fixture of the round. Barcelona remain the only unbeaten team in the league with a staggering +22 goal difference and 28 goals scored in six games. Sevilla are in good form themselves (13 points, won their last two), and the Sánchez-Pizjuán atmosphere will make this competitive — but Barça's attacking output has been operating on another level all season.
**Getafe vs Málaga** (Sun, Sept 20, 14:00) — **2-0**
Getafe's typically stubborn home form should be enough against a Málaga side that's toiling near the bottom of the table with a -8 goal difference in their return to the top flight.
**Atlético Madrid vs Real Madrid** (Sun, Sept 20, 16:15) — **2-1**
The Derbi Madrileño. Atlético have been excellent recently, including a 4-0 hammering of Osasuna, and sit third on 13 points with a strong +8 goal difference. Real Madrid remain right behind on 15 points and +11 GD despite their earlier shock loss to Betis. This should be tight and high-quality — I'll lean toward Atlético's current home form and momentum edging a classic Metropolitano battle, though this is the closest call of the round.
**Villarreal vs Levante** (Sun, Sept 20, 18:30) — **2-1**
Villarreal have underperformed all season relative to their squad (5 points) but should have enough quality at home against a Levante side that, while resilient, still has a negative goal difference.
**Deportivo La Coruña vs Real Betis** (Sun, Sept 20, 18:30) — **1-2**
Deportivo have been the story of the promoted sides — unbeaten through six games (9 points, two wins, three draws). Betis, however, are red-hot, sitting level with Real Madrid on 15 points after back-to-back wins over Villarreal and Getafe. Betis' attacking form should be enough to end Dépor's unbeaten run, though a draw wouldn't be a shock.
**Valencia vs Real Sociedad** (Sun, Sept 20, 21:00) — **1-1**
Valencia finally got off the mark with a surprise win at Alavés and will be full of confidence. Real Sociedad have struggled for consistency (7 points but -5 goal difference). Expect a tight, low-quality affair between two sides still searching for their identity this season.
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### Round Outlook
Barcelona should continue their perfect march at the top. The Madrid derby is the pivotal result of the round — an Atlético win would pull them level on points with Real Madrid and tighten the title picture further behind Barcelona, while Betis' predicted win at Riazor would keep them locked in the podium conversation.