Eight games, eight wins. Barcelona have barely left anything behind so far — 24 points from 24 and a remarkable 34–7 goal difference.
Now comes one of their toughest away tests yet. Third-placed Betis are only five points back and have lost just once themselves.
Behind them, Atletico are also on 19 points and Real Madrid have 18. One slip from Barcelona could suddenly make the top of the table feel a lot tighter.
Here are the key games and the current 888STARZ line.
Betis vs Barcelona
The standout fixture of the round — and one of the rare occasions where the leaders are travelling to another top-three side.
Barcelona lead with 24 points. Betis are third on 19 and have already shown they can stay close to the league’s biggest teams.
888STARZ:
6.68 / 5.85 / 1.44
The market still strongly favours Barcelona.
That is the key contrast here: the table suggests a first-versus-third showdown, but the odds point to a clear away favourite.
Barça have won all eight league games so far.
The question is simple: can Betis finally make them drop points?
Espanyol vs Atletico Madrid
Atletico have a different problem — they cannot afford to let Barcelona pull any further away.
Madrid sit second with 19 points, while Espanyol are only 12th on eight after an uneven start.
888STARZ:
4.88 / 3.94 / 1.80
Atletico are deserved favourites, but 1.80 still leaves room for a competitive game.
They also arrive on a high after beating Manchester United in the Champions League.
Now they need to carry that momentum back into La Liga.
Dropping points here would be costly with Barcelona already five clear.
Villarreal vs Elche
On the table, this hardly looks like a headline game. In the market, it is one of Saturday’s clearest favourites.
Villarreal are only 11th with eight points, while Elche sit 18th on six.
But the hosts have just beaten Napoli 3–1 in the Champions League, and the market clearly respects that performance.
888STARZ:
1.51 / 4.93 / 6.63
This is a good chance for Villarreal to finally bring their European momentum into the league.
With four defeats already in eight matches, further dropped points against a relegation-zone side would be hard to explain.
Valencia vs Athletic
The situation here is almost the opposite of what the club names might suggest.
Valencia have endured a dreadful start: 19th place and only five points.
Athletic sit 10th on eight despite having two games in hand.
888STARZ:
3.47 / 3.51 / 2.26
The visitors are favourites.
And the gap is already meaningful. Valencia can no longer rely on home advantage alone — one win from eight games is simply not enough.
Athletic have a real opportunity to take advantage of that weakness and climb quickly with games still in hand.
Real Madrid vs Sevilla
Sunday’s headline fixture.
Real are only fourth with 18 points. Sevilla have made a stronger start than many expected and sit right behind them in fifth on 14.
But the market sees very little balance here:
1.29 / 6.71 / 11.20
Real are one of the strongest favourites of the entire round.
The pressure is more about the table than the odds. Madrid already trail Barcelona by six points, so another setback could turn the gap into a serious problem before October is even over.
They are also coming off a wild 4–3 Champions League win over Roma, which took plenty out of them.
Even so, 888STARZ leaves very little doubt about who should control this one.
One More Favourite Under Pressure to Deliver
Malaga remain the only side in the league without a win: four points and last place.
Next up is sixth-placed Real Sociedad.
888STARZ:
3.29 / 3.64 / 2.29
The visitors are favourites, but not overwhelmingly so.
Sociedad have already dropped their share of points, while for Malaga every home game is becoming another chance to finally climb off the bottom.
Full Matchday 9 Schedule
16 October: Deportivo — Levante.
17 October: Espanyol — Atletico Madrid, Villarreal — Elche, Betis — Barcelona, Valencia — Athletic.
18 October: Osasuna — Racing, Celta — Alaves, Malaga — Real Sociedad, Real Madrid — Sevilla.
19 October: Getafe — Rayo Vallecano.
Before Matchday 9
This weekend’s main question is very specific: how long can Barcelona keep this perfect run going?
Eight league games, eight wins.
But Betis away is the first test that really looks difficult from the table alone.
The market tells a different story: Barcelona are 1.44 to win, Betis 6.68.
Real face the opposite situation. Fifth-placed Sevilla look dangerous on paper, yet 888STARZ price Madrid at just 1.29.
Those two games define the round.
Can the table prove more competitive than the market expects?
UEFA Champions League