Madrid, Dec 4 (NationPress) The competition for the La Liga title heats up this weekend following FC Barcelona's home victory against Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid's resurgence in Bilbao during two midweek matches rescheduled due to the Spanish Supercup. Barcelona showcased their strength against Atletico but face a challenging away match on Saturday as Hansi Flick's squad heads to visit Real Betis.

Currently sitting fifth in the table, Betis remains unbeaten in their last four games and is riding high after winning last weekend's Seville derby 2-0 against Sevilla. Pablo Fornals is in stellar form for Manuel Pellegrini's team, compelling Barcelona to elevate their performance once more.

Flick will need to strategize following the dislocated shoulder injury to Dani Olmo in midweek and may consider resting Pedri, who had to exit the game against Atletico due to muscle fatigue. On a positive note, Frenkie de Jong returns after injury.

Kylian Mbappe was pivotal again as Real Madrid secured a 3-0 victory in Bilbao on Wednesday, with Xabi Alonso's squad displaying a robust performance featuring Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, and Aurelien Tchouameni.

Real Madrid will play their first home league match in a month at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, hosting Celta Vigo.

Celta has had a mixed season, performing better away than at home, but facing a strong challenge against Mbappe’s in-form squad.

Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid were the major midweek casualties, with Athletic yielding to Real Madrid too easily, while Atletico fell six points behind Barcelona after their defeat on Tuesday.

Tuesday's match also left Diego Simeone without Jose Gimenez, Alex Baena, and Johnny Cardoso due to injuries, though this pales in comparison to Athletic Club’s injury woes, which include Inaki Williams, Benat Prados, Robert Navarro, Maroan Sannadi, and Unai Egiluz. Nevertheless, Oihan Sancet will be back after serving a two-match ban.

Villarreal is currently in third place, and despite a challenging Copa del Rey tie on Wednesday night, Marcelino Garcia Toral is expected to make significant changes for Saturday’s home match against a resilient Getafe side.

The weekend kicks off with bottom-tier Oviedo desperately seeking a home victory against Mallorca. Luis Carrion has tightened the defense but is yet to secure a win since taking over from Veljko Paunovic in October.

Three consecutive losses have seen Alaves drift closer to the relegation zone ahead of Saturday's Basque derby against a Real Sociedad side whose unbeaten run was halted by Villarreal last weekend.

Elche has not secured a win in their last seven La Liga matches, presenting an opportunity for Girona to escape the bottom three, though Girona must overcome their midweek Copa del Rey exit against lowly Ourense.

Valencia will host Sevilla in a match featuring two prominent clubs currently facing struggles, with Sevilla coach Matias Almeyda under pressure following four defeats in five games, including a painful derby loss to Betis last weekend.

The matchday concludes on Monday, where Osasuna coach Alessio Lisci requires a victory against Levante, who are yet to appoint a successor for Julian Calero after his dismissal last weekend. Seventeenth-placed Osasuna has only 12 points, and another loss could see Lisci join Calero in the job search.