La Liga Matchweek 10 features ten matches across four days from 23 October to 26 October 2026, highlighted by a meeting at the summit between league leaders Barcelona and third-placed Real Madrid. Across the division, teams are beginning to settle into their campaigns as continental schedules run alongside league commitments. Our predictive model has evaluated the opening fixtures of the round, while the remaining calls appear on each match page the day before kickoff.
The match of the round: Alaves vs Malaga
Alaves host Malaga on Friday evening seeking to halt a five-match winless streak in league action. Quique Sánchez Flores's side sit seventh in the table with 11 points, having dropped points recently in a 2-1 defeat at Celta Vigo and another 2-1 loss against Atletico Madrid. While Alaves have maintained a respectable home record with three victories in five matches and an average of two goals scored per match, their recent attacking output has dipped. The underlying chance numbers suggest their earlier goal return exceeded what their volume of chances warranted.
Malaga arrive at the bottom of the table in 20th place with four points from nine matches, having conceded 18 goals and suffered a 5-2 defeat at home to Real Sociedad last weekend. The visitors are also missing Aarón Ochoa, Diego Murillo, and Joaquín Muñoz through injury, leaving top scorer Adrián Niño Heredia with limited support in attack. Alaves are contending with absences of their own, with Facundo Garcés and Mikel Rodríguez sidelined, but top scorer Lucas Boyé remains available.
Our model projects an Alaves win with moderate confidence, alongside a projection for Alaves to win or draw. Given the visitors' struggles in front of goal and Alaves's recent decline in creative output, the model issues cautious calls for fewer than 2.5 goals in the match and for at least one side to be kept off the scoresheet. A speculative, low-confidence scoreline call points to a 1-0 win for Alaves, though the model regularly misjudges low-scoring affairs.
Saturday
Rayo Vallecano host Elche in Saturday's early fixture. Rayo sit 14th after consecutive 1-1 draws against Getafe and Osasuna, yet their home form has remained reliable with two wins and a draw. The hosts are without Augusto Batalla, Luiz Felipe, and Randy Nteka, but top scorer Sergio Camello leads an attack known for quick starts. Elche enter the weekend 18th in the table and endure a two-match scoring drought after consecutive goalless draws with Villarreal and Celta Vigo. Our model projects a Rayo Vallecano win with moderate confidence, projecting them to score the opening goal, while issuing a low-confidence call for more than 2.5 goals in the match.
Racing Santander sit 17th after a 2-0 defeat at Osasuna and hold the division's poorest defensive record with 25 goals conceded. Top scorer Yassir Zabiri has seven goals, though defensive concerns grow with Pedro Felipe and Simon Eriksson doubtful. Espanyol sit just one place above them in 16th following a 1-0 home loss to Atletico Madrid, with Kike García ruled out and Jofre Carreras doubtful to support six-goal forward Roberto Fernández.
Valencia enter Saturday 19th in the standings with six points, held to a 0-0 draw against Athletic Club last week and missing Diego López, Dimitri Foulquier, and José Copete through injury. Villarreal sit 12th following a 4-3 defeat to Liverpool in European competition and a scoreless draw against Elche, dealing with absences for Carlos Romero and Nicolas Pépé while Georges Mikautadze leads their attack with four goals.
Second-placed Atletico Madrid host ninth-placed Deportivo La Coruna following a 1-1 draw with VfB Stuttgart and a 1-0 victory at Espanyol. The home side trail the summit by five points and remain without Cristian Romero, Johnny Cardoso, and Koke, though five-goal Álex Baena provides steady finishing. Deportivo La Coruna drew 1-1 with Levante in their previous outing, though injuries to Marc Casadó, Bright Ede, and Noé reduce depth behind top scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Sunday
Athletic Club occupy 13th place after a 3-1 defeat at Levante and face squad shortages with Aymeric Laporte suspended and both Gorka Guruzeta and Oihan Sancet injured. Getafe sit 15th, coming off a 5-2 defeat against FC Lugano and a 1-1 draw with Rayo Vallecano, while Djené serves a suspension alongside injuries to Christantus Uche and Juanmi.
Eighth-placed Celta Vigo enter Sunday having beaten Celtic 2-1 in Europe and Alaves 2-1 domestically, though Borja Iglesias and Carl Starfelt remain sidelined. Fourth-placed Real Betis travel after a 1-0 European victory over Feyenoord, looking to steady their league form following a 5-2 defeat to Barcelona, with Isco leading their scoring charts with four goals.
Fifth-placed Real Sociedad scored six goals against Lillestrom on Thursday after scoring five against Malaga last weekend, led by Luka Sučić. They host 11th-placed Levante, who are unbeaten in three matches after beating Athletic Club 3-1 and drawing 1-1 with Deportivo La Coruna, spearheaded by Roger Brugué.
Table-toppers Barcelona host third-placed Real Madrid in the round's headline encounter. Barcelona hold a perfect domestic start with 27 points from nine matches and 39 goals scored, though they suffered a 4-2 defeat to Paris Saint Germain in midweek and remain without Dani Olmo, Eric García, and Andreas Christensen. Top scorer Raphinha has 14 goals across all competitions. Real Madrid sit six points behind with 21 points, entering on the back of 4-1 victories against RB Leipzig and Sevilla. Kylian Mbappé has 12 goals, though absences for Rodrygo, Ferland Mendy, and Raúl Asencio test the away squad's balance.
Monday
The round concludes on Monday as sixth-placed Sevilla take on tenth-placed Osasuna. Sevilla were beaten 4-1 by Real Madrid in their last league outing and will be without Marcão, Jon Guridi, and Miguel Sierra. Osasuna won 2-0 against Racing Santander in their previous fixture, with top scorer Ante Budimir aiming to add to his seven goals while Aimar Oroz and Romain Del Castillo miss out through injury.
With Barcelona defending their lead over Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid at the top, and clubs such as Malaga, Valencia, and Elche seeking traction near the bottom, Matchweek 10 could create significant separation across the division.
