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What soccer to watch on TV this weekend: Real Madrid can climb on top of La Liga

kevin baxter
·1 min read
Real Madrid's Marco Asensio, second right, celebrates with teammates Nacho, right, Casemiro, second left, and Lucas Vazquez, left, after scoring his side's second goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Celta Vigo at the Alfredo Di Stefano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Real Madrid's Marco Asensio, second right, celebrates with teammates after scoring against Celta Vigo in Madrid on Jan. 2. (Manu Fernandez / Associated Press)

With Premier League teams in England occupied with the third round of the FA Cup, the focus for televised soccer in Europe shifts to Spain this weekend:

La Liga: Real Madrid (11-3-3) can climb into the league lead for the first time since October with a win at relegation-bound Osasuna (3-8-5) Saturday (BeIN Sports, noon PT) and an Atlético Madrid (12-1-2) loss at Athletic Club (6-9-3) earlier in the day (BeIN Sports, 7 a.m. ). Real has lost just twice in its last 12 matches dating to mid-October. Meanwhile streaking Barcelona (9-4-4), unbeaten in its last seven in La Liga play, hopes to keep pace when it travels to Granada (7-6-3) on Saturday (BeIN Sports, 9:30 a.m.). With a loss, Barcelona could tumble as far as fifth in the standings. Former teammates Lionel Messi of Barcelona and Luis Suarez of Atlético are tied for the league scoring lead with nine goals apiece.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.