MADRID, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Spanish Liga Santander prepares for its third round of matches ahead of the forthcoming international break with only two sides maintaining a 100 percent record.
Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are the only two teams to win their first two games of the new campaign and both will expect to make it three wins out of three with what on paper looks to be relatively straightforward matches.
Madrid, who have just re-signed striker Mariano Diaz from Lyon, are at home to Leganes on Saturday night.
Julen Lopetegui's side have had a solid start to the season and although they fell behind to Girona a week ago, two penalties helped them overturn the score and once in the lead they were able to make the Catalan side suffer on the break.
Keylor Navas should retain his place in goal ahead of Thibaut Courtois, while it will be interesting to see if Lopetegui considers Modric fit enough to start after the World Cup.
Barcelona have to wait until Sunday for their game, which is at home to newly promoted Huesca.
Huesca have had a fantastic start to life in the Liga Santander with a win away to Eibar and a 2-2 draw in Bilbao, but the Camp Nou will be a major test for them.
Barca will no doubt be looking forward to a decent playing surface after last Saturday's game in Valladolid where the pitch cut and lifted alarmingly, and coach Ernesto Valverde will field his strongest side with Messi, Luis Suarez, Ousmane Dembele and Phillipe Coutinho all included.
The round of matches gets underway with two games on Friday night; Getafe face Valladolid while there is a Basque derby between Eibar and Real Sociedad.
It will be Real Sociedad's third consecutive away match as work continues in remodeling their Anoeta Stadium and they will hope to pay homage to striker Imanol Agirretxe, who on Wednesday announced his retirement due to long-term injury problems.
Eibar meanwhile need to get points on the board after starting the season with consecutive defeats and a host of missed chances.
Friday also sees Villarreal at home to Girona, with both teams looking for their first win of the campaign.
Rayo Vallecano's match at home to Athletic Club Bilbao was cancelled on Monday due to deficiencies in Rayo's Vallecas Stadium, that means the kick off time of the game between Celta and Atletico Madrid has been moved back two hours.
Atletico have looked their typically solid selves again this season, while Celta impressed with a 2-1 win away to Levante on Monday night.
Levante play local rivals Valencia at lunchtime on Sunday with both teams needing to bounce back after poor performances in their previous match. Levante lost at home to Celta, while Valencia were very poor as they lost 2-0 away to Espanyol, who will play away to Alaves on Sunday afternoon.
Perhaps matchday 3 saves the best until last with Betis hosting Sevilla in the Seville derby. Temperatures of around 30 degrees centigrade will welcome perhaps the most hostile of all derbies in Spain with tension and controversy almost guaranteed.
