Spanish football finally returns on Thursday night, with Premier Sports bringing a feast of live action for fans across the United Kingdom.

With matches every day, and every game free to watch on LaLiga TV, it’s time to take a look at 10 things to watch out for across the opening round of fixtures.

From Eden Hazard and Luis Suarez’s return from injury to FIFA crowd noise and warm weather worries, here’s all you need to know…

1. A Seville derby to kick things off

If you’re a regular to Spanish football, you’ll know that El Gran Derbi between Sevilla and Real Betis is by far the most fiery and dramatic in the league.

The Seville city rivals are treading very different paths this season, with the red half of the city going for the Champions League, while the green half languish in the bottom half of the table, still not fully safe from relegation.

It will, of course, be a derby with a difference. The fans are a huge part of the game and the Sanchez Pizjuan will be empty, but if anything that makes this all the more intriguing. It is the first match to take place after the restart, at 9pm UK time on Thursday… and there’s no better way to bring Spanish football back.

2. FIFA crowd noise

With no fans in stadiums across Spain, LaLiga have looked at different ways to improve the viewing experience on television.

There will be new camera angles, from places that previously would have impeded the view of fans at the game, and the option of FIFA 20 crowd noise to improve the atmosphere.

Digital fans will be in the stands to make it look more like a *normal* game… and all in all, it is hoped that watching games in the coming weeks might even be a better experience than it was before the coronavirus shutdown.

3. Real Madrid in their B-team stadium

On Sunday evening, at 6.30pm UK time, Real Madrid will host their first game back against Eibar. There will, of course, be no fans present at the Bernabeu… but interestingly there won’t even be players present at the Bernabeu.

Instead, Real will be holding their home games at their 6,000-seater B-team venue Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano as their main stadium undergoes renovation work.

It will be interesting to see how Zinedine Zidane’s men get on. Some argue it will be a disadvantage as none of their remaining fixtures will technically be home games, while others believe the smaller stadium will be easier to play in with a lack of fans.

4. Suarez and Braithwaite fighting it out

One man benefitting from the coronavirus lockdown is Luis Suarez, who has been able to use the time away from the pitch to recover from his injury and return to full fitness. That, though, is bad news for Martin Braithwaite.

The striker joined from Leganes to save Barca’s season, but hardly got a chance and now Suarez is back and ready to take his spot back. That said, with the games coming thick and fast, it is believed both men will get a fair crack of the whip.

The first game back, away at Mallorca, is likely to see Suarez start – but can Braithwaite take his opportunities in the battle to be Barca’s main man?

5. Derby del Turia

While the Seville derby is a great way to start on Thursday night, 24 hours after that we are treated to yet another massive rivalry in LaLiga.

Valencia will host Levante on Friday night in the Derby del Turia, a clash between the city of Valencia’s two biggest sides.

A look at the table shows Valencia currently sitting in seventh place, just outside the European spots, meaning a win is vital to get them up and running. Levante, meanwhile, are 13th and will hope to be looking up rather than down by getting a few early wins under their belt.

6. Can Hazard and Asensio shine straight away?

Real Madrid will be delighted to see both Eden Hazard and Marco Asensio back on the pitch, with both originally expected to not kick a ball again until the 2020-21 campaign.

Former Chelsea star Hazard has not quite hit the heights expected of him since arriving in the Spanish capital, but if he stays fit then he will be central to their ambitions of toppling Barca and winning the title.

The club’s fitness guru Gregory Dupont has been told to prioritise keeping the Belgian fit and getting him firing… so it will be all eyes on Hazard on Sunday evening to see if he’s managed it.

7. Barca’s stuttering away form

Although in a brilliant position two points ahead of Real Madrid at the top of LaLiga, there is much concern over Barcelona’s away form so far this season.

Although it could be argued that all rules are out the window in the post-coronavirus world, with no fans at the games, Barca will be worried that they have already dropped points in 11 away matches so far this season.

To start, they travel to Mallorca on Saturday night and face something of a defensive crisis with Gerard Pique potentially the only fit senior centre back. Ronald Araujo may potentially get the call-up from the B team, but we will have to wait and see if their travelling woes continue.

8. Can Espanyol avoid the drop?

One of the big talking points at the wrong end of the LaLiga table comes in the form of Espanyol, who are currently rock bottom and six points from Celta Vigo and safety.

They face Alaves up first – a side who were also tipped to be down the bottom but currently find themselves in 14th – as the great escape begins.

The Barcelona-based club have spent 85 of LaLiga’s 89 seasons in the top flight, and it would be a huge shock to see them drop down to the second tier of Spanish football. They’re already on their third manager of the season, and the onus is now on Abelardo Fernandez to do the impossible.

9. Can Sociedad handle the pressure?

One of the top flight’s biggest surprise packages has come in the form of Real Sociedad, whose young side are flying high in the top four.

They may well have lost some momentum with a three-month break, and we’ll soon find out when they face Osasuna at home in the last of the weekend’s 10 matches.

Martin Odegaard and Co have been absolutely flying so far… so can they handle the pressure and guide the club to a top-four finish for the first time since 2013.

10. Warm weather worries – but not for Diego

LaLiga’s fixture scheduling has caused plenty of headaches across the 20 top-flight clubs, with many disagreeing with the decision to play matches at 1pm.

Of course, the season doesn’t usually go into June and temperatures across Spain will be much higher as summer approaches. This week, the unlucky teams are Espanyol and Alaves on Saturday, and Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

Saturday in Barcelona is set to be around 26 degrees when Espanyol’s game kicks off, and Bilbao looks to be very similar the following day. The temperatures are only set to increase as the weeks go by.

One player that may thrive, though, is Diego Costa, as research shows he often plays better when the temperatures are higher. Back fit for the 11-game run-in, AS claim that he often excels in the hotter months.

They write that in recent years, he has been outstanding in August’s Super Cup, while this season he has not scored since temperatures dropped in October. All eyes on the big man when Sunday lunchtime comes round.

SOURCE:- allfootballapp