La Liga: Girona vs Atletico Madrid Final Matchday First Half Season

La Liga's first matchday of 2024 features high-profile fixtures and regional rivalries, creating a unique atmosphere and promising exciting football.

The first La Liga matchday of 2024 is a significant one, marking the midway point of the season and taking place in the middle of the week, creating a unique atmosphere. Several high-profile fixtures are set to take place, which were postponed until Matchday 19, but are sure to be worth the wait.

On the first day of La Liga in 2024, all three games taking place are regional rivalries. The first fixture of the new year is a Madrid derby clash between Getafe CF and Rayo Vallecano. Getafe CF enters the new year full of confidence after finishing 2023 with a draw away at Atletico de Madrid at the Estadio Civitas Metropolitano. They hope to continue their positive run in this fixture against Rayo Vallecano at the same stadium.

Next up is a Basque derby between Real Sociedad and Deportivo Alaves at the Reale Arena. Both teams achieved their objectives in 2023 and now hope to begin 2024 on the front foot.

The action then moves to the Valencian Community for Valencia CF vs Villarreal CF, a game that will see all eyes turn to Marcelino, the recently appointed Villarreal CF coach who brought success to Mestalla during his time in charge of Valencia CF. Both teams will focus on securing the three points.

Four fixtures follow on the Wednesday of this midweek round, including another derby between Granada CF and Cadiz CF. Two games will take place simultaneously on Wednesday evening, namely RC Celta vs Real Betis and Real Madrid vs RCD Mallorca. Both home sides have a lot to play for, with RC Celta stepping into the new year inside the relegation zone and Real Madrid currently topping the standings.

Later on Wednesday night, Girona FC will host Atletico de Madrid at the Estadi Montilivi in a duel between two teams in the title race. Girona FC's fans will hope to secure their first win over Atletico de Madrid.

Thursday throws up three more games, starting with CA Osasuna vs UD Almeria. Sevilla FC vs Athletic Club follows, and the final game of the round is Las Palmas vs FC Barcelona. This should be an interesting duel in a tactical sense, as well as the fact that this is the first meeting between these clubs since 2018. These matches will conclude the first half of the season, making for an entertaining round of fixtures.