Mid-week action in Spain's La Liga as Real Madrid's dubious form will be tested at the Bernabeu. A Messi-less Barcelona will host Sporting Gijon on Wednesday.
La Liga's first midweek action of the season is only fourth round in the campaign, but the table is already starting to shape in the apparent three tiers. The top six clubs are the same teams that usually occupy the European places, the bottom six will probably fight relegation, and most of the the middle eight might juts move around mid-table throughout the season.
Jose Mourinho struggles to define an identity for the Merengue squad, while FC Barcelona returns home to heal the wounds inflicted by Hercules two weeks ago.
Hottest match of the week: Atletico vs Valencia, late this Wednesday when the Colchoneros face their second consecutive major battle in the week in Andalusian ground just after two consecutive defeats.
Both Athletic and Mallorca are eagerly expecting to claim their place within Spain's best upon this match, and the winner will be fighting among the strongest squads in this competition. Mallorca's coach Michael Laudrup declared "As we reach our desired level we need to claim as much points as we can. The last game taught an important lesson to our players: Victory is always difficult to reach and sometimes you need to suffer until the last moment to bag the three points". Athletic's coach Joaquin Caparros valued how fast his team reacted during the last match but believes a lot of areas need serious improvement for Fernando Llorente's squad to fight at its best.
Igor Martínez has proven to be a fundamental piece to join Fernando Llorente in the offense, and will most likely be part of the starting eleven. Athletic's followers are expecting to celebrate the first victory at the San Mames, will they survive against Laudrup's starving squad?
One month ago Osasuna and Real Sociedad took on each other in a friendly match in which the Rojillos celebrated a victory thanks to Real Sociedad's top striker Raul Tamudo. Real Sociedad supports a very competitive football and Osasuna might be trampled by their scheme if they don't fight hard to keep Erreala's strikers under control. The Rojillos, on the other hand, have not been able to score a single goal in the competition and they'll have to grow stronger at the Reino de Navarra to secure a vital point against a direct rival for the category.
Osasuna recovers Sergio Fernández in their back line and this would surely boost the chances of the local team to bag three points. Sergio missed the last two matches of the tournament, but his presence will be balanced by Masoud Shojaei's absence, with a flu. Jose Antonio Camacho will be chancing his arm upon Osasuna's performance against Real Sociedad: Team's coach introduced many modifications in the squad to face Mallorca but they didn't pay off, will he find a way to get Osasuna back on its knees before he runs out of time?
Mauricio Pochettino's Espanyol and Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid will be taking on each other on Tuesday's night to start the fourth match day of this tournament. With 7 points in three matches, Real Madrid should keep RCD Espanyol's defense under constant pressure to make it impossible for the visitors to leave the Santiago Bernabeu before the Galactics claim the three points. Espanyol's creative midfielder Ivan Alonso will be sidelined for over a month with an injury on his right knee, joining striker Daniel Osvaldo waiting for the operation room.
Raul Albiol might be ready to make his return to the starting team -he's been struggling with an injury for over a month now- and Sami Khedira evolved favorably after the game against Osasuna. Espanyol's striker Luis Garcia said "I'm a winner and I change all my goals for a victory. I'm obsessed with winning and not only do I enjoy it... it's all I want, to win again". He has not yet scored in this league but understands the inner working of Jose Mourinho's squad, as he played for five years as a young for the Merengues. An exciting match in midweek to gain a place within the best, who will claim this six-pointer?
Hercules strength will be tested this Wednesday when the Blanquiazules travel north to face Real Zaragoza. José Aurelio Gay's boys should take advantage of their knowledge of the Romareda to claim their first victory in the competition. Hercules' offense will miss Nelson Haedo Valdez (Barcelona's executioner) but Royston Drenthe and David Trezeguet have both enough experience to lead the advance on their own and bag this six pointer for the permanence in the category. Jorge López Marco is the main candidate to replace the Guarani in the Blanquiazul squad. Hercules' engine has been running at full capacity at Barcelona's expense, and Esteban Vigo needs to confirm the power of his team outside Alicante with another sound victory.
Jose Aurelio Gay confirmed he will use the same strategy that last week against Racing "and there might be some minor modifications" he said. Gabi Fernandez's partner is yet unknown, as Zaragoza's coach might go with either José Edmilson or Adam Pintér to replace Leonardo Ponzio. The Hungarian is the main candidate to be within the starting eleven. Gay did not wanted to talk about his formation but he did mentioned some of the strengths of their rival. "They play well, their defense is intense and they can be lethal on the attack. We were warned the last time we played at home and we cannot give anything away if we want to secure the victory". The match will be intense throughout the whole field, who would claim the three points?
It won't be easy for FC Barcelona to keep up with the title race, as FC Valencia leads the positions table with perfect scoring after three weeks. Barcelona has not yet been able to celebrate a victory at the Camp Nou and their forces will greatly diminish unless Pep Guardiola's secure the three points at home.
Lionel Messi will be unable to perform for 10 days, for Tomas Ujfalusi caught him with a late challenge on his ankle. Jeffren Abidal might not be ready to perform, and Guardiola is likely to introduce some rotation in the squad, for the Champions League will keep them busy during the week and they cannot sit down on the chase for the title, as Valencia is determined to lift the title themselves. Watch out for Javier Mascherano, struggling to be part of Barcelona's starting eleven.
Manolo Preciado is aware a tough trip to Barcelona is waiting ahead, and for that reason he's already declared he will make some defensive modifications to keep Barcelona's overwhelming forces under control, but Nacho Novo's absence in the offense might make it impossible for Preciado's boys to adventure on Cule's ground. For that reason Sporting will deploy additional forces on the wings to be ready to take full advantage of any Blaugrana mistake. David Barral and Carmelo González are back leading the attack, will they find a weak spot in Barcelona's sturdy defense?
Three days might not be enough for Almeria to recover of Sunday's defeat against RCD Espanyol, for Levante will be paying Juan Manuel Lillo's boys a visit this Thursday. It's been almost 15 years since Levante claimed its last victory at the Estadio del Mediterráneo and these figures show how difficult will it be for the visitor to bag the full scoring. Lillo has Almeria's whole squad at his disposition and will be facing the only team without points in this competition so far. Watch out for Pablo Piatti, Almeria's most explosive striker.
Luis García Plaza, on the other hand, has a lot of work to do prior to this match, for he will not be able to count with either Hector Rodas, Juan Fran and Miguel Perez. Felipe Caicedo score the Levante's only goal during the weekend but finished the game in pain, and Garcia might choose not to risk him and explore the possibilities of rotation in his squad. Xisco Muñoz and Xavi Torres performance will be decisive for Levante to return home with the first victory in the season.
Ten days ago Atletico was living a dream, but three consecutive defeats brought the team back to reality and now they'll find themselves against the leader FC Valencia at the Mestalla. The Ches have shown enough credentials during this first month of competition to be seriously regarded as a candidate. Atletico stands only three points away from the top and there won't be a better time than this to jump back on the title's race. David de Gea provides security between the posts even when Tomas Ujfalusi will be unable to perform. Sergio Asenjo and Borja González have shown positive signs of improvement and might make it within the starting squad. Quique Sanchez Flores will have to find a replacement for Sergio Aguero soon or his offense will suffer once again against Valencia.
Valencia's goalkeeper and captain Cesar Sanchez called for his team mates to cool down and focus on walking step by step, for this game against Atletico will be an early final for the Ches. Sanchez said "In Valencia there might not be big individualities but there are big players: you see Juan Mata from there, Joaquin, or Pablo leading the advance, Tino Costa...". Unai Emery should decide soon whether he'll be fighting for the Champions or for La Liga,and the outcome of this game will surely have much to do with this decision. Valencia's coach has done an excellent work finding the ideal substitutes for Ever Banega and Vicente Rodriguez, will his scheme work against Europe's best?
Two consecutive victories have made it possible for the Yellow Submarine to dream with the title this year. The team invested heavily in the market during the summer and the signing of creative players as Borja Valero strengthened the offense of the team. The Herculeans, on the other hand, have tied the last three games and the confidence level of the players is dropping week after week. Miguel Angel Lotina has found in José Andrés Guardado the driver he was looking for, and now he'll have to solve the defensive problems of the Depor to keep up with the title's race. Juan Carlos Garrido will repeat the same eleven players that have granted the team the last six points.
Villarreal has won eight of the last 9 matches played at the Madrigal, falling only against Barcelona. Deportivo has not won playing away since last November and breaking this travelers' curse will be decisive for the Super Depor. Miguel Angel Lotina will be missing Miguel Alfonso Herrero and Jonathan Urretaviscaya for this match. The Madrigal will host a match of capital importance on Thursday's night, who will claim the three points?
Getafe and Malaga are drifting in the middle of the positions table and the winner of this match will be fighting at the top while the loser will be joining the weakest teams of the competition at the bottom. Two controversial penalties stopped Getafe from celebrating a victory in the weekend. Getafe's coach Michel should turn the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez into a fortress and obtain the second victory in the tournament. He'll have to do without Pedro Mosquera (sent off against Deportivo) Ibrahim Kas and Jaime Gavilan (both struggling with injuries). Defender Rafael López and team's goalkeeper Oscar Ustari are fully fit to receive and this balances the forces of the local squad.
Jesualdo Ferreira's prospect for this match is rather different. Only once has Malaga defeated Getafe at the Alfonso Perez. To make things worse, team's goalkeeper Rodrigo Jose Galatto injured during the week and won't be able to perform, joining the long list of physically compromised players in the Azulon squad. Malaga will be looking forward to repeating their performance against Real Zaragoza two weeks ago,when they celebrated a prolific victory 5-3. But their rival this week is much stronger and is aware of the offensive skills of the visitors. Alberto Luque and Francisco Portillo won't be able to perform, and will be replaced by Sebastian Fernandez and Edu Ramos.. Will they have the confidence needed to lead the offense on their own?
Standing at the third position with 7 points, Sevilla has a golden opportunity to claim the first position this week, and the Ches should not let it go to waste or they'll regret soon. The Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán stadium has been rather adverse for Antonio Alvarez's Sevilla: A goalless draw against Deportivo and a defeat 1-0 against PSG is all they've got for now. The big surprise in the list of players is Luis Fabiano's absence, for the Brazilian monster has been training with the rest of the squad normally the last few days. Diego Capel is out too, but two important returns take place for the local team: Abdoulay Konko and Fred Kanouté, who'll be making a partnership with Antonio Negredo against Racing's goal. Both Sevilla and Racing won the last match of the competition (against Malaga and Zaragoza respectively) and whoever bags this victory will be fighting at the top of the positions table.
Miguel Angel Portugal is likely to adopt a defensive strategy to stand against Che's furious blows. Racing's defense has done an excellent work in the first three matches but this week's rival wields weapons of mass destruction. Ariel Nahuelpan and Markus Rosenberg are the builders of Racing's offense and their interaction with Pedro Munites will create most of the attempts to beat Andres Palop's goal.
Jose Mourinho struggles to define an identity for the Merengue squad, while FC Barcelona returns home to heal the wounds inflicted by Hercules two weeks ago.
Hottest match of the week: Atletico vs Valencia, late this Wednesday when the Colchoneros face their second consecutive major battle in the week in Andalusian ground just after two consecutive defeats.
Both Athletic and Mallorca are eagerly expecting to claim their place within Spain's best upon this match, and the winner will be fighting among the strongest squads in this competition. Mallorca's coach Michael Laudrup declared "As we reach our desired level we need to claim as much points as we can. The last game taught an important lesson to our players: Victory is always difficult to reach and sometimes you need to suffer until the last moment to bag the three points". Athletic's coach Joaquin Caparros valued how fast his team reacted during the last match but believes a lot of areas need serious improvement for Fernando Llorente's squad to fight at its best.
Igor Martínez has proven to be a fundamental piece to join Fernando Llorente in the offense, and will most likely be part of the starting eleven. Athletic's followers are expecting to celebrate the first victory at the San Mames, will they survive against Laudrup's starving squad?
One month ago Osasuna and Real Sociedad took on each other in a friendly match in which the Rojillos celebrated a victory thanks to Real Sociedad's top striker Raul Tamudo. Real Sociedad supports a very competitive football and Osasuna might be trampled by their scheme if they don't fight hard to keep Erreala's strikers under control. The Rojillos, on the other hand, have not been able to score a single goal in the competition and they'll have to grow stronger at the Reino de Navarra to secure a vital point against a direct rival for the category.
Osasuna recovers Sergio Fernández in their back line and this would surely boost the chances of the local team to bag three points. Sergio missed the last two matches of the tournament, but his presence will be balanced by Masoud Shojaei's absence, with a flu. Jose Antonio Camacho will be chancing his arm upon Osasuna's performance against Real Sociedad: Team's coach introduced many modifications in the squad to face Mallorca but they didn't pay off, will he find a way to get Osasuna back on its knees before he runs out of time?
Mauricio Pochettino's Espanyol and Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid will be taking on each other on Tuesday's night to start the fourth match day of this tournament. With 7 points in three matches, Real Madrid should keep RCD Espanyol's defense under constant pressure to make it impossible for the visitors to leave the Santiago Bernabeu before the Galactics claim the three points. Espanyol's creative midfielder Ivan Alonso will be sidelined for over a month with an injury on his right knee, joining striker Daniel Osvaldo waiting for the operation room.
Raul Albiol might be ready to make his return to the starting team -he's been struggling with an injury for over a month now- and Sami Khedira evolved favorably after the game against Osasuna. Espanyol's striker Luis Garcia said "I'm a winner and I change all my goals for a victory. I'm obsessed with winning and not only do I enjoy it... it's all I want, to win again". He has not yet scored in this league but understands the inner working of Jose Mourinho's squad, as he played for five years as a young for the Merengues. An exciting match in midweek to gain a place within the best, who will claim this six-pointer?
Hercules strength will be tested this Wednesday when the Blanquiazules travel north to face Real Zaragoza. José Aurelio Gay's boys should take advantage of their knowledge of the Romareda to claim their first victory in the competition. Hercules' offense will miss Nelson Haedo Valdez (Barcelona's executioner) but Royston Drenthe and David Trezeguet have both enough experience to lead the advance on their own and bag this six pointer for the permanence in the category. Jorge López Marco is the main candidate to replace the Guarani in the Blanquiazul squad. Hercules' engine has been running at full capacity at Barcelona's expense, and Esteban Vigo needs to confirm the power of his team outside Alicante with another sound victory.
Jose Aurelio Gay confirmed he will use the same strategy that last week against Racing "and there might be some minor modifications" he said. Gabi Fernandez's partner is yet unknown, as Zaragoza's coach might go with either José Edmilson or Adam Pintér to replace Leonardo Ponzio. The Hungarian is the main candidate to be within the starting eleven. Gay did not wanted to talk about his formation but he did mentioned some of the strengths of their rival. "They play well, their defense is intense and they can be lethal on the attack. We were warned the last time we played at home and we cannot give anything away if we want to secure the victory". The match will be intense throughout the whole field, who would claim the three points?
It won't be easy for FC Barcelona to keep up with the title race, as FC Valencia leads the positions table with perfect scoring after three weeks. Barcelona has not yet been able to celebrate a victory at the Camp Nou and their forces will greatly diminish unless Pep Guardiola's secure the three points at home.
Lionel Messi will be unable to perform for 10 days, for Tomas Ujfalusi caught him with a late challenge on his ankle. Jeffren Abidal might not be ready to perform, and Guardiola is likely to introduce some rotation in the squad, for the Champions League will keep them busy during the week and they cannot sit down on the chase for the title, as Valencia is determined to lift the title themselves. Watch out for Javier Mascherano, struggling to be part of Barcelona's starting eleven.
Manolo Preciado is aware a tough trip to Barcelona is waiting ahead, and for that reason he's already declared he will make some defensive modifications to keep Barcelona's overwhelming forces under control, but Nacho Novo's absence in the offense might make it impossible for Preciado's boys to adventure on Cule's ground. For that reason Sporting will deploy additional forces on the wings to be ready to take full advantage of any Blaugrana mistake. David Barral and Carmelo González are back leading the attack, will they find a weak spot in Barcelona's sturdy defense?
Three days might not be enough for Almeria to recover of Sunday's defeat against RCD Espanyol, for Levante will be paying Juan Manuel Lillo's boys a visit this Thursday. It's been almost 15 years since Levante claimed its last victory at the Estadio del Mediterráneo and these figures show how difficult will it be for the visitor to bag the full scoring. Lillo has Almeria's whole squad at his disposition and will be facing the only team without points in this competition so far. Watch out for Pablo Piatti, Almeria's most explosive striker.
Luis García Plaza, on the other hand, has a lot of work to do prior to this match, for he will not be able to count with either Hector Rodas, Juan Fran and Miguel Perez. Felipe Caicedo score the Levante's only goal during the weekend but finished the game in pain, and Garcia might choose not to risk him and explore the possibilities of rotation in his squad. Xisco Muñoz and Xavi Torres performance will be decisive for Levante to return home with the first victory in the season.
Ten days ago Atletico was living a dream, but three consecutive defeats brought the team back to reality and now they'll find themselves against the leader FC Valencia at the Mestalla. The Ches have shown enough credentials during this first month of competition to be seriously regarded as a candidate. Atletico stands only three points away from the top and there won't be a better time than this to jump back on the title's race. David de Gea provides security between the posts even when Tomas Ujfalusi will be unable to perform. Sergio Asenjo and Borja González have shown positive signs of improvement and might make it within the starting squad. Quique Sanchez Flores will have to find a replacement for Sergio Aguero soon or his offense will suffer once again against Valencia.
Valencia's goalkeeper and captain Cesar Sanchez called for his team mates to cool down and focus on walking step by step, for this game against Atletico will be an early final for the Ches. Sanchez said "In Valencia there might not be big individualities but there are big players: you see Juan Mata from there, Joaquin, or Pablo leading the advance, Tino Costa...". Unai Emery should decide soon whether he'll be fighting for the Champions or for La Liga,and the outcome of this game will surely have much to do with this decision. Valencia's coach has done an excellent work finding the ideal substitutes for Ever Banega and Vicente Rodriguez, will his scheme work against Europe's best?
Two consecutive victories have made it possible for the Yellow Submarine to dream with the title this year. The team invested heavily in the market during the summer and the signing of creative players as Borja Valero strengthened the offense of the team. The Herculeans, on the other hand, have tied the last three games and the confidence level of the players is dropping week after week. Miguel Angel Lotina has found in José Andrés Guardado the driver he was looking for, and now he'll have to solve the defensive problems of the Depor to keep up with the title's race. Juan Carlos Garrido will repeat the same eleven players that have granted the team the last six points.
Villarreal has won eight of the last 9 matches played at the Madrigal, falling only against Barcelona. Deportivo has not won playing away since last November and breaking this travelers' curse will be decisive for the Super Depor. Miguel Angel Lotina will be missing Miguel Alfonso Herrero and Jonathan Urretaviscaya for this match. The Madrigal will host a match of capital importance on Thursday's night, who will claim the three points?
Getafe and Malaga are drifting in the middle of the positions table and the winner of this match will be fighting at the top while the loser will be joining the weakest teams of the competition at the bottom. Two controversial penalties stopped Getafe from celebrating a victory in the weekend. Getafe's coach Michel should turn the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez into a fortress and obtain the second victory in the tournament. He'll have to do without Pedro Mosquera (sent off against Deportivo) Ibrahim Kas and Jaime Gavilan (both struggling with injuries). Defender Rafael López and team's goalkeeper Oscar Ustari are fully fit to receive and this balances the forces of the local squad.
Jesualdo Ferreira's prospect for this match is rather different. Only once has Malaga defeated Getafe at the Alfonso Perez. To make things worse, team's goalkeeper Rodrigo Jose Galatto injured during the week and won't be able to perform, joining the long list of physically compromised players in the Azulon squad. Malaga will be looking forward to repeating their performance against Real Zaragoza two weeks ago,when they celebrated a prolific victory 5-3. But their rival this week is much stronger and is aware of the offensive skills of the visitors. Alberto Luque and Francisco Portillo won't be able to perform, and will be replaced by Sebastian Fernandez and Edu Ramos.. Will they have the confidence needed to lead the offense on their own?
Standing at the third position with 7 points, Sevilla has a golden opportunity to claim the first position this week, and the Ches should not let it go to waste or they'll regret soon. The Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán stadium has been rather adverse for Antonio Alvarez's Sevilla: A goalless draw against Deportivo and a defeat 1-0 against PSG is all they've got for now. The big surprise in the list of players is Luis Fabiano's absence, for the Brazilian monster has been training with the rest of the squad normally the last few days. Diego Capel is out too, but two important returns take place for the local team: Abdoulay Konko and Fred Kanouté, who'll be making a partnership with Antonio Negredo against Racing's goal. Both Sevilla and Racing won the last match of the competition (against Malaga and Zaragoza respectively) and whoever bags this victory will be fighting at the top of the positions table.
Miguel Angel Portugal is likely to adopt a defensive strategy to stand against Che's furious blows. Racing's defense has done an excellent work in the first three matches but this week's rival wields weapons of mass destruction. Ariel Nahuelpan and Markus Rosenberg are the builders of Racing's offense and their interaction with Pedro Munites will create most of the attempts to beat Andres Palop's goal.
