Three sides have earned the right to feast at the top table of Spanish football ahead of the new season, but who are they? What is their topflight history? And do they have what it takes to stay up? Huesca – Segunda Champions Huesca will be a familiar name to any recent follower of La Liga after bouncing straight back to the topflight after finishing 19th in their debut season in 2018/19. However, the season was not without its highs with a 2-1 home win over Sevilla a particular highlight. This season, the minnows will be far better prepared than their first foray into La Liga in which they finished seven points adrift of safety, but if this season has shown us anything, the Azulgranas have a winning mentality and have learnt plenty of lessons as they bid to remain a La Liga club for more than one more season. Cadiz – Segunda Runners Up Cadiz have only managed season in La Liga this Millennium prior to the new campaign. That was during the 2005/06 season in which the … [Read More...]
Real favourites for back to back titles
Yes, the season may well have just finished, but the odds are in for next season, and Real Madrid are instilled as the early favourites to make it back to back titles. Perhaps understandably after Los Blancos claimed the crown by a five-point cushion over great rivals Barcelona who could end the season pot-less in what would prove to be a disappointing campaign for the Catalan giants. The early prices have Real at just slightly odds on at 9/10 with Barcelona hot on their heels at evens. As we have come to expect, Atletico are priced as the best of the rest at a rather tempting 10/1 despite Diego Simeone’s men ending the campaign seventeen points behind city rivals Real. Sevilla has a strong season in 2019/20 and reaffirmed their top four credentials and are fourth favourite for the title at 80/1 with Villarreal at 150/1 and the Bats of Valencia at 250/1 along with Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad, and even last season’s surprise packages Celta Vigo. From there, the odds … [Read More...]
The 3 games you cannot afford to miss this weekend
The season is finally drawing to a close and by the time the action gets underway this weekend, most of the sides in La Liga will be onto their final five fixtures of the campaign. As we enter ‘Squeaky bum time’ each game has so much riding on it so what are the key fixtures that could shape the destiny of the 20 sides this weekend? Celta Vigo v Real Betis – Saturday 4th July Perhaps not a standout tie at the start of the season, but close to the end of it, quite another story. Just three points separated Vigo and Betis but more importantly is that the home side 17th in the league and eight points ahead of the Mallorca in 18th. If the home side win, it will all but spell the end of Mallorca, Leganes, and Espanyol’s already slim hoped of staying in the league. Come Saturday afternoon, the bottom three will become huge Real Betis fans. Athletic Bilbao v Real Madrid – Sunday 5th July We are being treated to an almighty title fight between Real Madrid and Barcelona … [Read More...]
How Barcelona and Real Madrid may fair midweek
The 2019-20 La Liga season restarted on Thursday night as Sevilla beat rivals Real Betis 2-0 in front of an empty stadium. Action continued Friday night with Granada coming from behind to beat Getafe 2-1 before Valencia and Levante played out a 1-1 draw. La Liga have made all games kick off at different times, making it possible for fans to watch all 10 top flight matches each week. Many fans are taking advantage of La Liga live streaming with so much action to watch. Defending champions Barcelona were in action on Saturday night as they hammered RCD Mallorca 4-0. Arturo Vidal headed the Catalans in front after only 65 seconds before Martin Braithwaite doubled their lead before half-time. Jordi Alba and Lionel Messi added to the comfortable win in the closing stages of the game. This temporarily opened up a five-point lead at the top for Quique Setien’s side whilst there were also victories for Espanyol, Villarreal and Real Valladolid earlier in the day. Barcelona’s win … [Read More...]
Can anyone break Barcelona’s and Real Madrid’s dominance of La Liga?
The numbers paint a picture. In the 91 years of La Liga’s existence, Barcelona and Real Madrid have shared a whopping 59 league titles, effectively monopolising domestic success for long periods of time. Other Spanish clubs have had their day in the sun and won major trophies, but we ask, can any of them de-throne the big two for good? A history of dominance Real Madrid are in the clear as the most successful team in Spanish football history with 33 league titles to date. An imperious run of 14 league titles between 1960 and 1980 helped to cement their dominance, as did a run of five league titles in a row between 1986 and 1990. As unstoppable as Real looked, Barcelona have been every bit as good in recent times. Pep Guardiola’s side of 2008-2012 is considered one of the best of all time, and the Catalan side are rapidly catching up with their arch-rivals, having won eight La Liga titles in eleven years. Many of the greatest players of all time have graced either the … [Read More...]
What are the First Games Back in La Liga?
On June 11th Spanish topflight football returns to action following the Corona Virus pandemic. The resumption also comes with the announcement that next season will begin on the 12th September subject to the current campaign being able to finish by the 18th/19th July. So, with La Liga action just over a week away, who plays who in the return to action and what is riding on each match? Sevilla v Real Betis High-flying Sevilla host mid-table Real Betis in the first game back on Thursday 11th June. Sitting in third, Sevilla have everything to play for whilst Betis in 12th sit eight points above the drop zone and will likely be playing for scraps for the remainder of the season. Celta Vigo v Villarreal On Saturday 13th June Celta Vigo host Villarreal at the Balaídos. Survival is very much the name of the game for the home side as they sit just one point above the drop zone in 16th whilst the Yellow Submarine can smell a Europa League spot for next season. Athletic … [Read More...]
La Liga winners and losers if the season ends now
We have seen the cancellation of the football season in the Netherlands with the season null and voided and we have seen it in France with the season ended and PSG crowned champions. That means there is a real possibility of La Liga coming to an end sooner rather than later despite the desire by all to get the campaign completed. However, with 27 games completed, if the season were to be declared over and current positions taking as they are, who would be the big winners and who would be the big winners? Who is crowned champion? The table doesn’t lie and as it stands Barcelona with 58 points hold a two-point gap at the summit to rivals Real Madrid. If Barca were to be crowned champions it would be particularly galling for Real as they lost their last La Liga game to slip behind their rivals in the table. That defeat could prove very costly indeed for Zinedine Zidane’s men. Who qualifies for the Champions League? Naturally Barcelona and Real Madrid would make the … [Read More...]
What happened to Racing Santander?
Throughout the 1990’s and 2000’s, Racing Santander were a regular feature in Spain’s topflight, but since relegation in the summer of 2012, the club based in the Cantabria community has seemingly dropped off the face of the Earth. It was a dramatic decline for Racing after a decade uninterrupted in La Liga as 20th place in the topflight in 2011/12 was followed up by a 20th finish the next season in the Segunda Division thus confirming back to back relegations. A familiar tale of economic issues was the main reason for the plight of the club and in January 2014, things reached boiling point with players refused to play their upcoming cup match unless they were paid wages owed to them over receiving no pay for several months. Ironically, that season, Racing managed to win their Segunda B group and the playoff to earn promotion but were dumped out of the Copa Del Rey at the quarter-final stage with Real Sociedad after the Racing players gathered in the centre circle after kick … [Read More...]