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...]
Who may or may not be promoted to La Liga?
With the globe seemingly in lockdown and football no nearer to ending the current campaign, it has left many wondering whether promotion and relegation will even happen in Spain this year. If the season does end up being null and voided, who are the clubs most likely to lose out on a seat at the elite table of Spanish football? Cadiz It has been 14 years since Cadiz last graced La Liga and the club known as the yellow submarine sit in prime spot in the Segunda division to make an immediate return – but only of the season can be completed. After 31 games, Cadiz hold a one-point advantage at the summit over Real Zaragoza but perhaps more importantly, six-points over Almeria in third. Cadiz’s only topflight season this Millennium came during 2005/06 when they finished 19th so it would be a real shame if the club were denied their shot at promotion. Real Zaragoza Real Zaragoza has spent a majority of its history in Spain’s topflight having spent 58 seasons in La Liga. … [Read More...]
La Liga by numbers 2019/20
The season may be on hold but that hasn’t stopped us from delving through the numbers that have made up Spain’s topflight this season. So, without further ado, here’s a break down of some interesting statistics that you can impress your friends during this ongoing break in play. Five This is the number of teams who can boast having held top spot in La Liga at least once this season. Real Madrid, Barcelona unsurprisingly make two of them but Sevilla, Atletico Madrid and even Athletic Bilbao have all had at least one game week at the top. 685 This is the total number of goals scored at the end of the game week 27 when the league was suspended. Barcelona themselves have contributed nearly ten percent of all those with 63 strikes whilst Leganes have the fewest with just 21. 19 The number of goals La Liga’s top scorer Lionel Messi has scored this season. As mentioned above, that total is only two shy of Leganes total team effort this campaign. 5341 This is the … [Read More...]
The Best Football Players In La Liga 2020
When it comes to top football leagues, there are a host of names. From the British Premier League to the German Bundesliga, then the Italian Serie A to the French Ligue 1. These are just a few of the top league names in the world. But, a league that stands tall and proud is the Spanish La Liga. For the last five years, La Liga has consistently produced the best teams in European club competition. The 2019 UEFA club rankings have three clubs from the Iberian Peninsula. La Liga also provides some of the top talents in the world. This article looks at the best football players in La Liga 2020. Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Argentina) The 'Barcelona and Argentine' phenom has been and continues to be arguably the best player in the world. He started this season a bit late as he had his injury struggles but is currently leading the league in goals with 18 goals. That’s not all; he is the current assist leader with 18 assists. He also leads the league in completed dribbles, freekick goals, … [Read More...]
Will Hazard Play for Real Again This Season? One Man Thinks So
It has been a campaign to forget for Real Madrid’s 100 million euro signing. After seven hugely successful years at Chelsea, Hazard got the move his performances art Stamford Bridge so deserved but since arriving to much fanfare in the summer, not a lot has gone right for the Belgian. Upon signing for Real, the winger suffered a hamstring injury on the eve of the start of the campaign and upon his return clearly lacked fitness – which is somewhat understandable. So far in his debut campaign, Hazard has only notched up ten appearances in La Liga and five Champions League games scoring just league goal all season. To make matters worse, Hazard succumbed to another injury setback in last week's shock loss to Levante suffering a distal fibula fracture which looks likely to leave the 29-year-old on the sidelines for a lengthy spell once again. Los Blancos could really do with Hazard back to his best having just suffered back to back defeats to Levante in La Liga and … [Read More...]
The 3 games you won’t want to miss this weekend
Matchday 26 in La Liga is certainly cooking us up a treat with a host of games that could have critical permutations at both the top and bottom of the table. We have selected three of the best well worth catching up on over the weekend including the biggest of them all. Real Madrid v Barcelona Well, it had to be, didn’t it? The gigantic pull of both these two sides won’t just be big news in Spain, but eyeballs across the world will be tuning in. To sweeten the deal even further, only two-points separates the two at the top of La Liga (in Barca’s favour) and a win for the visitors could go a long way to securing a third straight league title. To sway the pendulum further in the Catalan’s favour, Real have not won any of the last seven El Clasico’s although they did take a point away from the Nou Camp when the pair met in December. You don’t need us to tell you that this is a must-watch. The game gets underway on Sunday at 8pm. Athletic Bilbao v … [Read More...]
Barcelona’s recent dominance in El Clásico
We’re well over the halfway stage of this season’s La Liga campaign and what started out as surprising mixed bag of results and potential contenders has turned into a fairly predictable two-horse race. Real Madrid top the table with 49 points, with bitter rivals Barcelona just three points behind. The latest football betting odds may favour Los Blancos to win the title, but they still have to host Barça on March 1st. The first El Clásico match of this season took place on 18th December at the Camp Nou – a more vibrant affair than the drab 0-0 scoreline suggested. The visitors came closest, with Gareth Bale’s goal ruled out for offside and the stalemate was the first between the two since November 2002. But in recent history, Real’s record in the clash is far from enviable – something to consider if you’re after betting tips on football. Barcelona have been dominant – winning six of their last 10 El Clásico meetings in the league. You would also need to go back as far as the … [Read More...]