It's been a bad week for Diego Simeone. After a weekend 2-0 defeat by Almeria, his side lost by the same scoreline at home to Real Madrid. Bettors at sportsbook sites such as Sportsbettingonline.ag no doubt would have had this Copa del Rey tie down as a Los Galacticos win but next to no one would have predicted for them to destroy their fierce rivals in the manner that they did. Real's 2-0 victory gave them a 5-0 aggregate win over their city rivals, in the Copa Del Rey semi-finals. Barcelona are expected to progress from tonight's semi-final, to set up a mouth-watering final. Both Real goals … [Read more...]
Archives for February 2014
Martino Jumps To Messi’s Defence
Barcelona boss Tata Martino has jumped to the defence of star player Lionel Messi, saying that recent criticism had affected his confidence. Messi has experienced, by his incredibly high standards, a crisis of late. Famed for his dribbling and finishing, he hadn't scored a La Liga goal from open play since September of last year. A recurrent hamstring injury accounted for two of those months, but some fans, from Barcelona and beyond, were questioning if he would get back to his best. A double blow came last month, when Messi missed out on the Ballon D'or to his arch rival Cristiano Ronaldo, … [Read more...]
One to Watch – Paco Alcacer
Valencia have long been a selling club, making huge profits on the likes of Juan Mata, Roberto Soldado, David Silva, Jordi Alba and David Villa - and Paco Alcacer could be the latest to join that elite group. The 20-year-old forward has been on fire since the end of January and is one of the reasons as to why Valencia could form a powerful push for European football this season. … [Read more...]
Barcelona Go Top Of La Liga
There is a three way tie at the top of La Liga. Barcelona now lead by virtue of goal difference in the most exciting championship race of the century. Atletico Madrid had been top by three points, their first time on top in eighteen years, but their form has dipped since the new year. On Saturday, they slumped to a shock 2-0 defeat at lowly Almeria. Goalkeeper Dani Aranzubia saw red with four minutes left. Midfielder Gabi put the gloves on but couldn't keep out the penalty from Verza. It was a brace from the Spanish midfielder that sunk Diego Simeone's men. Real Madrid had earlier gained a 4-2 … [Read more...]
Bale Caps Great Week For Real Madrid
Gareth Bale scored yesterday in Real Madrid's 4-2 victory over plucky Villareal. It capped a great week Los Blancos. They beat Atletico 3-0 in the Copa Del rey semi-final and have now overtaken their local rivals, to go top of La Liga. Bale returned from injury to replace the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo. It took just seven minutes for him to open the scoring, a delicate chip over Asenjo. Karim Benzema scored Madrid's second after 25 minutes, before Villareal full back Mario pulled a goal back before half time. It could have been so much more, Real Madrid are full of confidence. It's now 23 … [Read more...]
Espanyol 1-0 Granada
Espanyol were reduced to ten men, but still managed a 1-0 victory over Granada at the Cornella-El Prat stadium last night. Espanyol are an enigmatic team this season. Their defence is solid, but they just don't score enough goals. In an unusually tight Primera Division, they must have been looking over their shoulders. Friday's three points lifts them up to 8th place. Javier Aguirre will be sleeping sounder at night from now on. Things didn't start well for the Barcelona side. Defender Victor Alvarez was dismissed after half an hour for a reckless challenge on Granada striker El-Arabi. … [Read more...]
Ronaldo Loses His Appeal
Cristiano Ronaldo will miss Real Madrid's vital game against Villareal on Saturday, after losing his appeal against the red card he received last weekend against Athletic Bilbao. Real Madrid sit just three points behind Atletico, but in a tight three way race they can't afford to drop any more points. Ronaldo will be a big miss, but Gareth Bale may well be back after the latest in a string of injuries. Ancelotti insists that Bale will play tomorrow, but Los Blancos fans have heard that all too often. The red card was a farcical one. Ronaldo brushed Iturraspe's forehead, and he promptly went … [Read more...]
Real And Barcelona Take Commanding Leads
Real Madrid and Barcelona both took commanding leads last night, in the first leg of the Copa Del Rey semi-finals. Real Madrid won 3-0 at home to cross city rivals Atletico. This wasn't the flowing match that I'd expected. Ancelotti's side took a much more pragmatic approach. They marked Atletico's danger men closely. It was a rough and tumble match, with the home side in particular testing the referee's patience. Diego Costa was kicked at every opportunity. Finally losing his temper, he kicked back, and received a yellow card that will keep him out of the return. An injustice at every … [Read more...]
Pochettino Interesting Real Madrid
Surprising news is coming from the Bernabeu today. Reliable sources say that Real Madrid are considering replacing Carlo Ancelotti with Mauricio Pochettino. Managing Real Madrid is never the most stable of jobs. The manager receives huge financial support, and inherits a world class squad, but in return he has to deliver. The prize that the Real Madrid want, year after year, is not the La Liga title, but the Champions League. Ancelotti is likely to win some silverware this year. They are three points behind Atletico in the league, but in better current form despite a weekend defeat. They also … [Read more...]
Semi-final Showdowns With Added Spice
It's semi final first leg week in the Copa Del Rey, and both games promise to be exciting, and difficult to predict. Wednesday evening will see Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid, and Barcelona v Real Sociedad. Barcelona are red hot favourites to progress through to the King's Cup final, but Sociedad were a team in form prior to their thumping by Atletico at the weekend. Sociedad were unlucky to lose the fixture 4-0, and it may be that their players had one eye on this game and next week's return. Tata Martino's side were distraught at losing to Valencia on Sunday. The result leaves them in a poor … [Read more...]