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 … [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 … [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 … [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 … [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 … [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 … [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 … [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 … [Read more...]
Spotlight on: Levante
Currently sat mid table in La Liga, Levante are a side who have been on the up this millennium having spent more time in Spain’s top flight since the year 2000 than they have out of it. But it wasn’t always that way for the side who have spent their entire history largely in the shadow of their city rivals Valencia. In the beginning Levante formed in 1909, the same time as neighbouring club Gimnástico. During the Spanish civil war, Levante’s ground was destroyed although the club’s players largely remained together. By contrast, Gimastico had a ground but had lost most … [Read more...]
Madrid Derby: The Stats You Need to Know
February gets off to a bang in La Liga with the Madrid derby set to take centre stage as Atletico Madrid head to the Bernabeu on Saturday afternoon and the stakes are high. Real sit top of the table but know with a three-point gap to Barcelona, any slip up and the Catalans will pounce whilst for Atletico, defeat is not an option otherwise there the threat of losing more ground in the top four race will prove damaging. So, if you are thinking of making a bet on this classic encounter, we have some useful information that might help sway your decision. Head to head Diego Simone’s … [Read more...]