You can almost count the hours on your fingers and toes before arch-rivals Spain and Portugal commence the war of Iberia in Russia in a game that is likely to decide who will top World Cup group B. With Iran and Morocco, the other two sides contesting the group, all and sundry firmly expect both the Portuguese and Spaniards to make it through to the knockout stages with the only thing to be decided is in which order. According to numerous sportsbooks such as https://www.apuestasdeportivas24.org/ Spain were entering the World Cup in a strong position. That was until Spain shook the … [Read more...]
Barca Lookalikes Huesca Earn Promotion to La Liga For First Time
Spanish minnows Huesca are celebrating after achieving promotion to the top table of Spanish football for the first time in the club’s history after a 2-0 victory over Lugo in Spain’s second tier Segunda division was enough to see the side claim enough points to guarantee promotion. With two games still to go, Huesca will now aim to win the Segunda title ahead of Rayo Vallecano who they have a two-point advantage over. A Long Road to the Top The club is notable for their similarity in kits to the mighty Barcelona who they will be mixing it with next season and can trace their heritage … [Read more...]
La Liga Final Weekend Breakdown: Whats Left to Play for in the Top 10?
The English Premier League came to an undramatic close last weekend and this weekend it is the turn of Spain’s top flight to close its doors on what has been a season that has seen giants fall, minnows rise, and Barcelona come agonisingly close to an unbeaten season. With just one round of fixtures left, we take a look at what is left to play for between the clubs currently in the top ten. Barcelona – 90 pts Absolutely nothing, especially after suffering that shock 5-4 defeat to Levante last time out, it means the chance to go through the season unbeaten is no more. However, with … [Read more...]
Manager of the Season: Our Contenders
The 2017/18 La Liga season has just four games left for a majority of the sides and for some, the campaign has been an overwhelming success no matter what happens in the remaining games whilst for others, it has been a disaster. However, as we like to focus on the positive side of the game, we thought what better time than now to check out who deserves a shot at the manager of the season accolade after nine months of hard work. Ernesto Valverde – Barcelona We may as well start at the top and you simply cannot exclude the man who wins the league title. Granted, the league title is … [Read more...]
Fireworks Set for 219th Madrid Derby
Forget the Mersyside derby or the Manchester Derby this weekend, the City of Madrid steals the limelight as the showpiece match of Europe as Atletico Madrid make the short trip across Spain’s capital to the Santiago Bernabéu to face the old enemy Real Madrid. Across all competitions, the pair have met a whopping 218 times and unsurprisingly, it is Los Blancos who hold a significant statistical edge over their neighbours. Real have won exactly half of all the encounters with 109 victories between the two whilst Atletico have claimed a poultry 55 by comparison and a total of 54 … [Read more...]
What Happened to Cristian Tello? The Man Expected to Carry Barcelona
When Cristian Tello broke into the Barcelona first team during the 2011/12 season it looked like the man who was part of Spain’s under-21 squad that won the 2013 European Championships would carry the Blaugrana forward line for the next decade. Everything certainly started well after scoring a brace in the 9-0 hammering of CE L'Hospitalet in the Copa Del Rey and then later scoring in his first league start against Real Sociedad in early February 2012. This begs the question, why (with so much positivity surrounding the Spaniard's early career) are we not raving about Tello’s achievements … [Read more...]
Can Valencia take a Champions League spot this season?
Having been the first Spanish team this century to offer serious resistance to the dominance of Real Madrid and Barcelona, winning La Liga twice and reaching back-to-back Champions League finals, Valencia’s decline has been gradual but palpable. The last time they finished third in La Liga was 2012, and they haven’t reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League since 2007. Consecutive 12th-placed finishes in their last two seasons were their worst league results since 1988, and only once in the last five seasons have they earned a top-four spot and qualification for the Champions … [Read more...]
La Liga Self Destructs as Barcelona Wrap up the Title
As Dani Carvajal saw red and Lionel Messi slammed in the resulting penalty to put Barce 2-0 up at the Bernabeu, you could see the whole of Spain outside of Catalonia’s shoulders slump and raise the white flag. Aleix Vidal added a third in injury-time to leave Zinedine Zidane’s men to face the baying home support as his side slipped to fourteen points behind their great rivals with the season not even at the half way stage. Catastrophe This week has been a catastrophe for Barcelona’s rivals but a triumph for the Blaugrana as the quartet of Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Real Madrid and … [Read more...]
All over for Bale at Madrid? We’ve been here before
Not for the first time in Gareth Bale’s Real Madrid career, the doom mongers have already declared the dream is over for the man from Cardiff after only three league goals this calendar year. However, those who know Bale the best will be well aware of the man’s ability to rise above adversity and once again remind the world why Real Madrid paid a healthy £85.1million for the winger in September 2013. Injuries have been a swear word in the Bale household and after numerous absentees since 2016 have called Bale’s Madrid career into question once again but this is not the first time that … [Read more...]
GVC Holdings Have Further Expanded Their Sponsorship Presence In La Liga
Gambling giant GVC Holdings has enjoyed a productive 2017 extending their sponsorship agreements with some of the biggest clubs in the Spanish top-flight. As well as a subsidiary partnership with Atletico Madrid, they are now the official gambling partner of Valencia, Sevilla, and Villareal. These additions to their already impressive partnership portfolio across the majority of top European leagues further emphasize the prominence of Bwin as one of the most closely connected gambling companies to the world's most popular sport. The timing couldn't be better either, with the business recording … [Read more...]