La Liga: Jornada 21

SEVILLA Sab-22:00 OSASUNA
RACING Dom-17:00 ZARAGOZA
MURCIA Dom-17:00 LEVANTE
VALENCIA Dom-17:00 ALMERÍA
DEPORTIVO Dom-17:00 VALLADOLID
ESPANYOL Dom-17:00 BETIS
RECREATIVO Dom-17:00 GETAFE
MALLORCA Dom-17:00 ATLÉTICO
ATHLETIC Dom-19:00 BARCELONA
R. MADRID Dom-21:00 VILLARREAL

Interesting week with Espanyol, Villarreal, and Atletico all very close fighting for 3rd and 4th positions in the table. Racing could jump back into contention with a home win over Zaragoza as well. Mallorca - Atletico should be an entertaining match. Atletico are missing 8 first team players for the trip to the Baleares.

Real Madrid at home to Villarreal. We haven't lost at home all season but Villarreal are at the top of the table for a reason. Should be a good game. Sneijder should be fit (not sure if that is a good thing or not). Also Metzelder, Soldado, and Robben should be available for selection.

Athletic host Barcelona...Athletic are still dangerously close to the relegation zone (actually even on points with 18th place Murcia). Historically, Barcelona have not faired well in San Mames but they have won 4 of their last 6 games at the Catedral.

Crucial weekend for us. I think that beating Villareal could be the first nail on the coffin for us winning the league. It is indeed very early to call anything, but after this game we'll have a relatively easy run of games while Barcelona will have to visit Atletico and Sevilla. By then we could have a 13 point distance which would virtually win us the league.

We don't want to be stuck in the past, do we?

Latest:

Recreativo 1-2 Getafe
Espanyol 0-1 Betis
Deportivo 1-0 Valladolid
Mallorca 1-0 Atlético
Murcia 1-0 Levante
Racing 1-0 Zaragoza
Valencia 0-1 Almería

Damn Espanol are choking big time. This is the third consecutive week they could go ahead of Patetico but it looks like they will record their third consecutive loss

Nah, they've just equalised and Betis are sh!t. They will win this one...

Just noticed that Granero has scored again for Getafe today. BRING HIM BACK!!!!!

Equalize for Zaragoza en el Sardinero - Diego Milito, who else?

3-0 now for Deportivo -- they really need 3 points if they are going to pull themselves out of the relegation zone.

Jaime wrote:3-0 now for Deportivo -- they really need 3 points if they are going to pull themselves out of the relegation zone.

Coincidence that Lopo's back?

I was wrong! Espanyol 1 Betis 2

Barca XI

VV,Zambo,Puyol,Milto,Slyvinho,Iniesta,Xavi,Deco,Bojan,Messi and henry

Marca: "FINAL EN MESTALLA . Pañolada monumental en las gradas."



I think it's time to start a sweepstake on Koeman.

Cesc wrote:Valencia 0-1 Almería

I bet these Valenciennes are secretly wishing they'd got Mourinho instead

Bojan

S4P wrote:

Cesc wrote:Valencia 0-1 Almería

I bet these Valenciennes are secretly wishing they'd got Mourinho instead

Nothing secret about it, I'd think

Home against Almere : always tough those polderboys

anything Pato can do bojan can do better

I knew is was going to score today

Jesus, Steve M is a pundit on SS! :O

Close for Henry, Bojan fucked up his first touch tho

Surely Koeman's time is up. Solers' too.

Hahahahahha he lost again!! Awesome that will teach him

Line ups anyone?

Jaime wrote:I was wrong! Espanyol 1 Betis 2

Like a team from Barcelona choking is actually a shock...

Decent game coming up, if Madrid beat Villareal the title is theirs. They are the most dangerous team to threat the title!

TM wrote:Line ups anyone?

Marca is reporting that Marcelo got a last minute knock, and apparently Schuster has decided not to risk Metzelder just yet. So unfortunately, our lineup is:


................................God............................

......Salgado ...........Ramos........Cannavaro.......Torres ......


.......Baptista ........Gago..............Guti.................Robinho.......


.............................Ruud..................Raul.............

Lorente

Llorente equalises... only 12 minutes left. We are in trouble..

Fey wrote:Decent game coming up, if Madrid beat Villareal the title is theirs. They are the most dangerous team to threat the title!

The good news is that Pires is injured, but unfortunately we will have a "coladero" in defense with Torres and Salgado. Not only that, but these two are worthless in attack so Robinho and Baptista will surely suffer in the wings. We should be happy with a win by any margin, even if it's done "Capello style".

Villarreal XI: Diego López, Javi Venta, Godín, Cygan, Capdevila, Senna, Bruno, Cazorla, Cani, Nihat, Rossi

Are Real Madrid playing 4-4-2? Is Baptista any good out wide, I thought he was much more effective through the middle.

Koeman played Ariz at RB again with Miguel on the bench. No guessing who was at fault for Almeria's goal.

Marchena and Maduro, both of whom were incredibly ordinary - particularly the latter, played in midfield. Ivan the great partnered Albiol.

Silva was played at CM for some unknown reason, and was later replaced (along with Vicente) for Zigic and Mata. Joaquin was moved to LW...

Banega criminally wasn't even in the squad.

Koeman is shocking.

Cesc wrote:Villarreal XI: Diego López, Javi Venta, Godín, Cygan, Capdevila, Senna, Bruno, Cazorla, Cani, Nihat, Rossi

Are Real Madrid playing 4-4-2? Is Baptista any good out wide, I thought he was much more effective through the middle.

Absolutely. As a matter of fact, partly why he suffered in his first season with us was because he was played on the left. However, our team needs a creative spark (Guti) and Baptista has done very well so it would be unfair to bench him, especially since Sneijder has been $h!t lately. I would have preferred Drenthe to start but Schuster hasn't warmed up to him just yet.