The Spanish league could not be any more exciting, as we appear to have gone past the days of a two-horse race. Atletico Madrid’s inconsistent form this season has not allowed Real Madrid or Barcelona to run away with the league. Sevilla has emerged as the third contender and it makes the league so much more exciting. Real Madrid seems like the club to take home the league title, but the draw against Barcelona and the loss against Sevilla has opened up the title race. Looking at La Liga betting odds by CrownBet, Madrid is being backed at 21/8 to win the title. It is possible to rule out … [Read more...]
The players making an impact in La Liga this season
With European champions Real Madrid, Champions League runners-up Atletico Madrid, Europa League winners Sevilla and a Barcelona side containing three of the most feared forwards in the history of football all challenging for top honours at home and abroad, Spain’s La Liga continues to thrill fans from all over the world. The title race is wide open the season, with all of the above teams still in contention. So, who are the in-form players as we head into the run-in and could we see a shock worthy of trumping Atletico’s 2013/14 league victory? Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) Named the … [Read more...]
Sevilla – Flying Under the Radar
All the talk in Spain this season is about whether Barcelona can put some shaky form behind them and mount a serious challenge to top of the table Real Madrid. However, that is a little unfair, as it is Sevilla who deserve more headlines for keeping Barcelona at bay and thrusting themselves as Real’s closest challenger. Eighteen games in, and Sevilla hold second spot in La Liga, just one point behind Zinedine Zidane’s Real but more impressively one point ahead of Luis Enrique’s men. The Sevillistas also boast one more victory in the league than their third-place rivals, having won … [Read more...]
La Liga v Premier League…who comes out on top?
The Premier League is often described as the best league in the world and is often the destination where many players want to come, but is England’s top league really the best? As the latest La Liga news highlights, the Premier League is trumped in several areas including player quality, dynamic ball play and fan atmosphere, however, only La Liga’s “rejects” seem to leave Spain for England…and it never seems be the hottest talent. Gareth Bale and Ronaldo both decided to go continental and now regarded as some of the world’s best players, not to mention most expensive. The top three clubs … [Read more...]
Is James Rodriguez Moving to the Premier League?
"The beginning with Real Madrid" (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Hank Loner 25-year-old James Rodriguez really made a name for himself at the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil after dominating proceedings for his national side Colombia. Six goals in Colombia’s progression to the quarter finals was enough to secure Rodriguez the coveted Golden Boot and also a place in Fifa’s all-star World Cup team. The performances earned the attacking midfielder a dream move to Real Madrid in 2014 for a hair-raising €80 Million from Monaco. 61 games and 21 goals have since followed for Rodriguez at Real (not a bad return) … [Read more...]
CR7 V Messi: Ronaldo fans tend to be more ‘right wing’ politically, our survey suggests
In a study conducted by La Liga Blog last week (257 participants), we found that 80% of football fans who preferred Cristiano Ronaldo over Lionel Messi also considered themselves to be politically ‘right wing’. When surveying self-confessed fans of Argentinean maestro Messi, we found that the opposite was true – 72% of Leo fans said they leaned to the left politically. The politics of unhappiness, David Cameron recently called it. He surprisingly and persuasively argued that his premiership was undone by the ‘ordinary folk’ fighting back. Lumping Brexit, Donald Trump’s victory in the US … [Read more...]
Real Madrid v Deportivo La Coruna – Preview
Real Madrid look to continue their grip at the helm of La Liga this weekend as they welcome Deportivo La Coruna to the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on Saturday night. Deportivo come into the match after a stunning 5-1 win over Real Sociedad on Monday night, which must have come as a shock to even the most avid Deportivo fan as up until that match, Gaizka Garitano’s side were slumped in the relegation zone and looking ahead to a long season. However, the win comes as a relief to all concerned with the club after lifting Deportivo up to sixteenth in the league, with the ability to stream La … [Read more...]
La Liga Betting Preview: Match Week 13
"FC Barcelona Pitch" (CC BY 2.0) by dersportmanager Real Madrid emerged from last weekend with a wry smile on their face. Not only did they beat their noisy neighbours Atletico 3-0 at the Vicente Calderón Stadium on Saturday, but also great rivals Barcelona failed to capitalise on a golden chance to put pressure on Real as they were held to a goalless draw at home against Malaga. Real’s lead at the top of La Liga now stands at four points and as we head into this weekend’s fixtures, there is firmly an advantage for Real in the title chase. However, things can change quickly in football and … [Read more...]
Exclusive: Leeds United and Nottingham Forest battling it out for Rayo Vallecano striker
Both Leeds United and Nottingham Forest are interested in signing Rayo Vallecano striker Miku, sources close to La Liga Blog can reveal. The 31-year-old, who has plyed his trade in La Liga for the majority of his career has fallen out of favour at Segunda division side Rayo and is reportedly interested in linking up with former teammate Pablo Hernandez at Leeds. With Forest also keen on acquiring his services, the Venezuelan whose contract expires at the end of the season will likely be leaving his current club for a small fee in January. After netting 9 in Spain's top tier during the … [Read more...]
Real Sociedad v FC Barcleona – Match Preview
FC Barcelona travel away on Sunday night to play the definition of a bogey team: Real Sociedad. The fixture has been rather unique in La Liga and history certainly favours the home side. Barcelona haven’t won at Anoeta since 2007 with Sociedad coming out victorious in five of the eight meetings. This time around, it’s difficult to bet against Sociedad again. Eusebio Sacristán’s men have won four in a row and would go just one point behind Barcelona with a win and the goals are now coming for strikers Carlos Vela and Willian Jose. Further subplot is added to the match with the fact that … [Read more...]