Lionel Messi led his team to a hard-fought victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina last night, proving he has the capability to help Argentina win the World Cup. Messi bagged the second goal in the 2-1 win to kick-off Argentina's World Cup campaign. There has been plenty of pressure on Messi to perform, as the final comparison to Maradona is to lead Argentina to World Cup glory, as Diego did in 1986. Whilst Messi is not alone in a star-studded Argentina squad, he has been given the talismanic tag, heavy in responsibility. His performance last night was far from his Barcelona best, but the goal … [Read more...]
Shilton: Casillas can break my record
Former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton says that Spain captain Iker Casillas can break his record for World Cup clean sheets this year. Shilton, who also holds the record for number of England caps at 125, kept 10 clean sheets in his World Cup career and is tied for the record with France's Fabien Barthez. Spain's captain Casillas currently has 7 shutouts, but could potentially play in another 7 games if he makes it to his second consecutive World Cup Final in Brazil this year. "Personally I hope he doesn't break it!" Shilton said. "It is possible for him to get the record but I hope he … [Read more...]
Infographic: England’s Road Through The Group Stages
England face Italy on Saturday night in the jungle city of Manaus, which will look and feel like a very close encounter, not least because of the humidity! Apart from the stifling conditions and dodgy playing surface, what else do we know about the Arena Amazonia and England's other World Cup venues? Thanks to this handy infographic below from Hertz, you can find out all the details about each stadium Roy Hodgson's men will be representing the Three Lions in, so you can follow England in Brazil this summer. And, if you dare to dream, the graphic also shows England's potential route to the … [Read more...]
Barcelona close to Rakitic deal
Barcelona are expected to announce the signing of Croatian international Ivan Rakitic later on this week. Rakitic will move from Sevilla for a fee of around £16.2m and become part of Luis Enrique's new-look Barcelona team. Rakitic, who is preparing to face Brazil in the World Cup opening match this Thursday, has agreed personal terms with Barca and is just awaiting the clubs to agree the final figure and conditions of the transfer. Upon completion, Barca are expected to commence with Cesc Fabregas' transfer to whichever club he chooses. The Croat is expected to cost the Catalan club around … [Read more...]
Fabregas nears Chelsea switch
Cesc Fabregas is close to completing a £30m move to Stamford Bridge following Barcelona's decision to sell the Spanish international. The Blues are the favourites for Fabregas' signature after former club Arsenal rejected the chance to re-sign him. There was an option in Fabregas' contract that Arsenal would have the first option to buy the player if Barcelona were willing to sell, but Arsene Wenger has refused to take up the offer. Instead it appears as if Chelsea are holding off Manchester City and United in the race to sign Fabregas. Jose Mourinho has openly admitted that he is interested … [Read more...]
Costa passes Chelsea medical ahead of £32m move
Diego Costa has undergone a medical with Chelsea ahead of a heavily-anticipated £32m transfer from Atletico Madrid. The Spanish striker scored 32 times as Madrid won La Liga and reached the Champions League Final in a fantastic season at the Vicente Calderon. Costa was part of the Madrid team that knocked Chelsea out in the semi-finals of the Champions League, and even scored from the penalty spot in the 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge. He has been linked with Chelsea for months and looks set to end the speculation over his signing if he completes personal terms with the club. The deal looks set … [Read more...]
World Cup Group B Team Profile – Netherlands
In what will be a repeat of the 2010 World Cup Final, Spain face the Netherlands in their opening Group B game, with the 'Oranje' looking to exact revenge for the 1-0 defeat four years ago. After failure at Euro 2012, will the Dutch be able to hold Spain to a draw over 90 minutes again, or steam through the group like they did in qualifying? … [Read more...]
World Cup Group B Team Profile – Chile
Spain will face Chile in their second group B game at the iconic Maracana Stadium. Featuring in a group with two of the finalists from 2010, Chile are dark horses to qualify for the Round of 16. The South Americans will be highly charged on their home continent, but are they able to shock the current world champions? … [Read more...]
World Cup Group B Team Profile – Australia
Spain will face Australia in the final Group B game in Curitiba, hoping that their passage to the knockout stages has already been processed. In the first profile of the three teams in Group B, La Liga Blog takes a look at whether the Socceroos can cause any trouble for the reigning World Champions. … [Read more...]
Promoted Eibar closer to relegation than La Liga
After beating local rivals Deportivo Alaves on Sunday evening, SD Eibar were promoted to La Liga following Las Palmas' defeat to Recreativo Huelva. The tiny club from the Basque Country has never featured in the top division against the likes of Barcelona, Real and Atletico Madrid in their 74 year history, but due to an absurd technicality, could be forced to wait even longer for their time at the top. Due to no fault of their own, the Basques could even find themselves demoted to the Segunda Division B if the rules stand. It is a rule which has sparked mass interest in Spain and across … [Read more...]