Cristiano Ronaldo will miss Real Madrid's La Liga match against Real Sociedad on Saturday with a knee injury. Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti insists that it isn't a problem, but concern is growing that Los Blancos could be without their free scoring talisman in the season run in. Rumours are circulating around Madrid that his injury is worse than initially thought. Every league match is of vital importance now. With only three points separating the three teams at the summit, every dropped point can make a huge difference. Real Sociedad themselves are in fine form, and are trying to chase down … [Read more...]
All square in the Champion’s League
It's as you were in the Champions League as Barcelona and Atletico Madrid fought out a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou, as predicted earlier on www.laligablog.com. Diego Simeone's side are full of confidence, and it showed. They took the game to Barcelona, never giving Tata Martino's men a chance to get their passing game going. Diego Costa, a slight doubt before the game, was looking a lively threat, but with just under half an hour gone the gamble seemed to have turned sour. Chelsea target Costa pulled up, with an obvious hamstring injury. Atletico fans will be worriedly waiting for injury updates. It … [Read more...]
Chelsea Set To Pounce For Costa
There are two questions hanging over Diego Costa today: will he be fit enough to start against Barcelona in tonight's Champions League tie, and will he be starting a career at Chelsea in the new season. Jose Mourinho, ever one for plain speaking, has made no secret of his disdain for the current Chelsea forward line. Demba Ba, Fernando Torres and Samuel Eto'o have 15 league goals between them this season, whereas the increasingly deadly Costa has already hit 31 for Atletico Madrid. Everton loanee Lukaku has fared better, but Mourinho has burnt his bridges with the young striker and he won't be … [Read more...]
Are Ronaldo And Real Madrid To Divorce?
Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid. A match made in heaven. But could it be heading for a messy divorce, and if so is there an English third party involved? Ronaldo has been at his imperious best this season, scoring 44 goals in all competitions. He won the Ballon D'Or, and was acclaimed by most as the best footballer on the planet. But rumours persist that all is not well at the Bernabeu. Ronaldo is used to being jeered by opposition fans, especially when at Camp Nou or San Mames. But a new phenomenon has started. CR7 now finds himself being booed by his own fans. During the 5-0 hammering of … [Read more...]
De Gea likely to get Spain nod over Lopez
Manchester United keeper David de Gea is likely to be selected ahead of Real Madrid's Diego Lopez for the 2014 World Cup this year despite contrasting seasons with their clubs. With Victor Valdes ruled out due to a knee injury picked up in midweek, one spot remains, and the United youngster is expected to take it. … [Read more...]
La Liga title race hots up
La Liga's title race is going to the wire, as all three contenders claimed important victories yesterday. In recent weeks they seemed to have been taking it in turns to drop points, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to predict who will claim the crown. The Barcelona derby opened proceedings. Espanyol kept the match tight against their local rivals despite tipping site Gamblingsites.net who write about the importance of gambling safely, predicting a Barca rout. It looked as if Tata Martino's points were in danger of dropping more points, until the wizard came to their rescue again. … [Read more...]
Griezmann denial the start of Sociedad exodus
Real Sociedad's star player Antoine Griezmann took to Twitter yesterday to refute rumours of a move to PSG being completed. The 23-year-old Frenchman was the subject of an apparently confirmed news story suggesting he had agreed terms with the Ligue 1 club. The Sociedad youth prospect answered back to these claims, saying ,"Having seen this news, I want to deny any discussions or an agreement with a club. … [Read more...]
Cosmin Contra replaces Luis Garcia at Getafe
Former Getafe player Cosmin Contra has taken over from the sacked Luis Garcia and has been given the instruction to keep the club in the top flight. Getafe have not won in 12 La Liga games and sit just a point above the bottom three, but Contra has vowed to impress supporters. Contra spent five years as a Getafe player, finishing his playing career with the Madrid-based club, and had been managing Romanian club Petrolul Ploiesti. He had been strongly linked with the Getafe job during the club's woeful run but has taken over with just 11 games of the season to play. He has been told by the … [Read more...]
Betis make officiating display viral
Real Betis have taken an alternative approach to a contentious refereeing performance - by taking clips from the recent game against Athletic Bilbao of controversial decisions and putting them on YouTube! Betis were incensed by three decisions by Spanish official Gil Manzano during the weekend game, which finished 2-0 to Bilbao. The video has amassed 14,000 views by Tuesday but was published on the club's official YouTube channel as a response to the performance of Manzano. The three incidents which Betis complained about were that Ruben Castro was denied a penalty, Athletic's penalty was … [Read more...]
Manchester City Humbled By Barcelona
It was job done for Tata Martino last night, as his Barcelona team convincingly beat Manchester City 2-0 at the Etihad stadium. The scoreline was the least that Barca deserved. They controlled the game from the first whistle to the last, at times Manchester City were left chasing shadows. Messi and Xavi in particular were pulling the strings, ably assisted by Alexis Sanchez and Cesc Fabregas. The nil nil half time score flattered Pelligrini's side. They tried to attack on the break, but without Aguero they offered little. The breakthrough came on 54 minutes. Lionel Messi was bursting through … [Read more...]