SD Eibar may have the smallest ground in La Liga (just over 7000 capacity), but that has done little to hold the club back. After earning promotion to Spain’s top flight at the end of the 2013/14 season, many predicted (us included) that Eibar’s stint in La Liga would be a brief one. However, five years later, and the minnows from the Basque country are preparing for yet another top-flight campaign and a firm member of the La Liga establishment. History The club was founded in November 1940 from a merger of Deportivo Gallo and Unión Deportiva Eibarresa but it took until the … [Read more...]
Bilbao win to give Gaizka Garitanoa a perfect start
It was meant to be the match that kick-started new Bilbao head coach Gaizka Garitano’s La Liga reign off to the perfect start to follow up that sublime 4-0 thumping of Huesca in the Copa Del Rey midweek. And that is exactly what it proved to be despite leaving it until the 90th minute in order to beat highflying Girona on Monday night thanks to an Aritz Adruiz penalty. That means that since taking over the Bilbao hot seat on the 4th December, Garitano has already achieved the same number of victories (2) as his predecessor managed. Two matches and two wins is a superb start and it … [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...]
Eibar vs Barcelona: Preview, Predicted Lineups and Prediction
Venue: Estadio Municipal de Ipurúa Date: 06/03/2016 Kick-off: 03:00 PM GMT / 10:00 AM EST Match Eibar News Eibar looked like they could be challenging for a place in the Champions League following a stunning start to the season but 8 defeats in their last 11 matches means that Mendilibar’s men are now very unlikely to earn a place in Europe next season. Nonetheless, Eibar are currently in 8th position in the table and the campaign so far has to be seen as a huge success for the tiny Spanish club. Now Eibar welcome Barcelona to the Estadio Municipal de Ipurúa this weekend and earning … [Read more...]
Transfer Report: Aston Villa defender completes Eibar switch
Antonio Luna’s time as an Aston Villa player has finished, after the full-back sealed a move to La Liga club Eibar. … [Read more...]
The Fight for Survival in La Liga
Almeria, Eibar, Granada and Deportivo La Coruna head into the final day of the La Liga season knowing that they need a result to avoid relegation back to the Segunda Division. Two of those teams will be going down, with just two points separating them and head-to-head records making matters even more interesting. Deportivo face the toughest task and will be reliant on the other teams below them not picking up results. They have to travel away to the Nou Camp to face a Barcelona side ready to pick up the title. However, with Depor requiring a result and Barca players wary of picking up … [Read more...]
Eibar holding their own
League minnows Eibar were hotly tipped for relegation this season. They have won back to back promotions from the Segunda Division B right up to La Liga within two seasons and they managed an average home attendance last season of 2,901 fans, which is smaller than 84 of the English football league’s clubs. It is therefore easy to see why many punters backed them to not be able to withstand the rigours of Spanish’s footballs top division, however their performance this season has been nothing but extraordinary. … [Read more...]
The mighty rise of little Eibar
It is not often in La Liga that you hear of a 'fairy tale story'. Clubs from top to bottom of Spain's top divisions are carrying huge burdens of debt, and many sides are subsequently not as strong as they used to be. However, in May 2014, the story of SD Eibar was reaching its fairy tale ending. A club who's ground holds less supporters than Dagenham & Redbridge, were promoted to the Primera Division for the first ever time in their 70 year history. But like all good stories, there was inevitably a dramatic twist on the way. Located in the Basque area of Spain, Eibar has a population of … [Read more...]
All the goals from La Liga Matchday 2
A round-up of the weekend action as Real Madrid lost in spectacular fashion in Sociedad, and both Barca and Atletico struggled past stubborn opposition. There were also wins for Valencia, Sevilla and Getafe in the final week of La Liga before the international break. Friday 29th August Getafe 1 (Vazquez) Almeria 0 http://youtu.be/6mcOqbJISWQ?list=UUTv-XvfzLX3i4IGWAm4sbmA Valencia 3 (Alcacer, Piatti, Parejo) Malaga 0 http://youtu.be/CyG7uTqowEU?list=UUTv-XvfzLX3i4IGWAm4sbmA Saturday 30th August Athletic Bilbao 3 (Aduriz, Iturraspe, Muniain) Levante … [Read more...]
Ones to Watch in La Liga – Cordoba to Espanyol
Continuing the round-up of players to watch this season, we now feature a couple of players looking to impress whilst on loan, and three clubs having come up from the Segunda. Cordoba An astonishing piece of business was done to bring Valencia starlet Fede Cartabia to the newly promoted club during the close season. The 21-year-old Argentine was tipped to have a better season for Los Che in 2014/15 after fans expected more from the youngster in his debut campaign. However, the bewildering decision to let the youngster continue his development in a team widely tipped to struggle this season … [Read more...]