It has been quite the year for Croatian national football team. A World Cup final thrust those who made the squad into the limelight and although it may not have worked out so well for them in the Nations League, 2018 will still go down as one of the greatest years in the nations sporting history. There are also a number of well-known Croatian faces plying their trade in La Liga with some a strong bet with sites such as sportskokladenje24.com to go on and claim some coveted silverware in the 2018/19 season. So, who are they? Luka Modric – Real Madrid There can be no better place … [Read more...]
Solari Gets Permanent Real Gig
It has been a rough ride for Real Madrid since their summer of discontent. First Zinedine Zidane leaves after a trophy-laden spell, then star man Cristiano Ronaldo heads to Turin giants Juventus and then new boss Julen Lopetugui has a complete nightmare and gets himself sacked after just four months in the hot seat and an embarrassing 5-1 El Clasico hammering. With speculation rife as to who may take over the coveted Real managers seat with Antonio Conte and Mauricio Pochettino heavily linked with the vacant seat, Los Blancos have promoted internally taking a leaf out of rivals … [Read more...]
What Next for Lopetegui?
On Monday, Real Madrid confirmed what we all knew was happening. Head coach Julen Lopetegui was given the boot with the 5-1 thumping by Barcelona the straw that broke the camel’s back. It does not matter who are, there is no coming back from that but when you throw in five defeats in seven, then the situation becomes critical and even if Lopetegui had managed to mastermind a result over the old enemy there was a sense that nothing could save him. It has been quite the fall from grace for the man who went nearly two years unbeaten as Spain manager before his association with Real … [Read more...]
Who is in the Running to be the Next Real Madrid Boss?
It almost feels a little criminal writing this as Julen Lopetegui still occupies the Real Madrid hot seat. However, by Real’s lofty standards, the current predicament is quite frankly an embarrassment and despite only accepting the Los Blancos job prior to the World Cup, there is a sense that the former Spain head coach will be departing the club sooner rather than later. Ahead of the iconic El Clasico, Real Madrid sit seventh in the table with just four wins from their opening nine games. Remarkably, this puts Lopetegui’s side behind the likes of Espanyol, Alaves and even Real … [Read more...]
Weekend Round Up: Anyone’s for the Taking
If this weekend of La Liga action has taught us anything, it is that anyone can beat anyone, and the title race may be in its infancy, but already it is anyone's for the taking. After all, who would have predicted that in both Barcelona’s and Real Madrid’s last two league games (including this weekends) both sides would only take one point from a possible six? Or that newly promoted Valladolid would provide an early season hammer blow to Villarreal? Well, that is exactly what has happened as we take a look back at the action of week seven so far. Big Boys Struggling The table … [Read more...]
Big Match Preview: Sevilla Look to Sink Real Once More
Well, they don’t come much bigger than this. On Wednesday 26th September these sides face what is arguably their sternest test of the new season domestically (although due to Sevilla’s patchy form perhaps not). The two sides have a strong history of competitive action and come the end of the season, both will expect to be in the upper echelons of Spain’s top flight, as well they both should be too. As Real prepare to enter the cauldron of Sevilla’s Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, what are the chances of each side? And can Sevilla upset the Los Blancos giants in front of their adoring … [Read more...]
Real Madrid on Red Alert after Willian Passport Fail
It is common knowledge that Real Madrid have money in the bank after the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus a couple of weeks ago and it is common knowledge that Los Blancos have submitted a £100 million bid for Chelsea duo Thibaut Courtois and Willian. However, it has emerged that talks between Real and Chelsea shot-stopper Courtois have come to a standstill even though the Real Hierarchy insist they still want Courtois at the club. That has not stopped the interest in Willian and the rumour mill has gone into overdrive after the Times reported that Willian failed to turn up for … [Read more...]
What Next for Real Madrid as Key Figures Depart
First Zinedine Zidane went, now Cristiano Ronaldo has gone, on the face of it, this looks like worrying times for the 33-times La Liga champions Real Madrid. But are we right to be concerned, or are the Real hierarchy pulling off masterstroke for future footballing dominance? Club president made it quite clear that finishing 17-points behind rivals Barcelona is utterly unacceptable and that even winning three Champions League’s in a row is not good enough. That resulted in Zinedine Zidane departing the hot-seat after two and a half years at the club to be replaced by sacked Spain … [Read more...]
Iberian Derby Thrown into Disarray as lopetegui Gets the Chop
You can almost count the hours on your fingers and toes before arch-rivals Spain and Portugal commence the war of Iberia in Russia in a game that is likely to decide who will top World Cup group B. With Iran and Morocco, the other two sides contesting the group, all and sundry firmly expect both the Portuguese and Spaniards to make it through to the knockout stages with the only thing to be decided is in which order. According to numerous sportsbooks such as https://www.apuestasdeportivas24.org/ Spain were entering the World Cup in a strong position. That was until Spain shook the … [Read more...]
Zidane Walks, So What Next for Madrid?
When Real Madrid announced a press conference would take place just hours after Zinedine Zidane was due to sit down with club president Florentino Perez, social media went into overdrive and just a few hours later, it was confirmed, the man who guided Los Blancos to three Champions League titles in a row would be vacating the hot seat. When Frank Lampard and Marco Silva were making headlines in England for joining new clubs Derby County and Everton respectively, Zidane was making headlines for the opposite. As expected, much like landing a Bitcoin Bitzstars bonus, the rumour mill and … [Read more...]