Barcelona play host to Sevilla on Saturday following a league hiatus that saw ten of its regulars clad in national colours, rather than the blue and red of Barca. The Catalan club entered the international break off the back of a win, albeit over a lowly Almeria side. It was hardly a performance to instil confidence into fans and players alike. Though they began their league campaign impressively under new coach Luis Enrique, October's 3-1 defeat in El Clasico at the Bernabeu and the subsequent 1-0 home loss to Celta Vigo have led to questions being asked. … [Read more...]
Gunners chase Sevilla midfielder
Arsenal are looking to land Sevilla's Polish midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak this January ahead of a reported £24m swoop. Krychowiak, 24, only moved to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan in the summer, but his impressive start to the season has already captured the attention of the Gunners. Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan are other clubs reportedly chasing Krychowiak, who has become a wanted man around Europe since joining Sevilla. His buyout clause is £24m with Arsene Wenger reportedly willing to match that, keen to bring more defensive stability to the club. Adept as a defensive midfielder, 6'1 … [Read more...]
Atletico Madrid v Sevilla Preview
Can in-form Sevilla get all three points against the champions at the Vicente Calderon? … [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 – Real Madrid to Villarreal
Rounding off the ones to watch are four of La Liga's biggest teams as Real Madrid look to wrangle the title back from their rivals Atletico as it could be a defining year for Gareth Bale. Real Madrid If asked to name members of the Real Madrid squad, there are few who would struggle to list the majority in Carlo Ancelotti's Galactico squad, so in terms of a surprise package, there are few candidates. Madrid's spending in recent years has been so frequent, parting with £70m or £80 million is now almost a thoughtless action. New stars Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez pack an already saturated … [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...]
Manchester United Move For Moreno
As gloom descends over Old Trafford, David Moyes is on the brink of making his first transfer window move and bringing in a La Liga left back. Not, however, the expected move for Real Madrid outcast Fabio Coentrao but a swoop for Sevilla's young defender Alberto Moreno. Patrice Evra is nearing the end of his Manchester United career and has looked increasingly fragile as the season has progressed. With a left back the priority it had seemed that Coentrao was the one who would be flying in from Spain. The Madrid full back had other ideas – he doesn't want to move to a club that seems likely to … [Read more...]
Atletico Madrid 1-1 Sevilla
Atletico Madrid missed a glorious chance to go clear at the top of La Liga. Having earlier watched Barcelona fail to beat Levante, Diego Simeone's side achieved the exact same result at home to Sevilla. A 1-1 draw that keeps them behind Barca on goal difference. The Vicente Calderon stadium should be renamed the Vicente Cauldron this season as the fans have been ramping up the atmosphere and the decibels. The party spirit before kick off yesterday was frenzied, this was their chance to go top and they would snatch it with both hands. What could go wrong. Sevilla had other ideas, they hadn't … [Read more...]
Four Premier League transfer targets from La Liga
The January transfer window is just around the corner and after the influx of Spanish stars to the Premier League in the summer, more clubs are likely to be monitoring the talent in Spain's Primera Division this winter. At the midpoint of the season just 7 points separate 10th from the relegation zone and the title race looks set to be one of the tightest battles in years after a week in which top spot changed hands three times, so many teams could be looking to spend big to achieve their goals. … [Read more...]
La Liga team of the week – round 14
The international break is finally over -at least for the next 5 months-and the return of La liga feels like early Christmas. As has become the tradition right here on La Liga blog, we recognise and salute the outstanding performers after every match week in our unique Team of the Week feature. Unsurprisingly, the team is dominated by players from Atletico Madrid (the round's biggest winners). … [Read more...]