La Liga Preview: Barcelona - Sevilla
What: La Liga matchday 4
Who: Barcelona (5th, 5/9) v Sevilla (2nd, 6/6)
When: Saturday 22nd September, 22:00 CET
Where: Camp Nou, Barcelona
Both Barcelona and Sevilla kicked off their Champions League campaigns this midweek, and each side took part in a 3-0 home win.
For Barcelona, this finally offered a glimpse of their potential as they disposed of Lyon. For Sevilla, it was a salutary moment, as they were the away team, going down at the Emirates against Arsenal.
Yet Sevilla sit above Barcelona in La Liga despite having played one match fewer, and midweek form could well go out the window at the Nou Camp...
Local Pride
Sevilla's pride took as big a battering as their defence in London, the rojiblancos' hype seemingly ending in colossal fashion.
Of course, they can still showcase many achievements: a credible third place finish in La Liga that saw them compete for the title on the final day, and two consecutive UEFA Cup wins confirm that the team has quality.
But that 3-0 loss will prey on the mind. Sevilla had some good moments, particularly in the first half, only to find themselves overrun by a team of undoubted pedigree.
The classy wing attacks of Alves and Navas were somewhat effectively neutralised and, while Kanoute came close, there were fewer of the opportunistic strikes so synonymous with Sevilla.
But Barcelona are more of a known quantity for the Nervion side. They beat the Culers 2-1 in their last home meeting in 2006-07, having lost 3-1 at the Nou Camp earlier in the campaign - mixed messages, then, for Juande Ramos.
Still, he has a wealth of attacking and midfield options available, and how he sets up his side for this one should prove interesting. With Javi Navarro and Adriano still out, though, times are tough.
Barcelona Resurgence?
Barca have injury problems of their own, Samuel Eto'o and Carles Puyol being absent, but one wouldn't have known it after the Lyon game.
Indeed, while it wasn't the most dominant of performances, 3-0 did not particularly flatter the home side, who punished Lyon twice at the death to rack up a deserved victory.
Perhaps even more important than the goal difference boost was Thierry Henry's first competitive goal in the blaugrana. That should see the Frenchman go some way towards banishing his demons and getting his Barca career on track.
Messi, too, did well up front, but Ronaldinho is running out of time to rediscover his form: Bojan and Giovani dos Santos are waiting in the wings.
So, like Sevilla, it's mixed omens all around Barcelona. On the one hand, players like Messi and particularly Xavi have put in great individual showings, but it's clear that all is not as rosy as this.
The team has yet to score away from home in La Liga and, indeed, limped past Athletic 3-1 at the Nou Camp on Matchday 2, despite some improved individual performances.
The Olympique thrashing will cement the suspicion that Barca are waiting to come alive at any minute, but the whole team will need to step it up a notch here against a club with so much to prove.
Title Challenge
But pride isn't all. Both sides are expected to be in with a shot at the league title come the end of the season, each club coming close last year, too.
Barca coach Rijkaard ran the risk of losing his job after that late title loss to Real Madrid, while Juande Ramos' guiding the rojiblancos to third place alerted several European clubs to his managerial prowess.
Each man, then, like the clubs that they represent, must go for the win here in order to meet rather different managerial expectations. The Liga remains the target for now, and those midweek events will be quickly banished from the mind on Saturday.
FORM GUIDE
Sevilla (their scores first)19/09 A Arsenal 0-3 (CL Group Stage 1)
16/09 H Recreativo 4-1 (La Liga)
02/09 A AEK 4-1 (CL, 3rd Qualifying Round 2L)
31/08 N AC Milan 1-3 (UEFA Super Cup - match played in Monaco)
25/08 H Getafe 4-1 (La Liga)
Barcelona
19/09 H Lyon 3-0 (CL Group Stage 1
16/09 A Osasuna 0-0 (La Liga)
02/09 H Athletic Bilbao 3-1 (La Liga)
29/08 H nter Milan 5-0 (Gamper Cup)
26/08 A Racing Santander 0-0 (La Liga)
TEAM NEWS
Sevilla
Adriano is likely to miss out yet again on the left, while Javi Navarro's lengthy recuperation continues at centre-back.
The midfield could see change, Duda, Keita and Renato all looking to get back into the side, while Tom de Mul has a chance of some playing time up front.
Possible Starting XI: Palop; Alves, Fazio, Escude, Dragutinovic; Navas, Poulsen, Keita, Capel; Kanoute, Kone.
Barcelona
Gaby Milito and Rafa Marquez partnered up at centre-back midweek and could well do so again as Carles Puyol remains unready to start his season.
Up front, Bojan and to an even greater extent Giovani are angling for starts, but three of the Fantastic Four start line up again in the absence of Samuel Eto'o.
Andres Iniesta may yet again warm the bench, but he has his eye on Deco's place...
Possible Starting XI: Valdes; Zambrotta, Milito, Marquez, Abidal; Xavi, Toure, Iniesta; Messi, Henry, Ronaldinho.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Sevilla - Arouna Kone: He may not start, but he's worth a look. The Ivorian international is Sevilla's most expensive ever signing and is set to battle for a striking place alongside Kanoute, Fabiano or Kerzhakov. He hit goalscoring form last season at PSV, scoring nine Eredivisie goals, but has yet to really adapt to the Spanish game due to a lack of pitch time. He was rested midweek: can he make his quality count here?
Barcelona - Xavi: As the debate rages on about the strikers, the midfield quietly sets about its business. Iniesta has been a super-sub of late, but it was Xavi who seemed most apt to impress midweek against Lyon. The one-club man remains an integral cog in the Barca machine and how Sevilla deal with his threat could well decide the game.
PREDIDCTION
Sevilla's collective ego will have taken a huge knock after that midweek thrashing while, despite poor away form, Barca have now twice scored three at home. Anything can happen here, with a draw possible to keep the pressure up on Rijkaard while also ruining Sevilla's 100% record. However, given Sevilla's injury situation, it seems that the time is right for Barca to go one better.
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La Liga Preview: Real Valladolid - Real Madrid
Who: Real Valladolid (9th, 4pts.) vs Real Madrid (1st, 9 pts.)
When: Sunday, 23rd September 2007, 2100 CET
Where: Estadio José Zorrilla, Valladolid
It's a clash of league champions this weekend in Spain as last season's Primera Liga victors Real Madrid make the short journey up north to face the Segunda División champions, Real Valladolid.
Dominant But Unlucky
Valladolid were one of the three newly promoted teams, along with Almería and Real Murcia, who all produced a stunning win on the opening day of the season.
Los Blanquivioleta beat last season's UEFA Cup finalist Espanyol 0-1 away from home and for the first time in more than half a century, all the promoted sides recorded victories in the season opener.
However, the trio appear to have been quickly brought down to earth as none have managed to register a win ever since, although they haven't been shamefully outplayed either.
Last week against Valencia at the Mestalla, Valladolid were unlucky not to have pulled off another upset in a game that they dominated and scored first.
Only a last minute deflected strike from David Silva cruelly denied the Castilian-based club a share of the spoils while on Matchweek two, the second division champions twice surrendered the lead and had to settle for a 2-2 draw against Deportivo La Coruña, again in a match that they really should have won especially having created countless goalscoring chances.
But an important and encouraging statistic for coach José Luis Mendilibar is that his side have out-dominated their opponents in all of their first three matches of the season so far. If anything, it clearly showcases their intensions of employing an attacking minded strategy no matter the opposition; but fighting fire with fire against Real Madrid by playing offensive football may not be the best of ideas, as Villarreal found out the hard way on day two.
Banana Skin On The Road
After making hard work of 10-men Almería last week, Real Madrid will be hoping for a more straightforward clash against another promoted side as they look to extend their 100% record. While on paper it may look like the fixture list is being kind to the reigning Liga champions, in actual fact this is another potential banana-skin of an encounter for the Spanish giants.
Los Merengues' Achilles heel of under-performing against the league's minnows showed no signs of ceasing last week against Almería, although the 3-1 scoreline would have you believe otherwise. Bernd Schuster's side were struggling to string two decent passes together and were at times caught on the backfoot after giving the ball away too cheaply.
Champions League Booster
But that scrappy win was quickly forgotten after a slightly more commanding win over Werder Bremen in the Champions League group opener. In that game, Real amassed a whooping 22 shots - although only 11 were on target - and enjoyed a lopsided 66% of possession.
The 2-1 win may have been a slender margin but the impressive performance won gushing approval from the pro-Madrid Spanish press. Spirits will be high at the 'White House', as it has been since day one of La Liga, although some of their key players will be worse for wear after two weeks of back-to-back midweek games for club and country.
While their Valladolid counterparts have had plenty of time to rest and train, some of the men in white have played as many as five matches in the last fourteen days. But this is the stage of the season where the games start flying in breathlessly and Real's squad depth will be continually put to the test in the coming weeks with more consecutive midweek games.
They will entertain Real Betis this coming Wednesday in La Primera, before taking a trip to Rome the following week to face Lazio in the second match of the Champions League. Bernd Schuster, who a few days ago had to come out and fend off rumours he was unhappy at the Bernabéu, would have been glad that the club successfully executed those late flurry of signings to strenghthen the squad.
FORM GUIDE
Real Valladolid
Sep 15 Valencia vs Real Valladolid 2-1 (La Liga)
Sep 02 Real Valladolid vs Deportivo La Coruña 2-2 (La Liga)
Aug 26 Espanyol vs Real Valladolid 0-1 (La Liga)
Aug 18 Salamanca vs Real Valladolid 0-1 (Friendly)
Aug 17 Sporting Gijón vs Real Valladolid 1-2 (Friendly)
Real Madrid
Sep 18 Real Madrid vs Werder Bremen 2-1 (Champions League)
Sep 15 Real Madrid vs Almería 3-1 (La Liga)
Sep 02 Villarreal vs Real Madrid 0-5 (La Liga)
Aug 25 Real Madrid vs Atlético Madrid 2-1 (La Liga)
Aug 19 Real Madrid vs Sevilla 3-5 (Spanish Super Cup)
TEAM NEWS
Real Valladolid
In a squad without stars or multiple back-up players, manager José Mendilibar has had to rely on a core of players from last season's championship winning campaign. Steering clear of injuries and suspensions will also be critical for the blanquivioleta and they will head into this match without too many injury concerns.
Diego Camacho, who was sidelined against Valencia last week, is back from his injury but he will only be expected to start from the bench as Mendilibar looks certain to stick to the same reliable five-man midfield set up from the first three games of the season.
Explosive right winger Fabián Estoyanoff has yet to play a single minute so far this season, although he could be employed as a secret weapon by the coach to take advantage of Madrid's attacking-minded fullbacks. Defender Iñaki Bea will be the only player unavailable for selection due to injury.
Probable Starting XI: Butelle - Lopez, Rafa, Calvo, Sanchez (c) - Borja, Vivar Dorado - Sisi, Kome, Sesma - Llorente
Real Madrid
Two young players who were given a rare start - and impressed - in the midweek win over Werder Bremen, Fernando Gago and Marcelo, could find themselves relegated back to the bench. Mahamadou Diarra returns from his Champions League suspension and will take over from Gago in midfield while Gabriel Heinze should slot back into the leftback spot after making a full recovery from his injury.
Pepe will also be restored to the side after a three week injury lay-off as he steps in to replace Christoph Metzelder, who picked up a knock on his right knee in midweek and will be aptly rested.
Schuster's other option would be to move Sergio Ramos to the centre and call on either Miguel Torres or Michel Salgado to occupy the right back role.
Arjen Robben may have finally gotten his long-awaited debut out of the way - just as it was starting to get as drawn out as his transfer saga - but he's still a long way from securing a regular first team place. Wesley Sneijder and Robinho will continue to fill the flanks but Robben should see more playing time this Sunday.
Probable Starting XI: Casillas - Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Cannavaro, Heinze - Diarra - Sneijder, Guti, Robinho - Raul (c), van Nistelrooy
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Real Valladolid - Joseba Llorente
The Basque forward will be Valladolid's key player not just in this match but for the entirety of the campaign. He has been the side's stand-out player so far after three games and the home fans will turn to the 27 year old for those big occasions against the big guns.
After scoring 17 times in the second division last season, he will be given the sole responsibility once again to bang in the goals for a team that will largely be relying on a lone-striker system. Cameroonian Daniel Kome has also made an impressive start to the season and the midfield playmaker will be looked upon as Llorente's attacking sidekick. If Valladolid holds any chance of pulling off a surprise win, it will be up to the pair to provide the goods.
Real Madrid - Raúl
All the talk of the King of Spanish football being past his prime has been put to bed after a series of inspirational performances. Against Werder Bremen last Wednesday, he did almost everything except put on the goalkeeper's gloves.
He was winning possession in his own half, doubling as a playmaker, creating chances and an assist, beating defenders with his silky skills and ofcourse, he found the back of the net again: his third in four matches in all competitions. With Euro 2008 looming in the horizon, a possible return to the Spanish national side will undoubtedly spur on El Capitan even more.
PREDICTION
Valladolid's record at home against Madrid isn't the most favourable. They have only beaten the boys from the capital once in their last 12 attempts at the José Zorrilla and that was in the 2001/02 season. But Los Blancos should not take their healthy head to head record for granted and Bernd Schuster's will instruct his players to "show more intelligence" on the pitch and pass the ball wisely.
Real Valladolid 0-2 Real Madrid
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