La Liga provides its supporters and spectators with its first midweek round of the season, and through three rounds of this long campaign, the table has already sorted itself out in terms of the apparent three tiers in La Primera División.  The top six teams are the same teams that usually occupy the European places […]

For the first time this season, the Spanish teams participating in European competitions will have to adjust to the quick turnaround from the midweek European fixtures to the weekend matches in La Liga.  While Getafe has only been in a continental tournament once before, the other six teams are veterans of this kind of packed […]

The Real Federación Española de Fútbol (the Spanish FA) released the full schedule for the 2010-11 La Liga season, and Jornada 1 will be held on the last weekend of August.  Both Real Madrid and FC Barcelona will commence their campaigns away from home as they visit Mallorca and Racing de Santander respectively.  Real Sociedad, […]

The Race for the La Liga Crown If there were a match on which Barcelona would stumble in their path to a second consecutive La Liga title, Villarreal would stand in their way. All involved with FC Barcelona said the right statements after Inter Milan eliminated the Catalans from the UEFA Champions League.  Barça president […]

There will be a Spanish team in a European final, but it is not the team that many expected.  Atlético Madrid completed their strange and wonderful trip to the Europa League final with an extra time goal by Diego Forlán against Liverpool.  As per usual, Atlético did not win the second leg of their Europa […]

"NINO, NINO, NINO!" chanted Los Chicharreros in the Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López.  When shouted aloud, the chant sounded like an onrushing ambulance through a traffic-jammed street, and for Getafe, who fell victim to the brilliance of Nino, they needed the assistance of EMT workers. After a 0-0 draw at home to Real Valladolid last Saturday, […]

With El Clásico in the rear-view mirror, La Liga continues forward with a mid-week round that will help shape the European and relegation battles. For Real Madrid, a mid-week match should be good for them so that they can move on quickly from a mentally and physically draining edition of El Clásico.  With Barcelona holding […]

Real Madrid and Barcelona's matches in La Liga this season have almost had the feeling of high-level training sessions.  A few surprises sprinkled throughout, but the inevitability of the best team in the world and the most expensive team in the world deciding the championship arrives on Saturday night. Barcelona will come off a heavenly […]

After a mid-week round of fixtures, there is no rest for the weary as another slate of weekend matches comes much more quickly than they would earlier in the year.  This last quarter of the year becomes a war of attrition, and those who consistently stay fit will reap the benefits as they take advantage […]

The thrilling race at the top of La Liga came to a head last weekend, when Barcelona dropped two points at surging Almería, and Real Madrid fought back from a 0-2 deficit to win against Sevilla in the second minute of stoppage time 3-2.  Now the two exemplars of Spanish football are tied for the […]

The marquee matchup of the weekend is the late Saturday kickoff between top four teams Real Madrid and Sevilla.  The reverse fixture in early October was one of the matches of the season, and while Sevilla's title chances faded away during the dregs of mid-season, they still lie fourth in the league, they have the […]

After a less than impressive performance by the Spanish Armada in European competition, these teams return to their domestic responsibilities in order to regain their confidence.  Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao traveled to Wolfsburg and Anderlecht, respectively, and became punching bags for those teams as both Wolfsburg and Anderlecht scored four goals on their visitors.  They […]

A half-empty stadium. A running track surrounding the pitch that places the fans further away from the action. Supporters that create less noise and din than those at the Vancouver Olympic Centre, where the Olympic Curling competition is contested. The ONO Estadi hardly constitutes as an intimidating atmosphere, but RCD Mallorca has managed to maintain […]

The obvious surprising result of the previous round was Atlético Madrid's 2-1 victory over Barcelona to hand the Catalunyan champions their first loss in La Liga this season.  If analyzed deeper, however, Barça's defeat at the hands of Los Colchoneros becomes less of a shocker. Historically, Atleti had a respectable record against Barcelona in Madrid, […]

As La Liga heads into the midway point of the season, these next few rounds are some of the hardest of the campaign because the toil of playing for five consecutive months begins to wear on the players and the coaching staff both physically and mentally.  Motivation is a hard concept to renew during these […]