22.01.2011 16:33

Spanish League Preview, Week 20

Nick Bedson

The second half of the season starts this weekend with Barça and Real Madrid leading the pack by a country mile, but an exciting battle in prospect for European spots and a close relegation battle also set to unfold over the next four months.

As well as Barça, Seville and Valencia are also playing on Saturday, with most of the games set for Sunday and Athletic Bilbao and Hercules again handed the graveyard shift on Monday night.

Seville aim to climb back up the table

Seville have taken a miserable 14 points from their 10 home games this season, winning just four games, only one more than Saturday’s visitors Levante who are languishing next to bottom. However, the fantastic Cup win over Villarreal (3-0) in midweek will have given them a boost and their boss Gregorio Manzano is determined to drag them back up the table in the second half of the season. Levante come into the game without a victory since early December and with just one win on the road, but their defeat of Real Madrid in the last round of the Cup and their performance at the Nou Camp showed they can be dangerous. Valencia play at 22.00 and have the chance to overtake Villarreal if they can see off Malaga at the Mestalla, a ground where they’ve not lost to the Andalucians in 50 years. Emery’s team have won all their last 4 games in La Liga and Pellegrini’s hastily, and expensively, assembled team will need to up their game to stop that become five.

Espanyol look to repeat Seville performance

Espanyol’s great win over Seville last weekend will be the blueprint Pochettino is after when he takes the team to Madrid on Sunday to face the unpredictable Getafe. Victor Ruiz looks set to leave Espanyol for Italy this week and may have played his last game for the club, but Espanyol’s youth team continues to supply replacements and with Michel’s team still reeling from last week’s thrashing by Real Sociedad, the Catalans will be hoping to keep up the pressure on Valencia, who lead them by three points, whilst Getafe need the win to maintain their own bid for a European spot. Atletico Madrid are another team in the hunt for a UEFA place and they travel to Sporting after their midweek Cup knockout by Real Madrid knowing they will have to become more consistent if they are to maintain their challenge until May. Sporting’s win over Hercules last week took them out of the bottom three and boss Manolo Preciado hopes: “that win will help the players believe again that they are capable of winning”.

Bilbao on a good run

Bilbao are just a point behind Atletico Madrid and with just one defeat in their last nine games, including two Cup draws against Barça, are one of Spain’s in-form teams. On Monday they receive Hercules, who have never won at the San Mames and have possibly the weirdest away record in La Liga with just one win on the road –at the Nou Camp! Bilbao’s Basque neighbours Real Sociedad are at Villarreal on Sunday night and their hosts will no doubt be aiming to keep up their brilliant home record and bounce back from that Cup disappointment, but Real looked excellent at Getafe last week and with their striker Joseba Llorente returning to the ground where he had so much success before his move to Donosti, they may just spring a shock and get themselves back in the fight for UEFA spots.

Zaragoza going for third home win on the trot

Zaragoza have won their last two home games and on Sunday they face Deportivo, who were knocked out of the Cup by Almeria in midweek, looking to make that three and lift themselves out of the bottom three. Bottom placed Almeria have the worst home record in La Liga –no wins, 6 draws and 3 defeats – and on Sunday they meet the team with the worst away record, Osasuna, who have failed to win a single game on the road so far this season, with just 2 draws and 8 defeats to their name away from the Reyno de Navarra.