Leganes will welcome Deportivo Alaves in their first fixture, as both the teams prepare to go head to head to grab the first three points, and make a positive start to the new Spanish La Liga season. On the other hand, Valencia welcomes Las Palmas to the Mestalla, as Los Che try to put last season’s horror start behind, and exert their authority over a Las Palmas side that hasn’t really added as many players as they seemed to require after the last season.
LEGANES vs. ALAVES
Three-way: 1: Leganes +119; X: +240 Draw; 2: Alaves +315
Spread -0.5: Leganes +110; Alaves -119
Total +2: Over +102; Under -110
LEGANES
After getting promoted to the Spanish La Liga last year, Leganes had a really tough time in the league, as they flirted with relegation for long periods of time, only being guaranteed safety towards the end of the campaign. The gap between them and the 17th position was just three points, which shows how close they were to the drop.
However, when compared to other bottom half teams in the La Liga, Leganes had a decent defense even though they conceded 55 goals, which was the least in the bottom half of the league table. On the other side of the pitch they had a very poor attack that could score only score 36 games during the entire season. Manager Asier Garitano will be hoping to motivate his players enough for a better performance level this season.
The club has acted fast to bring in players so as to improve their performances for the new season in La Liga. They have brought in Centre backs Dimitrios Siovas from Olympiacos and Ezequiel Munoz from Genoa, for 3 million and 2.5 million Euros respectively. They have added midfielders Gerard Gambau from Barca B, and Javi Eraso from Athletic Bilbao on free transfers; along with Left back Raul Garcia from Alaves. The fans will be hoping these signings settle in quickly and are able to hit the ground running.
The club took part in eight friendly matches as preparation for the new season. Out of those matches, five resulted in wins, while the remaining were defeats. During this period, they managed to score a total of 8 goals, while conceding 5, and keeping four clean sheets. This clearly shows that the club will continue to rely on their defense and hope it gets ever better than it was in the last season.
New signing Dimitrios Siovas injured his Muscle fiber, and is a major doubt for the match, as he is under his last stage of recovery.
ALAVES
Last season was a very impressive one for Alaves, as they managed to squeeze into the top ten of the final La Liga standings with a 9th place finish. What made it even more impressive was the fact that they were one of the favorites to be relegated to the Segunda division, after just getting promoted. Alaves was average when it came to attacking and defending, as the stats show. They managed to score just 41 goals while conceding 43 in the entire league duration. Most of their wins came through narrow margins and gritty defending, while they grabbed quite a few points from draws.
Alaves has been looking to strengthen their squad in various positions so as to continue in a decent manner in the La Liga. They have added Real Madrid duo Burgui and Enzo Zidane for a sum of 3 million Euros, as Enzo has joined on a free transfer. They have also brought in AC Milan centre back Rodrigo Ely for 3 million, to boost up the defense. To improve their attacking, striker Ruben Sobrino has joined from Manchester City for 2 million Euros. They have brought in some young, talented Spanish players that should become valuable members in seasons to come. Valencia keeper Antonio Sivera and Espanyol defenders Ruben Duarte have both joined for a total of 2.4 million Euros.
Alaves didn’t have the best of preseason preparations in the past two months. They took part in 8 friendly matches, out of which, they won only two, drew four, and lost two. During this period, they scored 9 goals and conceded 7. These stats indicate that Alaves needs to improve in attacking department to maintain the results of their last La Liga campaign and avoid a relegation battle in the league.
There is only one injury concern in the Alaves squad. Centre back Victor Laguardia is out until December due to a knee injury he suffered in April.
LEGANES vs. ALAVES- Match Prediction:
Both the teams will go into the season with a heavy reliance on their defense, and won’t be playing too much of expansive football. Keeping that in mind, this match seems to be one where chances will be minimal, and the strikers need to be efficient as they will not be given many opportunities. However, looking at the preseason preparations, I feel that Leganes is better prepared for this fixture. Therefore, my pick is the win for the hosts in a low scoring game.
MY PICK: Leganes to win (+119)
VALENCIA vs. LAS PALMAS
Three-way: 1: Valencia -109; X: +300 Draw; 2: Las Palmas +380
Spread -0.5: Valencia -115; Las Palmas +108
Total +2.5: Over -133; Under +129
VALENCIA
After a disappointing La Liga season last year, Valencia fans will be hoping that the team is able to pick itself up and return to the top half of the table. The club finished a lowly 12th, which was clearly their worst final standing in comparison to recent years. Most of their downfall was due to their leaky defense, which conceded 65 goals in 38 league matches. Even their attack wasn’t impressive, as they just managed 56 goals in the same duration. Under new manager Marcelinho, the fans will be hoping that the team climbs back to challenge the top spots of the La Liga.
They have acted in the transfer window fast, as the performances of last year demanded improvements in the squad. They have conducted a double raid on Seria A champions Juventus and bought their striker Simone Zaza for 16 million, and goalkeeper Neto for 6 million Euros. Joining them is former Celta Vigo winger Fabian Orellana, who joins for 3 million. To boost the defense, they have added Nemanja Maksimovic from Astana, and he has joined the team on a free transfer.
The Los Che had a good preseason, as they mostly achieved positive results in all the friendly matches they played. They took part in seven matches, out of which, they lost two, and won the other five. The attack seems to be gelling together, as they have scored a total of 14 goals in these matches while conceding 5 goals. They also managed to keep four clean sheets. Even though it is just the pre-season, the early signs indicate that they have already improved from last season, and are heading towards a more positive La Liga campaign.
In terms of injuries and suspensions, the only player they will be missing is the Portuguese winger Nani, who is out with a knee injury he suffered in the preseason.
LAS PALMAS
Las Palmas had to fight till the very end of the last season, as they were constantly embroiled in a war for survival in the La Liga. In the end, they managed just about enough to be 8 points from safety, as they finished 14th. They had an absolutely horrible defense, as they conceded the third highest goals in the league, with 74. Their attack was pretty average, as they managed to score only 53 goals in the league. Under the new manager Manolo Marquez, the club will be hopeful of ensuring a stay in the La Liga for the next year, as well as avoiding a relegation battle.
Considering their poor performances last season, they haven’t really added to their defense so far. They have added right back Ximo Navarro from Almeria, and keeper Leandro Chichizola from Spezia Calcio, with both the players joining on free transfers. They have also managed to grab a loan deal for Atletico’s new boy Vitolo, who will play with Las Palmas until January, after which the transfer ban on Atletico will be uplifted and they will be able to register the Spanish winger.
The club had a really impressive preseason, where the players seemed to gel in together and play in a very coordinated manner. Las Palmas played nine friendlies, out of which, only one resulted in a defeat. 6 of them were wins, and the remaining two were scoring draws. During this stretch, they scored 20 goals, while conceding just 6. Such stats point towards a massive improvement in the performances, even though they are just friendly matches.
The only injury concern that Las Palmas have right now, is defensive midfielder Vicente Gomez, who is going to be out until September due to a Muscle injury.
VALENCIA vs. LAS PALMAS- Match Prediction:
As the teams return from preseason, both sets of fans will be optimistic as they saw considerable improvement in the performances of their teams, compared to the last season. Valencia has markedly improved, after last year’s horror show, and Las Palmas also looks well equipped to stay up in the league.
However, looking at both the squads, I sense that Valencia has a better squad with their new signings. I feel that this will be an exciting matchup between the two teams, although Valencia will probably edge through due to their home advantage and considerable experience among the ranks.
MY PICK: Valencia to win (-119)
