The final two matches for the round two in the La Liga bring two exciting clashes to us this Sunday. Getafe continue their La Liga return as they welcome Sevilla who will be looking for the three points. On the other hand, champions Real Madrid welcome Valencia as they look to cope with the absence of their captain Ramos and still continue on the winning path for their title defense.
GETAFE vs. SEVILLA
Three-way: 1: Getafe +265; X: +262 Draw; 2: Sevilla +125
Spread +0.5: Getafe -125; Sevilla +117
Total +2.5: Over -106; Under +104
GETAFE
Getafe did well last year in the La Liga 2, as they managed to secure third position in the second division of Spanish football and hence, come back into the La Liga after getting relegated two seasons ago. They scored 55 goals in 42 league matches, and conceded 43. These stats showed that even though Getafe couldn’t score a lot of goals, they were resolute enough at the back to prevent teams snatching points from them.
They have added a lot of players into the squad as the club tries to make sure that they stay in the league this year. They have spent 3 million Euros to bring in Atletico forward Amath Ndiaye, along with Sint Truden right back Djene who has been brought to the team for a sum of 2.5 million. They have also bought former Liverpool winger Dani Pacheco from Real Betis, along with Real Madrid Castilla winger Alvaro Jimenez for 1 million Euros each. They have also added playmaker Portillo from Real Betis for another 1.5 million Euros.
For a club that is making its return to the top La Liga football after a year, they had a disappointing preseason. They played four friendlies, and they won none of them. Two of them were draws, while the other two losses. They only managed to score 3 goals, while conceding 5. These numbers look even more negative when one realizes that most of their opponents were lower league teams. The board must be wary of this and might want to bring in a player or two before the end of the transfer window so as to bring in a winning mentality into the squad.
To add to the fans’ fears, the club will also be missing winger Karim Yoda who will be out until October due to an ACL injury, along with Dani Pacheco who injured his shoulder just before the start of the season. New signing Alvaro Jimenez will also sit out this match due to suspension.
SEVILLA
Sevilla finished in the top four last year, after some impressive performances which gave rise to the thought that they were in genuine contention to Challenge the top three in the La Liga. Their rise to the 4th place was helped by a very efficient attack, which scored 69 goals in the league, while they also had a decent defense which conceded 49 goals, which is still far away from what one would call a good defensive record. The fans will be hoping that this time, Sevilla is able to continue their good domestic performances, as well as reach the latter stages of the UCL after their dominant spell in the Europa League.
Sevilla earned some good income through the sales of Konoplyanka, Vitolo, Adil Rami and Iborra, which they have used in a seemingly decent manner so far in the transfer window. They have added Sampdoria striker Luis Muriel for 20 million Euros, while also bringing in Danish defender Simon Kjaer for 12.5 million. Another 18 million Euros were spent equally on bringing back Nolito from Man City and Ever Banega from Inter to Spain, while they have also added defensive midfielder Pizarro from Tigres for 6 million as well as right back Sebastian Corchia from Lille for 5 million Euros. However, the fans will be hoping that former Man City winger Jesus Navas is able to find his form that made him a fan favorite at Sevilla, as he returns from Manchester City on a free transfer.
Sevilla had slow progress on their preseason tour but eventually found form. They played in 6 friendly matches, out of which, they won 4, including a win over Arsenal at the Emirates, drew 1 and lost one. In this period, they scored 10 goals, while conceding 7. Sevilla can certainly do better than this, although there wouldn’t be much concern right now as the early signs showed that their attack has gelled well together.
There a few injury concerns that will make the manager think about the team selection for this weekend. Defender Daniel Carrico is out with a hamstring injury, while playmaker Franco Vazquez is also out due to a knee injury suffered during the season preparations. Keeper David Soria is also out till September as he fractured his fingers last week. Midfielder Ever Banega will miss this match due to a Red Card suspension from the first game week.
GETAFE vs. SEVILLA – Match Prediction
Sevilla drew their first La Liga match 1:1 against Espanyol, although that match was marred by moments of madness as the players played out stupid challenges. Similarly, Getafe played a drab 0:0 draw at Bilbao, although it was more about them showing defensive resilience than anything. Looking at the forms of the players in both squads, I feel that this match can spring out lots of surprises for us. However, looking at Sevilla and the talent in their squad, I don’t think they will lose this one. Therefore, my prediction will be an away win in this match.
MY PICK: SEVILLA to win (+125)
REAL MADRID vs. VALENCIA
Three-way: 1: Real Madrid -333; X: +800 Draw; 2: Valencia +1550
Spread -2.5: Real Madrid +137; Valencia -143
Total +4: Over -103; Under -103
REAL MADRID
The Los Blancos are currently in a roll. Two times UCL winner, current La Liga champions, and the UEFA super cup and Spanish super cup champions, that too after defeating teams like Manchester United and Barcelona, surely are reasons enough to be positive going into any match. Zidane’s men finished last season with 107 goals scored in La Liga, which isn’t a surprise considering the fact that they have the famed BBC and they can get goals from almost any player in the starting eleven and the bench. They had a comparatively decent defense, as they conceded 41 goals throughout the season, but it didn’t really matter, because, for Zizou’s team, Attack wins them titles.
Unlike the common notion of Real Buying world class players for Big fees, this season the board has agreed to go with the manager’s choices, as they have invested in just two players, albeit extremely talented ones. They have purchased left back Theo Hernandez from Atletico for 30 million Euros and signed Betis midfielder Dani Cabellos for 17 million, which might be a steal considering the current market. Along with these players, they have made earned a massive 125 million Euros through the sales of fringe players Alvaro Morata, James Rodriguez (Loan), Danilo, Mariano, Llorente, and Burgui. This shows the amount of talent the current squad has, as they are able to offload some quality players without spending big bucks.
Los Blancos started their competitive matches pretty early this season, as they were part of the Uefa Super Cup as Champions league winners and the Spanish Super Cup as La Liga winners. In the UEFA super cup, they defeated Manchester United 2:1 as the Red Devils fluffed a lot of chances. This was followed by an impressive 5:1 aggregate win over bitter rivals Barcelona. The Catalans were defeated 3:1 in the first leg at Camp Nou, which was followed by a 2:0 defeat at the Bernabeu.
There aren’t any injury concerns for Zidane except youngster Jesus Vallejo as the center-back recovers from a muscle injury. However, the legendary Frenchman will have to deal with the absences of Ronaldo and Ramos. Cristiano Ronaldo is suspended for three more games as punishment for ‘shoving the referee’ in the first leg of the super cup, while captain Ramos is suspended for a silly Yellow card in the season opener.
VALENCIA
After the poor showing last year, the club is determined to get back into the top half of the Spanish top flight. A dismal start last year meant that they could finish only as high as 12th in the La Liga. They still managed to score a decent 56 goals in the league, although most of these came in the second half of the season. It was the defense in truth that was the reason for such a poor finish. The team conceded a disappointing 65 times in 38 matches, something that will not be accepted if they want to have a better season this year.
The club has backed the new manager Marcelinho in the transfer window, as they look to strengthen across the starting 11. They have conducted a double raid on Juventus, as they bought Simone Zaza and Goalkeeper Neto for a sum of 22 million Euros in total. To boost the defense; they have bought former Villareal defender Gabriel Paulista from Arsenal for 11 million Euros. Joining them is Celta winger Fabian Orellana who has joined the club for 3 million. Their last permanent signing was Serbian youngster Nemanja Maksimovic who has joined on a free transfer.
On a general note, Valencia had a good preseason as they won 5 of the seven friendly matches they played in the past one month or so. The other two matches resulted in losses. In this duration, they scored 14 goals, while conceding 5. Even though these were just friendly matches, the results do indicate towards the fact that Valencia has improved from last season and that there is a better sense of understanding among the players. This would no doubt boost the morale of the fans that stood by the team last year through thick and thin.
Marcelinho will have to deal with some key players missing in defense. Centre back Ezequiel Garay will be out from the clash due to a back injury sustained this week, while Martin Montoya is battling a muscle strain. The fans will have to wait for Paulista’s debut as he is recovering from a knee injury. In addition to these three, winger Nani is also out with knee injury and won’t feature in the squad.
REAL MADRID vs. VALENCIA – Match prediction
Valencia is improving as compared to their last season in the La Liga, and can definitely finish in the top half of the league table. However, it isn’t really a viable idea for fans to think that they will be able to defeat such a rampant Real Madrid side. Even with the absences of Ronaldo and Ramos, they have more than enough firepower in their squads to grab a win, especially in front of a passionate Bernabeu crowd. Still, the visitors could find some holes in the Real Madrid’s defense, due to the absence of Ramos, and score at least one goal. Therefore I will go with Both teams to score.
MY PICK: Both teams to score YES (-143)
