La Liga Saturday
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Puyol withdraws from Barca squad following his father's death
Barcelona captain Carles Puyol has pulled out of Saturdays Primera Liga clash at Deportivo Coruna following the death of his father, the club said on their Web site on Friday.
Spanish media reported that Josep Puyol, 56, had died in a work-related accident.
League leaders Barcelona will be without defender Puyol, injured strikers Samuel Etoo and Eidur Gudjohnsen and midfielder Xavi against Deportivo -
Atletico to make changes after three straight defeats
After three consecutive 1-0 defeats Atletico Madrid coach Javier Aguirre is having to put on a brave face and find new ways to motivate his under-performing team. The Rojiblancos travel to face Real Mallorca in the Primera Liga on Saturday with questions starting to be asked of the Mexican, his tactics and his players. Two setbacks in the league, to direct rivals for Europe next season Deportivo La Coruna and Real Zaragoza, and a miserable first leg defeat in the Copa del Rey to Levante at home last week, have burst the bubble of optimism that surrounded the side.
Despite the gloom Atletico are eighth in the table and just three points short of the Champions League places. "We have only played eight games in the league so far but after two defeats it is normal for rumours to start circulating. It is the part of the life of people connected with sport," said Aguirre. "There is no point crying. We have to work hard and look to win the next game which would be the best cure for the situation we are in."
One of the main areas for debate has been whether Atletico need to move in the January transfer window to sign players to replace the long-term injury afflicted Maxi Rodriguez and Martin Petrov. Since these key players, attacking midfielders from either flank, fell injured three weeks ago Atletico have only managed two goals in four games. "The decision we have taken up until now is that we wont move to replace these players. It is clear we have lacked precision in front of goal in our last three games but we have created chances," Aguirre added.
"It would be worse if we werent even creating opportunities to score. We just have to try and make the most of the chances we create." Along with Petrov and Maxi, Atletico will be without injured striker Mista. Real Mallorca coach Gregorio Manzano knows only too well the pressures on his opposite number, and understands the sides fragile self-confidence. Despite leading Atletico to their best Primera Liga finish since 1998 - seventh - in 2004, Manzano was sacked after just one season at the Vicente Calderon for failing to return the club to Europe. The Intertoto Cup was not good enough.
"We should be adventurous and go for the game even though they have a great side made up of many internationals," said Manzano. History shows Atletico have a good record in the Ono Estadi, however, with two draws and two wins over the last four seasons. Mallorca, a point behind Atletico in the standings in tenth place, have only managed one home win in the league this season with a total of two goals scored. Manzano looks set to be without Argentinian playmaker Ariel Ibagaza, and defender Fernando Varela and midfielder Tuni, due to injury. Venezuelan striker Juan Arango is fit again and returns to the squad. -
Barcelona missing pair for 'Babydepor' match
Barcelona visit Deportivo La Coruna this Saturday in a bid to turn the page on their disappointing 2-2 draw with Chelsea in midweek. Frank Rijkaards side will look to preserve their lead at the top against the Galicians, but will be without midfielder Xavi and Icelandic frontman Eidur Gudjohnsen, who both suffered knocks in Tuesdays bad-tempered Champions League match against the Londoners.
Xavi will be out of action for 10 days and is likely to be replaced by Spanish international midfielder Andres Iniesta, with Argentinian striker Javier Saviola the only fit frontman at Rijkaards disposal to come in for Gudjohnsen. Deco and Thiago Motta should be fit in time after missing training on Friday, but Cameroon forward Samuel Etoo is still a long-term absentee. Rijkaard, meanwhile, has never lost a match at Deportivos Riazor stadium and will be hoping to continue this good run on Saturday.
However, recent poor results have angered the Barcelona coach and the Dutchman cut an angry figure at training on Thursday, shouting furiously at his players. Nevertheless, Argentinian forward Lionel Messi played down the incident. "It was understandable that he was angry. We were not training well and looked half asleep," he said on Thursday.
Messi came back into the side against Chelsea after recovering from a recent injury and believes Barcelona will return to winning ways in La Coruna. "Our league form is good and we are confident of getting another result this weekend," he said. Dutch full-back Giovanni van Bronckhorst also claimed to understand recent criticism of the team.
"It is true that we have not won the games against the big teams and it is logical that fans are concerned, but we are playing well and confident in ourselves," he said on Thursday. The former Arsenal player did predict a difficult match in La Coruna, however. "Deportivo are a very strong team and they always cause us problems when we play there. However, we need to stay top of the league and must get the three points," he said.
Rijkaard agreed with his defenders assessment and warned his players that they face a tough test. "Deportivo are a hard-working side with a lot of character and a good mentality. They are strong at home and can cause us problems," he said on Friday. Barcelona lead the Primera Liga with 19 points from eight matches, but lost their last away game against Real Madrid two weeks ago.
Meanwhile, Deportivo La Coruna are enjoying a renaissance under coach Joaquin Caparros. The former Sevilla manager has given youth a chance this season and has reaped the rewards. His "Babydepor" are currently seventh, with 14 points, just two less than fourth-placed Zaragoza and having won all four of their home games, the coach believes that his team has a fighting chance against Barcelona.
"We must make good use of the spaces. We are not going to change our style because we are playing against Barcelona. I have faith in this group of players and believe that this young team can take another small step," he said on Friday. Spanish international left-back Joan Capdevila did not train on Friday and is unlikely to start against the Catalans. Should he fail a late fitness test, the defender will be replaced by former Barcelona player Rodri.
Meanwhile, experienced central defender Juanma looks set to return at the back, with Alvaro Arbeloa coming in at right back. Having been left out of the game against Getafe, youngsters Cristian Hidalgo and Juan Rodriguez could also both play in midfield, while the in-form Javier Arizmendi looks set to move to a supporting role up front, with Riki dropping to the bench. -
Sociedad hoping to improve form against Levante
The Primera Ligas bottom club Real Sociedad badly need to start picking up the points, and Saturdays trip to Valencia to play Levante could be just the opportunity. New coach Miguel Angel Lotina got off to a losing start last weekend with a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Villarreal at the Anoeta. And the former Celta Vigo and Espanyol coach admits the club badly needs its first win of the season after harvesting only two points from their eight matches so far.
Lotina told club website www.realsociedad.com: "We are capable of beating any team. If you analyse football, you need to look at how it is played in the street. If you win you are happy and if you lose your head goes down. But in our situation a defeat does not just signal a bad week but a week less. The only thing we have in our favour is that we still have time on our side, but we can not afford to waste one more minute losing or one more minute without winning. We are going to see if we can start (winning) on Saturday."
Asked if he would settle for a draw, he said: "Lets stop talking about draws because we are capable of beating anyone. We will see after the game but if we go there feeling we can not win then we will achieve nothing. A dream is something you can achieve provided you are prepared to work hard to get there and do things well. Our dream is to win on Sunday."
Lotina has made only one change from the squad that was on duty against Villarreal with Xabi Prieto coming in after recovering from injury. He replaces Fabio Felicio, who pulled a muscle against the Yellow Submarine and is not yet ready to return. For Levante, their Republic of Ireland international Ian Harte is nearing fitness and could even return to full training next week but is not yet ready for action.
Juan Ramon Lopez Caros club has run into a little difficulty in October where they failed to win a Primera Liga match in four attempts. He will hope the new month brings a change in fortunes for his team. Much of the work on the training ground this week saw Levante try and pay attention to defence, especially against throw-ins and set-pieces.
However, the former Real Madrid boss is determined that his men should not forget other aspects to their game. "We must not forget to score goals," said Lopez Caro. "Playing without scoring goals amounts to nothing." Levantes recent indifferent form has seen them start to slip down the table and if they lose to La Ligas bottom club on Saturday, alarm bells may start to ring for the Valencia-based outfit. -
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drawOriginally posted by anhydrouscoppersulphate:
a. madrid
draw -
homw winOriginally posted by anhydrouscoppersulphate:
home win
away win -
triple drawOriginally posted by anhydrouscoppersulphate:
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Segunda Division
Sporting Gijon [5 - 4] Cadiz
14' [0 - 1] J.S. Gonzalez
17' [0 - 2] Cesar
33' [1 - 2] Barral
36' [2 - 2] D. Castro
42' [3 - 2] Gerardo
45' [3 - 3] J.S. Gonzalez
49' [4 - 3] Congo
53' [4 - 4] A.P. Cruz (pen.)
64' [5 - 4] Jorge
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place your bets
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Levante [1 - 0] Real Sociedad
39' [1 - 0] J.Z. Maria -
barca win
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Fulltime
Levante 2 - 0 Real Sociedad
Mallorca 0 - 0 Atletico Madrid
Deportivo La Coruna 1 - 1 Barcelona -
1/3Originally posted by anhydrouscoppersulphate:draw
a. madrid
draw -
1/3Originally posted by zocoss:homw win
home win
away win -
2/3Originally posted by used:triple draw -
wrong!Originally posted by Dead_Man_Inc:barca win -
Scoreboard
1. used 18pts
2. anhydrouscoppersulphate 11pts
3. striderz_o405 4pts
4. zocoss 4pts
5. ghimpheng 2pts
6. dragg 2pts
==========Relegation Zone==========
7. CKeer 0pts
8. Dead_Man_Inc 0pts
9. lpx88 0pts
all are welcome to join for today's Serie A, La Liga and EPL London Derby matches -
Depor battle back to salvage a point against Barca
RC Deportivo La Coruña battled back from a goal down to earn a point against FC Barcelona at the Riazor on Saturday as the European champions again struggled to find their rhythm.
Barcelona were without captain Carles Puyol who missed the match following the death of his father, but they went ahead from the penalty spot six minutes before half-time after Delgado Juanma had clattered into Saviola just inside the area. Ronaldinho stepped up to slide home his sixth league goal of the season as the Catalan club looked to put the disappointment of Tuesdays UEFA Champions League draw against Chelsea FC behind them. Barcelona had controlled play for long stretches without creating many clear chances, but the goal seemed to spark them to life and Deco was unfortunate to see a low drive skim past the post three minutes before the break.
Deportivo showed great spirit in the second half to take the game to Barcelona and earned their reward 17 minutes from time when Juan Verdú was brought down by Edmilson inside the area. VÃctor Valdés dove low to his left to save Fabián Estoyanovs penalty but Juan RodrÃguez was first to the rebound and he fired the ball back beyond the goalkeeper who got a hand to the shot but could not keep it out. Barça stay top on 20 points, but could be overtaken on Sunday by Sevilla FC who host CA Osasuna while Real Madrid CF, in third, will look to make up ground against RC Celta de Vigo.
Also on Saturday Levante UD ended a run of four games without a win when they overcame bottom side Real Sociedad de Fútbol 2-0. Cameroon striker Albert Meyong Ze scored his first league goal for Levante from a corner just before the break then three minutes from time Damiano Tomassi crossed for Laurent Courtois to volley in. Sociedad remain rooted to the foot of the table without a win this season. Misfiring Club Atlético de Madrid failed to score for the fourth match in succession but still picked up a point in a goalless draw away to RCD Mallorca.