Matchday 16 - Round-up

Barcelona broke the league record for consecutive away victories with a 1-5 thrashing of local rivals Espanyol in the Catalan derby. Espanyol’s excellent run so far in 2010-11 and their 100% record at the Cornella El Prat this term were supposed to make this an intense and evenly fought tie but it was anything but as the Barca juggernaut rolled on. Pedro and David Villa both notched up braces and Xavi scored the other but Lionel Messi was the real star of the show, despite failing to get on the scoresheet. Pablo Osvaldo hit one back in consolation to end Victor Valdes’ run of many hours without conceding but there was no competitive element in this match and Mauricio Pochettino could only look on in wonder at the sheer brilliance of the opponent.

Earlier on Saturday, Deportivo La Coruna failed to bury their game when they had the chance and they paid a hefty price as Diego Castro scored a late equaliser to salvage a 1-1 draw for Sporting de Gijon at the Riazor. Aythami put the hosts in front early on and Deportivo were dominant in the first half but they could not find a second goal. Manuel Preciado’s team did not give up hope and pressed higher up the field in the second half, for which they eventually reaped their reward.

Athletic Bilbao beat Levante 1-2 at the Ciutat de Valencia thanks to two goals from set-pieces. Igor Gabilondo scored a stunning free-kick early on against the run of play and, even though Levante equalised thanks to rising start Felipe Caicedo, poor marking allowed Javi Martinez to head in a Gabilondo cross midway through the second half. The goals were the only clear chances Athletic created and Luis Garcia Plaza is left to lament his side’s failure to assert their dominance.

It was not the complete performance but Villarreal continue to impress in the final third and the quality of their forwards and attacking midfielders shone through as they consigned Real Mallorca to a 3-1 defeat at the Madrigal. Jonathan De Guzman initially equalised after Santiago Cazorla gave Juan Carlos Garrido’s side an early lead but Giuseppe Rossi capped off a dazzling display with a penalty and Nilmar ended his dry patch with a second half goal to hand the Yellow Submarine all three points.

Valencia broke back into the top four with a last gasp 1-2 win over Real Sociedad at Anoeta on Saturday. A glaring error from Chilean keeper Claudio Bravo allowed Aritz Aduriz steal in to score the winner in second half stoppage time when the game was heading for a draw. Valencia were the better team and deserved the win after shrugging off the early set-back of Xabi Prieto’s penalty to level through Tino Costa and then pressing on in search of victory.

Osasuna were held to a 0-0 at the Reyno de Navarra by bottom of the league side Real Zaragoza on Sunday. Jose Antonio Camacho’s team had plenty of chances to win the game against a very defensive minded Aragonese outfit but they were denied, among other chances, by two Leonardo Ponzio goal-line clearances.

Getafe will head into the festive period in good cheer after beating Almeria 2-3 at the Juegos Mediterraneos in their final league fixture of 2010. Jose Luis Oltra’s men stole a march on their opponent by surging into a two-goal first half lead thanks to strikes from Kala Uche and Leandro Ulloa, but Getafe were dominant after Almeria’s second goal and Manu del Moral, Miku and Derek Boateng all got on the score sheet to complete a gratifying comeback. 

Three goals from set-pieces gave Atletico Madrid a comfortable 0-3 win over Malaga at the Rosaleda on Sunday, condemning Manuel Pellegrini’s side to a place in the relegation zone for the duration of the winter break. Malaga were defensively woeful again at home, leaking two goals to Tiago and one to Alvaro Dominguez and their attacking impotency gave them no options to get back in the game having fallen behind early on.

Real Madrid squeezed three points out of Sevilla with a 1-0 win at the Santiago Bernabeu this weekend. It was an ugly, hotly-contested encounter, which will be remembered more for the bad blood on the touchline and ugly fouls on the pitch than attractive football, which was distinctly lacking on both sides. Ricardo Carvalho’s harsh dismissal at the start of the second half looked to have prejudiced Real’s chances but a solo goal from Angel di Maria eventually decided the game in the home side’s favour and Mouhamadou Dabo was sent off in the closing minutes to level the playing field.

Racing Santander and Hercules concluded La Liga football in 2010 with a dull 0-0 draw at the Sardinero on Monday night. The game threw up very few chances but Hercules substitute Javier Portillo came the closest to scoring when he hit the post late in the second half.

Matchday 16 - Player to Watch

Kiko Femenia (Hercules)

Royston Drenthe and Nelson Valdez are among four players suspended for Hercules' clash with Racing Santander on Monday night, so there will be attacking midfield places up for grabs. Even if those two were fit, Kiko Femenia's name might have been on the team sheet at the Sardinero. Femenia is the youngest member of Esteban Vigo's first team squad and one of the youngest regulars in La Liga. The 19-year old native of Alicante made his debut more than two years ago and was an exciting new addition to La Liga this season following Hercules' promotion. The right winger is incisive and direct in his style and likes to take on defenders and find shooting positions. Domingo Cisma or Christian Salas will be marking him if he starts in Cantabria and either one will have a busy evening trying to keep up with the energetic teenager.

Matchday 16 - Featured Preview: Espanyol vs Barcelona

Espanyol are exceeding all expectations this season and they still run with a 100% record at the Cornella El Prat heading into the biggest game of their season against city rivals FC Barcelona. Pep Guardiola's team may have more important rivals to worry about than their smaller neighbours but they are still always very serious about the Catalan derby and it holds an extra charm this year given the form of Los Pericos at their new stadium. Barca won't worry too much about their opponent's game, however. They head to El Prat confident in the knowledge that at their best they are the strongest team in the world and they have been at their best lately.

ESPANYOL

Player to Watch: Javi Marquez

Espanyol were beaten at San Mames last weekend despite taking the lead against Athletic Bilbao. Defeat for Villarreal and a draw for Valencia means that Mauricio Pochettino's side still sit in 4th place and possess a three point cushion over Unai Emery's team below them. Despite their defeat in the Basque country on matchday fifteen, Espanyol arrive at this weekend's Catalan derby with Barcelona in a good mood and there is a feeling that, despite league leaders' Barcelona's imperious form, Los Pericos could upset Pep Guardiola's team at the Cornella El Prat stadium, where they boast a 100% record in the league in 2010-11. It is bound to be a competitive, highly charged derby. Espanyol are DWWWL in their last five matches.

Raul Baena and Javi Marquez return from suspension this weekend. Baena could start from the bench with Marquez linking up with Aldo Duscher in holding midfield behind Joan Verdu, Jose Callejon and Luis Garcia in support of lone striker Pablo Osvaldo. Jesus Datolo will drop to the bench after deputizing for Marquez last week against Athletic Bilbao. Ferran Coro, Javi Lopez, Raul Rodriguez, Ernesto Galan, Felipe Mattioni and Ivan de la Pena make up the injury list and Ivan Alonso has been dropped for the biggest game of the season so far, giving yet another indication that he is not in the manager’s immediate plans. The back four is nearly at full strength so Pochettino will have some tough decisions about whom to start in front Carlos Kameni. Juan Forlin, Didac Vila, Javier Chica, David Garcia, Jordi Amat and Victor Ruiz are all in contention.

Possible starting XI: (4-2-3-1) Carlos Kameni; Didac Vila, Victor Ruiz, Javier Chica, Juan Forlin; Javi Marquez, Aldo Duscher; Luis Garcia, Joan Verdu, Jose Callejon; Pablo Osvaldo;

BARCELONA

Player to Watch: Pedro

Barcelona wrought havoc on Real Sociedad at the Camp Nou last weekend and ended up beating the Basques 5-0. It was the Cules 9th consecutive league win and they haven't conceded a goal in six matches despite amassing a total of 26 goals in the same period. They are in record-breaking form but they will be very wary of their next opponent, city rivals Espanyol, whom they visit at the Cornella El Prat stadium where Mauricio Pochettino's men have a 100% record this season. Espanyol have surprised a lot of people by laying down an early challenge for a Champions League spot and they currently reside in 4th so this is one of the most eagerly anticipated Catalan derbies in many years. If Barca play near to their mesmerizing full potential, they will beat Los Pericos on Saturday. If for some reason they do not, this encounter, which is likely to be physical and intense, could be extremely intriguing.

Gabi Milito is working hard on his fitness to earn the all-clear from the club doctors but he will not be fit before the New Year. Jeffren Suarez was the other injury concern after tweaking his groin against Rubin Kazan in the final Champions League group game but he is training again and is hoping to pass a late fitness test to warrant his inclusion on Saturday. He will not start, of course, as Guardiola is set to wheel out his “gala” eleven at Cornella. Victor Valdes’ goal will be protected by Carles Puyol, Dani Alves, Eric Abidal and the returning Gerard Pique, who will replace Maxwell after being rested as a precaution last weekend to avoid accumulating five yellow cards, which would have ruled him out here. Javier Mascherano will have to give way in midfield, I expect, as Sergi Busquets, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta line up in midfield. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi, Pedro Rodriguez and David Villa will take to the field up front to form the most intimidating attacking triumvirate in world football. Villa and Messi often hog the headlines for obvious reasons but Pedro is back to top form and could be the man to unlock the Espanyol defence while they are distracted with the other two forwards.

Possible starting XI: (4-3-3) Victor Valdes; Eric Abidal, Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol, Dani Alves; Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Sergi Busquets; Lionel Messi, David Villa, Pedro;

La Liga - Matchday 16

Saturday 18th December
Villarreal vs Real Mallorca (18:00)

Levante vs Athletic Bilbao (18:00)

Deportivo La Coruna vs Sporting de Gijon (18:00)

Espanyol vs Barcelona (20:00)

Real Sociedad vs Valencia (22:00)
Sunday 19th December

Almeria vs Getafe (17:00)

Osasuna vs Real Zaragoza (17:00)

Malaga vs Atletico Madrid (19:00)
Real Madrid vs Sevilla (21:00)
Monday 20th December
Racing Santander vs Hercules (21:00) 

Matchday 15 - Player of the Round

Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid)

After a slow start to the campaign, "El Kun" is back to his best form and keeping Atletico Madrid in with a chance of qualifying for Champions League football next year, even if they are some way off the pace just ahead of the halfway stage in the season. The Argentine forward hit two goals to help the rojiblancos to a 2-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna at the weekend. Diego Forlan has not been nearly as prolific this term as in recent years so Quique Sanchez Flores could come to rely more and more on Aguero for goals. If he can inspire his team to victory against Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League on Wednesday, Atletico still have a chance of qualifying for the last 32 as long as Aris slip up against Rosenberg.

Matchday 15 - Round-up

A goal from substitute Juan Angel Albin in the 88th minute handed Getafe a deserved 1-0 victory over Villarreal at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez on Saturday night. Michel’s men played the entire second half with ten men following Daniel Cata Diaz’s dismissal but they performed better in that period than they had with numerical parity. Albin’s heroic status was tarnished by the fact that he stupidly removed his shirt while celebrating his goal was subsequently sent off for a second bookable offence. 

Two first half goals from in-form hitman Sergio Aguero gave Atletico Madrid a 2-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna at the Vicente Calderon. Despite playing five men at the back, Miguel Angel Lotina’s men played a high line and Atletico exploited the space with quick counter attacks. Diego Forlan missed a penalty before El Kun put the home side ahead but his blushes were spared by the individual brilliance of his strike partner.

Sevilla fell to their 5th consecutive defeat in all competitions with a dire 1-3 reverse to provincial rivals Almeria at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. Fredi Kanoute, who scored the only home goal, missed a penalty and Alexis was sent off late on to confound Sevilla’s night, but the credit should go to Jose Luis Oltra’s team, who earned themselves a relegation reprieve thanks to a Fabian Vargas goal and two wonderful strikes from Argentine gem Pablo Piatti.

Sporting de Gijon are now eight league games without a win as they failed to beat Levante at the Molinon on Sunday afternoon. In fact, Manuel Preciado’s team had to chase the game for nine second half minutes after Felipe Caicedo put the visitors in front but man-of-the-match Jose Angel went on to set up Sebastian Eguren for an equaliser and the match finished 1-1.

Hercules put in a magnificent second half performance to overhaul a half time deficit and eventually crush Malaga 4-1 at the Jose Rico Perez. Sebastian Fernandez put the visitors in front in the first half but the Alicante-based club came flying out of the traps in the second half and goals from David Trezeguet, Royston Drenthe, Abraham Paz and Kiko Femenia gave Esteban Vigo’s side a well-deserved victory against Manuel Pellegrini’s defensively catastrophic team.

Like Hercules, Athletic Bilbao went into the half time break losing but managed to turn the game around to beat Espanyol 2-1 at San Mames. The scoreline was not as impressive as in Alicante but the second half performance from the Basques was equally emphatic and they managed to overturn a side who did not simply roll over like Malaga. Joaquin Caparros’ second half changes proved vital as Pablo Osvaldo’s goal was cancelled out by Fernando Llorente before David Lopez hit a winner twelve minutes from time. 

Oscar Serrano made a dream comeback from a long-term injury, scoring a second half stoppage time winner to give Racing Santander a 0-1 victory over Real Mallorca at the Iberostar Estadi. It was the Cantabrians’ first away win of the season and it came at the ground of one of the strongest home teams in the division. Michael Laudrup’s men could have won the game in the second half but Tono made a stunning save to deny Victor Casadeus with the goal gaping.

Real Zaragoza set out their stall to make life difficult for Real Madrid at the Romareda but, after a difficult opening ten minutes or so for the visitors, Jose Mourinho’s men eventually took control of the game and surged into a three goal lead thanks to strikes from Mesut Ozil, Cristiano Ronaldo and Angel di Maria. Gabi spoiled Iker Casillas 400th appearance by scoring from the penalty spot but Real’s were never in danger of squandering their lead and it finished 1-3.

Despite everything they’ve won and the slick style in which they’ve done it, this Barcelona team under Pep Guardiola just keeps getting better and better. A 5-0 win over Real Sociedad on Sunday was just one in a long line of stunning results built around sublime performances. David Villa, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi (twice) and Bojan scored the goals but it should also be noted that they kept yet another clean sheet as the defensive efficiency of the side continues to increase. This team is truly one for the history books having already surpassed the feats of Johan Cruyff’s “Dream Team” and Real Madrid’s “Quinta del Buitre”.

Valencia threw away a two-goal half time lead against Osasuna to draw 3-3 at Mestalla on Monday night. Roberto Soldado, Marius Stankevicius and Aritz Aduriz scored in the first half with one in response from Juanfran Torres but Jose Antonio Camacho’s side rallied late on, cancelling out the deficit with goals from Miguel Flano and Carlos Aranda and they could have even won the game such was the nervousness displayed by the home team towards the end.

Matchday 15 - Featured Preview: Valencia vs Osasuna

Villarreal and Espanyol both lost at the weekend so Valencia have an inviting opportunity to close the gap on the top four when they host Osasuna at Mestalla on Monday night. The relationship between Los Che manager Unai Emery and Osasuna boss Jose Antonio Camacho is decidedly frosty so both misters will be desperate to get one over on the other. While Valencia concerns themselves with European qualification, Osasuna's priorities are altogether more sobering. The Pamplonas sit just two points above the relegation zone with two league matches remaining (including this one) before the brief winter break.

VALENCIA

Player to Watch: Pablo Hernandez

Valencia concluded a difficult few days with a satisfactory 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford in midweek. Pablo Hernandez's opening goal did give Unai Emery some hope that his team would beat the Red Devils and overhaul them at the top of their Champions League group to earn a seeded place in the last-16 draw later this month. In the end it was not to be, although 1-1 in Manchester represents a much better result than the 2-0 league defeat to Real Madrid last Saturday. Emery will be hoping for a return to normality with a victory over Osasuna on Monday night. Los Che are DWWLD in their last five matches and they are now playing catch up with the top four. They currently reside 5th but Espanyol are four points above them in the last Champions League spot. Valencia beat Osasuna home and away in the league last season, triumphing 3-0 when they met at Mestalla.

Emery tends to save the 4-4-2 formation, which includes both Roberto Soldado and Aritz Aduriz, for the games against the so-called "smaller" clubs so we can expect to see both on Monday. Joaquin, Mehmet Topal, Bruno Saltor and Vicente are hoping to return after being left out in midweek. Joaquin's return could be blocked by Pablo Hernandez's key role in the Man Utd draw as he and Juan Mata could occupy the wide roles. Having said that, Emery has a deep squad and he likes to chop and change. Miguel Angel Moya is still injured and Tino Costa and David Albelda (two matches) have both been handed bans by the federation. With those latter two out and Manuel Fernandes overlooked yet again, Mehmet Topal, Hedwiges Maduro and Ever Banega will compete for central midfield berths. Marius Stankevicius was not eligible in Europe but is available again to compete in a competitive back line where every position is covered by at least two experienced players thanks to the return of captain David Navarro after a couple of games out through injury. Vicente Guaita was another of the heroes on Tuesday and he could be rewarded by keeping his place ahead of Cesar.

Possible starting XI: (4-4-2) Vicente Guaita; Jeremy Mathieu, David Navarro, Ricardo Costa, Luis Miguel; Ever Banega, Hedwiges Maduro, Pablo Hernandez, Juanma Mata; Roberto Soldado, Aritz Aduriz;

OSASUNA

Player to Watch: Walter Pandiani

Osasuna have had a tough run of games and there will be no let up on Monday night when they visit Valencia at Mestalla. The Pamplonans were at the centre of a travel storm on matchday fourteen as Barcelona initially refused to drive to Navarre by bus on the day of the game. Barca eventually conceded and they came to the Reyno de Navarra and soundly defeated Osasuna 0-3. That took Jose Antonio Camacho's team to LLWLL in their last five matches in all competitions and dropped them to 13th in the league table. As if arriving at Mestalla in troublesome form wasn't enough, Osasuna carry the unfortunate antecedent of having lost home and away to Valencia during the 2009-10 season, including a 3-0 defeat when they met on the east coast.

Javier Camunas had to come off last week against Barcelona and the diagnosis was fairly upsetting: a hamstring injury will keep one of Camacho's key players on the sidelines for up to six weeks, thus ruling him out until 2011. He joins Ruper and Damia Abella on the definite injury list and a knock picked up this week by Krisztian Vadocz also puts his participation on Monday in doubt. Javier Calleja is still carrying a slight problem from the week prior. There was some positive news for Camacho, however, as Nacho Monreal has passed all his medical tests and has been able to train normally after a minor muscular scare. Even better is the news that Carlos Aranda could be set for a return very soon. The former Numancia striker has been out for a few weeks but he resumed full training in the build-up to this game. For the last couple of games, Camacho has started with five attacking midfielders and no recognised strikers but at Mestalla we can expect at least one, if not two, forwards from the outset as Walter Pandiani and Carlos Aranda hope to complete their comebacks. In defence, Nelson is likely to start again at right back next to Sergio Fernandes, Miguel Flano and Nacho Monreal due to the absence of Damia.

Possible starting XI: (4-2-3-1) Ricardo; Nacho Monreal, Sergio Fernandez, Miguel Flano, Nelson; Patxi Punal, Javad Nekounam; Masoud Shojaei, Fernando Soriano, Juanfran Torres; Walter Pandiani;

Matchday 15 - Player to Watch

Marco Ruben (Villarreal)

Giusuppe Rossi is suspended this weekend so, after some impressive substitute performances and some successful outings in the Europa League, 24-year-old striker Marco Ruben is expected to replace the pint-sized Italio-American up front alongside Nilmar against Getafe at the Coliseum on Saturday night. The Argentine forward will struggle to break into the first team at the Madrigal as long as Nilmar and Rossi are around but he is a tricky, energetic player who could quickly explode to prominence if provided with a window of opportunity. That nearly came earlier in the year when Wigan agreed a fee in principle to sign the player but the deal fell through so he continues to warm the bench under Juan Carlos Garrido in his first full season with the Villarreal first team squad. Ruben is yet to score in La Liga but he should have plenty of opportunities if he plays this weekend with the likes of Borja Valero, Ruben Cani and Santi Cazorla providing him with ammunition.

La Liga - Matchday 15

Saturday 11th December
Getafe vs Villarreal (18:00)

Sevilla vs Almeria (20:00)

Atletico Madrid vs Deportivo La Coruna (22:00)

Sunday 12th December

Real Mallorca vs Racing Santander (17:00)

Athletic Bilbao vs Espanyol (17:00)

Sporting de Gijon vs Levante (17:00)

Hercules vs Malaga (17:00)

Real Zaragoza vs Real Madrid (19:00)
Barcelona vs Real Sociedad (21:00)
Monday 13th December
Valencia vs Osasuna (21:00) 

Matchday 14 - Player of the Round

Pedro Rios (Getafe)

Getafe are looking for new heroes to step into the boots of departed talismen Roberto Soldado and Pedro Leon and Pedro Rios is emerging as one of the prime candidates to carry the torch at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez. After barely featuring in his first season at the club, Rios has emerged ahead of the likes of summer signings Borja Fernandez and Javier Arizmendi to nail down a regular place on the right wing where, thanks to the deployment of two defensive midfielders, the Jerez-born player has licence to commit himself far up the field without worrying too much about defending. This plays to his strengths and he took full advantage on Sunday with two brilliant first half goals to effectively kill off Real Mallorca's challenge within the first forty-five minutes at the Coliseum. We finally saw a glimpse of the attacking potential of Michel's team at the weekend and Pedro Rios is likely to be central to Getafe's plans to qualify for Europe once again next year, after the disappointment of last week's early Europa League exit.

Matchday 14 - Round-up

Real Madrid responded immediately to their Clasico disappointment with a 2-0 win over Valencia at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday night. Two late goals by Cristiano Ronaldo handed Jose Mourinho’s team victory in controversial circumstances after David Albelda was the subject of a very harsh dismissal by Perez Lasa for a phantom handball. Unai Emery’s men did not make it easy but Real are a superior side and they deserved the win here after creating more chances than their opponent.

Barcelona refused to use the uncertainty surrounding this tie amidst the travel chaos on Saturday as an excuse in Pamplona, as they put in a thoroughly professional performance to beat Osasuna 0-3 at the Reyno de Navarra. The game was decided by a goal from Pedro Rodriguez and a double strike from Balon D’Or candidate Lionel Messi.

Levante not only humbled Atletico Madrid 2-0 at the Ciutat de Valencia this weekend, but they did it in style as they nullified Quique Sanchez Flores’ team’s attacking threat and played some excellent football on their way to an important home victory. Victoriano Nano’s very early goal was a crucial juncture and, when Felipe Caicedo hit a second just over ten minutes into the second half, it was clear the game was over.

Espanyol made it seven wins out of seven at the Cornella El Prat stadium this season with a 1-0 win over Sporting de Gijon on Sunday. Mauricio Pochettino’s went ahead through Luis Garcia in the second half despite playing with ten men following the dismissal of Raul Baena. It took a physical, unattractive finale for Los Pericos to close out the game but the reward was a four point cushion in 4th place.

Neither Almeria nor Real Zaragoza was interested in a draw in this bottom of the table clash but the points were eventually shared at the Juegos Mediterraneos as Pablo Piatti cancelled out Gabi’s second half penalty to earn Jose Luis Oltra’s team a 1-1 tie. Fragile in defence and wasteful in attack: it is little wonder these two teams occupy the last two slots at the foot of the La Liga classification.

Pedro Rios put in a scintillating display to lead Getafe to a 3-0 win over Real Mallorca at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez. Michael Laudrup’s team looked weary after their tiresome trip, which was complicated by the air traffic control strike. But even a fresh team would have had trouble coping with Pedro Rios in this form. He scored two first half goals to guarantee victory long before Dani Parejo finished the visitors off late in the second period.

Racing Santander’s miserable stretch away from home continued on matchday fourteen as Malaga thrashed the Cantabrians 4-1 at the Rosaleda. Eliseu and Jose Rondon were the main protagonists for the home side, who looked the most impressive we have seen them under new boss Manuel Pellegrini. Eliseu opened the scoring and Recio doubled the lead before Markus Rosenberg cut the deficit on the stroke of half time. However, two fine assists by Brazilian winger Eliseu allowed Jose Rondon to increase his tally to five goals in 2010-11 while simultaneously condemning Miguel Angel Portugal’s side to a heavy defeat.

A solitary first half goal from Nilmar was enough to hand Villarreal a 1-0 win over Sevilla at the Madrigal on Sunday, extending Gregorio Manzano’s team’s losing streak to four games. Juan Carlos Garrido’s men were superior in the first half and, even when Sevilla reacted in the second period, they could not find a breakthrough with the exception of an Alvaro Negredo goal which was wrongly disallowed for offside. 

Real Sociedad won bragging rights in the Basque Country on Sunday night as they beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 at Anoeta. Xabi Prieto was the star for the hosts, scoring a penalty and forcing an own-goal, while former Liverpool cadet Mikel San Jose was the villain of the piece, conceding the penalty and scoring the own-goal which consigned his team to defeat. 

A set-piece move converted by Lassad Nouioui was the only difference between Deportivo La Coruna and Hercules in an overly tactical and, frankly, boring game at the Riazor. Both teams looked more interested in maintaining clean sheets than scoring but Miguel Angel Lotina’s decision to stick with the five man defence was finally justified by his team’s 1-0 victory.

Matchday 14 - Player to Watch

Tote (Hercules)

His bad boy attitude may have held him back at times in his career, but Tote is a player of impeccable quality, another example of the techincal fomentation process at Real Madrid's academy which is rarely given an opportunity to blossom at first team level. Tote started the season very well but quickly fell behind fitter, younger players like Kiko Femenia, Tiago Gomes and Olivier Thomert in the battle for the third and final attacking midfield slot next to Nelson Valdez and Royston Drenthe. An excellent game against Levante last weekend should prompt Esteban Vigo to start the former Real Madrid player at the Riazor and he has the vision and passing range to unlock even a five-man Deportivo defence.

Matchday 14 - Featured Preview: Deportivo La Coruna vs Hercules

This week, Monday night football sees Esteban Vigo's Hercules side visit Deportivo La Coruna at the Riazor. Depor have pulled clear of the relegation zone after an impressive November but they were beaten badly by Racing Santander on matchday thirteen and Miguel Angel Lotina will hope to get back on track this weekend against the small promoted club from Alicante. Hercules have surprised many since they returned to the top flight, however, and a brief glance at their team sheet suggests that they no longer deserve to be labelled minnows.

DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA

Player to Watch: Pablo Alvarez

Deportivo La Coruna's recent renaissance suffered a setback last weekend as they fell to a 1-0 defeat away to Racing Santander, which could have been a lot worse but for the profligate finishing of their victors. That ended an extended unbeaten run by the Galician club and made it WWDWL in their last five matches in the Primera Division. Their chance to get immediately back on track comes next Monday at home to Hercules. If they are to respond with a win, Miguel Angel Lotina's side will have to be far more composed on the ball as they gave it away far too readily at the Sardinero and defended badly despite playing with the five man defence which has served them so well since Lotina first implemented it around five weeks ago. Depor still have a four point cushion over the bottom three from 14th place heading to the Riazor.

Apart from a virus going around which Knut Olav Rindaroy and Jose Ze Castro appear to have got over, Miguel Angel Lotina's injury list looks very much the same with important components Riki, Jose Andres Guardado, Juliano Juca and Michel still missing. There is hope that Guardado will be training fully some time next week and will henceforth be at the manager's disposal but it is too soon to expect him fit by Monday. Lotina faces a bit of a conundrum with his team selection now as the 5-4-1 has worked wonders for them in the last few weeks but form deserted them in Cantabria and they were left with no attacking outlets and a very vulnerable defensive line despite the weight of numbers. The Racing defeat might be filed as a one-off, in which case, we will probably see a repeat of the five man defence and four man midfield behind Adrian up front. Whether or not he sticks with the same personnel is another matter. Pablo Alvarez was the big novelty last week and unfortunately his inclusion conincided with the worst performance for weeks; we will see if it counts against him when the team sheet is read out on Monday. Apart from the injured players, Lotina cannot call on Claudio Morel, who has the club's permission to be in Paraguay for personal reasons.

Possible starting XI: (4-5-1) Daniel Aranzubia; Diego Seaone, Aythami, Diego Colotto, Manuel Pablo, Alberto Lopo; Jonathan Urreta, Ruben Perez, Juan Rodriguez, Pablo Alvarez; Adrian;

HERCULES

Player to Watch: Royston Drenthe

Such has been the impression that Nelson Valdez and David Trezeguet have made in their few short months at the club that speculation is mounting that either or both strikers could be sold for hefty profits in the January transfer window. Hercules, of course, are denying the rumours. After all, why would they want to sell with the two forwards firing the goals that could keep the Alicante-based club in the Primera Division? Valdez and Trezeguet were both on the scoresheet last weekend as Hercules beat Levante 3-1 at the Jose Rico Perez. That win pushed Esteban Vigo's side up to 13th and gave them a healthy five point advantage over the relegation zone dwellers, which the blanquiazules will be hoping to increase on Monday night when they travel to the Riazor to play Deportivo La Coruna. It is about time they got an away win as their last five matches away from their east coast home have garnered just two points in a run of DLDLL.

Royston Drenthe was left out of last week's squad despite declaring himself fit for selection. The week prior, the Holland international was hospitalized due to a stomach ulcer and, although he was later given the medical all-clear by the doctors, the Hercules physios were concerned about his rapid weight loss. This week, the former Real Madrid winger is still claiming he is fully fit and he has been named in the squad to travel to Galicia. Given his excellent form since a summer loan move from Real Madrid, he should come straight back in to re-join Nelson Valdez and either Olivier Thomert, Tote or Kiko Femenia in attacking midfield behind David Trezeguet. Tiago Gomes had an excellent game last week in central midfield so he will continue in the withdrawn position next to Matias Fritzler or Abel Aguilar, while Tote was also near his best and is pushing for a start. Javier Farinos remains the only long term injury victim so he will not be involved. The back four could remain unchanged, with Noe Pamarot, Abraham Paz, Rodriguez and David Cortes starting and Pena trying to force his way in after being named in the squad. Juan Calatayud is back from a suspension and is expected to return in goal but Piet Velthuizen had a fine game in his stead against Levante and will not give up the goalkeeping position without a fight.

Possible starting XI: (4-2-3-1) Juan Calatayud; Abraham Paz, Noe Pamarot, David Cortes, Rodriguez; Tiago Gomes, Matias Fritzler; Tote, Royston Drenthe, Nelson Valdez; David Trezeguet;

La Liga - Matchday 14

Saturday 4th December
Levante vs Atletico Madrid (18:00)

Osasuna vs Barcelona (20:00)

Real Madrid vs Valencia (22:00)

Sunday 5th December

Almeria vs Real Zaragoza (17:00)

Espanyol vs Sporting de Gijon (17:00)

Malaga vs Racing Santander (17:00)

Getafe vs Real Mallorca (17:00)

Villarreal vs Sevilla (19:00)
Real Sociedad vs Athletic Bilbao (21:00)
Monday 6th December
Deportivo La Coruna vs Hercules (21:00) 

Matchday 13 - Player of the Round

Xavi (Barcelona)

Barcelona were recently named the most successful team of the century by the Spanish Research Centre of History and Statistics, beating Manchester United into second place. It is hard to argue with that claim, which is based on numerous statistical criteria. It is no coincidence that Xavi Hernandez has been at the heartbeat of the Barcelona midfield for the entirety of that decade. He has enjoyed some spectacular results since his full debut in 1998, but none of them is likely to eclipse Monday night's 5-0 win over Real Madrid, in which he played a sublime starring role. The foundation of Barca's victory was the unplayable passing of the midfield triumvirate, which Xavi commands with imperious authority. In this form he is impossible to dispossess, barely ever misses a pass and plays balls that 99.9% of players would not even see, let alone be able to pull off. Lionel Messi will continue to attract the plaudits for his dazzling skill and incision and will rightly go down in history as one of the greatest if not the greatest footballer of all time. Yet the beauty of Xavi's game is simplicity. If he wins the Ballon D'or / FIFA World Player of the Year award in January, it will be a monument to one of the most under-rated players in recent memory.