La Liga
Granada vs Molde – Europa League Preview, Team News & Predicted Line-ups
Granada’s inaugural appearance in the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 pits them against Molde, another debutant at this stage of the tournament. For the first time in history, Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes will host a Norwegian club, with Granada facing the sides from seven different countries so far. Meanwhile, this will be Molde’s fifth European trip to Spain (D2, L2), with two of their last three visits to the country yielding three-goal defeats. You can watch this game and other Europa League matches live online. Granada Preview Granada have enjoyed one hell of a debut European campaign, going from the Europa League second qualifying round all the way to the competition’s last 16. Seven of their 11 European matches this season have seen one or both sides fail to get on the scoresheet, incl...
Three La Masia graduates to join Ilaix Moriba and co in Barcelona first-team
Alex Collado, Alejandro Balde and Angel Alarcon are set to earn a promotion to the Barcelona first-team squad. Collado has been one of the standouts at Barcelona B for a few seasons and has been touted for the first team for a long time. He plays as an attacking midfielder, scoring 15 goals in the Segunda Division B. The 21-year-old has made two appearances for the first team, having been given his debut by Ernesto Valverde in May 2019. Collado in action in a friendly against Arsenal Balde is a Spanish teenager who predominantly plays as a left-back, although he has also been deployed on the wing. The 17-year-old is believed to be one of the most promising talents in the youth team. Alarcon is the youngest of the trio, aged just 16. He joined Barcelona from Espanyol in 2018 and has played ...
Premier League striker ‘would be happy’ to sign for Barcelona this summer
Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero would be happy to sign for Barcelona on a free transfer this summer, Mundo Deportivo reports. The Argentine has been with the Cityzens for a decade and is their all-time top scorer with 256 goals from just 381 appearances in all competitions. However, he has been a lesser influence this term due to injuries and coronavirus and has been limited to only 11 appearances, where he has netted only two goals. The 32-year-old recently said that he is unsure where his future may lie when his contract with the Cityzens expires in June. It is now reported that Aguero’s agent has held talks with Joan Laporta, who was recently elected as the Blaugrana president for a second time. The Argentine is happy to join the Catalan giants with a pay-cut, but will want a sign...
Barcelona offered chance to sign £31.5m Arsenal star through his agent
Barcelona have been offered the chance to sign Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette through his agent, a report from Calciomercato claims. The Frenchman has been with the Gunners since 2017 and has accumulated 59 goals and 28 goals from 158 appearances. Despite the impressive tally, he has struggled for consistency over an entire season, and there is speculation that he could be on the move this summer. Lacazette’s current deal expires in less than 16 months, and the Gunners have yet to open negotiations over a contract renewal. It is now claimed that the 29-year-old is open to leaving the north London club, and his representative has offered his services to Barcelona and Juventus. Sportslens view: Lacazette has reached double figures in terms of goals in his four seasons with the club, but...
Key issues to address for Barcelona’s Joan Laporta: Lionel Messi, wage bill, new signings
Joan Laporta was officially elected as the 42nd president of Barcelona yesterday after receiving 54.28 percent of the votes in his favour. The 58-year-old has taken over the position for the second time, having previously held the role between June 2003 and June 2010. One of the election highlights was Lionel Messi, who was pictured casting his vote alongside Sergio Busquets, Sergi Roberto and Jordi Alba. Laporta was full of praise for the Argentine after he took over as the new president, and his main focus will now lie on convincing the captain to stay put. Messi’s current deal with the club expires in June this year, and it is reported that Laporta will make it a priority to convince the 33-year-old to sign a fresh deal. However, this may not be the only objective for Laporta in the sho...
Alba and Moriba strike as Barcelona claim another three points in title race
Barcelona moved within two points of La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid following a 2-0 away victory over Osasuna on Saturday. The goalkeepers stole the spotlight in the early stages. Marc-Andre ter Stegen produced a fine stop to deny former West Ham United forward Jonathan Calleri from opening the scoring, before Sergio Herrera was shown a red card for handling the ball outside the box with Lionel Messi through on goal. However, the linesman’s flag went up, and replays confirmed that Messi was offside in the build-up. The visitors took the lead on the half-hour mark, with left-back Jordi Alba breaking the deadlock. Messi played a brilliant pass over the top for the Spaniard, who slammed into the roof of the net from a tight angle. Shortly afterwards, La Blaugrana were thankful to Ter Stegen ...
Barcelona, Atletico Madrid ordered to further tighten belts by La Liga
FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid will have to cut down the costs of their squads by more than 35 million euros ($42.14 million) following new salary limits imposed by La Liga on Tuesday to cope with the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The figures, published twice annually following each transfer window, dictate how much teams can spend on players, coaches, support staff and their youth teams. They are calculated in line with revenues, which have been obliterated by coronavirus restrictions preventing fans from attending matches for 12 months while depressing the transfer market and reducing income from merchandising. Barcelona are the club most acutely affected by the new limits and will be forced to reduce their costs by an additional 35.7 million euros, to 347 million. League ...
Barcelona vs Sevilla preview: Can Messi lead another improbable comeback?
Barcelona will be looking to turn the tables on Sevilla when the two sides meet at Camp Nou in the return leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final tie. Goals by Jules Kounde and Ivan Rakitic led Sevilla to a comfortable 2-0 win in the first leg, putting the visitors in the driving seat ahead of the rematch. Although a two-goal cushion favours Sevilla, this tie could go down to the wire, as Barcelona have not lost any of their last 12 competitive matches against this opposition at home (W11, D1). The Copa del Rey is probably the only realistic chance each team have to wrap up silverware this season. Lionel Messi scores and assists as Barcelona beat Sevilla in LaLiga… three days before Copa del Rey semi-final rematchhttps://t.co/FwWilLJPGI — The Sun Football ⚽ (@TheSunFootball) Febru...
Arsenal man reportedly on radar of Barcelona presidential candidate
According to Catalan radio station RAC1, Barcelona presidential candidate Joan Laporta has Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta on his radar as a potential replacement for Ronald Koeman. Sportslens View The La Liga giants are holding an election this weekend in order to bring in a permanent successor to former president Josep Bartomeu, and Laporta is widely seen as the favourite to emerge as the winner. He is eyeing a second stint as Barcelona president, and key changes could be made if he is elected. Current manager Koeman could be asked to leave at the end of the season, and it appears that Laporta wants the Arsenal boss to replace him. Arteta is a product of Barcelona’s famous La Masia, and he is seen as someone who could bring an attractive style of play that produces results and trophies to t...
Injuries galore as Real Madrid face Real Sociedad
Alfredo di Stéfano Stadium is the venue, as in-form Real Madrid face Real Sociedad in a battle of two injury-hit La Liga teams on Monday. The encounter in Madrid wraps up a momentous Matchday 25 that paired the top six sides against each other. Barcelona eased past Sevilla 2-0 in Andalusia to leapfrog Madrid to second and pile more pressure on Zinedine Zidane’s men. If Villarreal do manage to stand their ground against Atletico Madrid on Sunday night, a three-horse title race will return to fashion. The Santiago Bernabeu outfit could tighten the noose on their cross-town rivals who have stumbled lately. In the meantime, despite having a rollercoaster season, Sociedad are still in contention for a top-four finish. They sit fifth, seven points behind fourth-placed Sevilla. With the Anda...
Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Brazil legend Ronaldo ‘the best player in history’
Milan star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has named Brazil legend Ronaldo as ‘the best player in history’. Ibrahimovic expressed his admiration towards the World Cup winner ahead of Milan’s Europa League clash with Red Star Belgrade on Thursday night, while putting him ahead of modern-day greats such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the all-time list of top players. The 39-year-old thinks Ronaldo Nazario, who inspired Brazil to World Cup glory in 2002, transcended the game with his unique talents and still stands out as the unrivalled master of the footballing craft to this day. Zlatan told Discovery Plus: “I don’t need to describe Ronaldo, ‘The Phenomenon’. “I always say you have the players that play the game, and the players that are the game. For me, Ronaldo is the game. When you watch him...
La Liga preview: Real Madrid’s injury crisis, Barcelona’s season might be over, and more
The La Liga season continues this weekend, with the 24th round of fixtures featuring some exciting match-ups. The action gets underway on Friday evening, with Real Betis aiming to stay in touch with the top six as they host Getafe. Atletico Madrid will be eager to maintain their place at the top of the standings when they face Levante on Saturday. Joao Felix should be available for selection for Atletico, but Thomas Lemar, Hector Herrera and Moussa Dembele remain on the sidelines. Real Madrid have numerous injury concerns for their visit to Real Valladolid, with Marcelo, Eder Militao, Sergio Ramos and Alvaro Odriozola all ruled out. Federico Valverde, Rodrygo Goes and Dani Carvajal will also miss the game. Elche versus Eibar and Valencia vs Celta Vigo completes the Saturday line-up. Barcel...
