The 2010/2011 Spanish La Liga season begins this weekend, so here’s everything you need to know about every club competing in the division ahead of the new campaign.
FC Barcelona
Last season; Champions (31-6-1)
Most goals; Lionel Messi (34)
Most assists; Xavi (14)
Key Ins
David Villa (Valencia), Javier Mascherano (Liverpool), Adriano Correia (FC Sevilla)
Key Outs
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (AC Milan – Loan), Yaya Toure (Manchester City), Dmytro Chygrynskiy (Shakhtar Donetsk), Thierry Henry (New York Red Bulls), Rafael Marquez (New York Red Bulls), Martin Caceres (FC Sevilla – Loan)
Coach; Josep Guardiola
Key player; Lionel Messi
Player to watch; Pedro
Barcelona had a near-perfect campaign last term, but there’s been some big-name departures. Toure leaving is the main blow but Mascherano replaces him. Beyond that, the main core of the side which led Barca to the title remains. The question is, is there enough hunger to hold off Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid? With players like Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta along with new man David Villa it’s hard to say no.
Sports Pundit prediction; Champions
Real Madrid
Last season; Runners-up (31-3-4)
Most goals; Gonzalo Higuain (27)
Most assists; Guti & Marcelo (9)
Key Ins
Mesut Oezil (Werder Bremen), Angel di Maria (Benfica), Sami Khedira (VfB Stuttgart), Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea), Sergio Canales (Racing Santander), Pedro Leon (Getafe)
Key Outs
Guti (Besiktas), Raul (Schalke 04), Christoph Metzelder (Schalke 04)
Coach; Jose Mourinho
Key player; Cristiano Ronaldo
Player to watch; Mesut Oezil
Plenty of money has been spent again at the Bernabeu this European summer but the biggest change in Madrid is the arrival of ‘the Special One’ Jose Mourinho who takes the reins at Real. His presence alone is a major boost to their title ambitions but the addition of World Cup sensations di Maria and Oezil bolsters a strong squad. This could be Cristiano Ronaldo’s season after a disappointing World Cup.
Sports Pundit prediction; Runners-up
Valencia
Last season; 3rd (21-8-9)
Most goals; David Villa (21)
Most assists; Ever Banega (8)
Key Ins
Roberto Soldado (Getafe), Mehmet Topal (Galatasaray), Aritz Aduriz (Mallorca), Ricardo Costa (Lille), Alberto Costa (Montpellier), Sofiane Feghouli (Grenoble)
Key Outs
David Villa (FC Barcelona), David Silva (Manchester City), Nikola Zigic (Birmingham City), Carlos Marchena (Villarreal), Alexis Ruano (FC Sevilla), Asier del Horno (Levante – Loan)
Coach; Unai Emery
Key player; Juan Mata
Player to watch; Roberto Soldado
The big news at the Mestalla has been the departure of gun duo David Villa and David Silva. It leaves Valencia’s ambitions severely decreased, but they’ve made some shrewd signings, particularly Aduriz and Soldado, who should inspire them to a top four spot. But Villa scored over a third of their La Liga goals last term and will take some replacing.
Sports Pundit prediction; 5th
Sevilla FC
Last season; 4th (19-6-13)
Most goals; Luis Fabiano (15)
Most assists; Jesus Navas (9)
Key Ins
Martin Caceres (FC Barcelona – Loan), Tiberio Guarente (Atalanta Bergamo), Alexis Ruano (Valencia), Mouhamadou Dabo (Saint-Etienne), Luca Cigarini (Napoli – Loan)
Key Outs
Adriano Correia (FC Barcelona), Sebastien Squillaci (Arsenal), Lolo (Osasuna), Marius Stankevicius (Sampdoria – Loan Return)
Coach; Antonio Alvarez
Key player; Jesus Navas
Player to watch; Alvaro Negredo
It’s been an unusually low-key summer for the usually-ambitious Andalucians who will be eyeing off a Champions League spot after failing in qualifying this season. The departure of defensive rock Squillaci leaves Alvarez with a dilemma at the back, especially considering the club’s new signings aren’t ready-made replacements. But with Luis Fabiano, Jesus Navas and Fredi Kanoute they’ve got enough quality to push for the best-of-the-rest third spot.
Sports Pundit prediction; 3rd
Atletico Madrid
Last season; 9th (13-8-17)
Most goals; Diego Forlan (18)
Most assists; Diego Forlan (6)
Key Ins
Filipe Luis (Deportivo Coruna), Diego Godin (Villarreal), Mario Suarez (Mallorca), Fran Merida (Arsenal)
Key Outs
Roberto Jimenez (Benfica)
Coach; Quique Sanchez Flores
Key player; Diego Forlan
Player to watch; Sergio Aguero
Last season’s Europa League winners will look forward to concentrating on La Liga under Quique Sanchez Flores this term. Diego Forlan is their barometer but tightening up their defence (after shipping 61 goals last season) will be crucial to their success, hence Filipe Luis and Diego Godin’s arrival.
Sports Pundit prediction; 4th
Villareal
Last season; 7th (16-8-14)
Most goals; Nilmar (11)
Most assists; Ariel Ibagaza & Nilmar (5)
Key Ins
Carlos Marchena (Valencia), Borja Valero (West Bromwich), Jozy Altidore (Hull City – Loan Return)
Key Outs
Ariel Ibagaza (Olympiacos), Joseba Llorente (Real Sociedad), Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid), Damian Escudero (Boca Juniors), Ivan Marcano (Getafe – Loan), Sebastian Eguren (Gijon), Robert Pires
Coach; Juan Carlos Garrido
Key player; Santi Cazorla
Player to watch; Nilmar
There’s been plenty of changes for the Yellow Submarine in the past 12 months, but unfortunately it hasn’t brought the desired effect. Marchena and Valero’s arrival will boost their stocks, but it’s hard to see a significant improvement.
Sports Pundit prediction; 8th
Deportivo la Coruna
Last season; 10th (13-8-17)
Most goals; Riki (8)
Most assists; Juan Carlos Valeron & Andres Guardado (5)
Key Ins
Claudio Morel Rodriguez (Boca Juniors), Ruben Perez (Atletico Madrid – Loan), Stopira (Santa Clara), Michel Herrero (Valencia – Loan), Felipe Ramos (Real Madrid Castilla)
Key Outs
Filipe Luis (Atletico Madrid), Mista (Toronto FC), Sergio Gonzalez (Levante), Rodolfo Bodipo (Vaslui – Loan), Ruben Castro (Betis)
Coach; Miguel Angel Lotina
Key player; Andres Guardado
Player to watch; Adrian
Lotina does not have the resources which were once enjoyed at the Riazor, but pressing for Europe is still a realistic ambition. Morel is a useful addition to their tight defence but there’s not much to suggest they’ll go further than midtable.
Sports Pundit prediction; 9th
Mallorca
Last season; 5th (18-8-12)
Most goals; Aritz Aduriz (12)
Most assists; Borja Valero & Gonzalo Castro (8)
Key Ins
Fernando Cavenaghi (Bordeaux – Loan), Jonathan de Guzman (Feyenoord), Edson Ramos (Bunyodkor), Joao Victor (Bunyodkor)
Key Outs
Aritz Aduriz (Valencia), Mario Suarez (Atletico Madrid), Julio Alvarez (Tenerife), Felipe Mattioni (Espanyol)
Coach; Michael Laudrup
Key player; Dudu Aouate
Player to watch; Gonzalo Castro
Financial woes have hurt Mallorca during the summer losing key players like Aduriz, Suarez and Alvarez. Laudrup arrives to steady the ship but he’s got a tough job ahead keeping them in the top-half.
Sports Pundit prediction; 11th
Atletic Bilbao
Last season; 8th (15-9-14)
Most goals; Fernando Llorente (14)
Most assists; Igor Gabilondo & Fernando Llorente (5)
Key Ins
Mikel San Jose (Liverpool)
Key Outs
Joseba Etxeberria (retired), Francisco Yeste (Al Wasl), Inaki Munoz (Cartagena)
Coach; Joaquin Caparros
Key player; Fernando Llorente
Player to watch; Gaizka Toquero
Stability is the key in the Basque country and they’ve got in under Caparros who took them to a top-half finish last term. They’ve got the platform to build on too.
Sports Pundit prediction; 6th
Getafe
Last season; 6th (17-7-14)
Most goals; Roberto Soldado (16)
Most assists; Pedro Leon (9)
Key Ins
Adrian Colunga (Recreativo), Javier Arizmendi (Zaragoza), Victor Sanchez (FC Barcelona – Loan), Ivan Marcano (Villarreal – Loan)
Key Outs
Pedro Leon (Real Madrid), Roberto Soldado (Valencia), Adrian Gonzalez (Racing Santander), David Belenguer (Betis), David Cortes (Hercules)
Coach; Michel
Key player; Dani Parejo
Player to watch; Adrian Colunga
After last season’s dizzying heights, Getafe have lost some key men in Soldado and Leon, which is a worry.
Sports Pundit prediction; 14th
Espanyol
Last season; 11th (11-11-16)
Most goals; Pablo Daniel Osvaldo (7)
Most assists; Fernando Marques (5)
Key Ins
Jesus Datolo (Napoli – Loan), Sergio Garcia (Real Betis), Felipe Mattioni (Mallorca)
Key Outs
Raul Tamudo (Real Sociedad), Nicolas Parejo (Spartak Moscow), Fernando Marques (Parma), Ben Sahar (Hapoel Tel Aviv – Loan), Moises Hurtado (Olympiacos), Facundo Roncaglia (Boca Juniors – Loan Return)
Coach; Mauricio Pochettino
Key player; Luis Garcia
Player to watch; Ivan de la Pena
The Catalans did well under Pochettino last term and should be able to push on.
Sports Pundit prediction; 7th
Osasuna
Last season; 12th (11-10-17)
Most goals; Walter Pandiani (11)
Most assists; Javier Camunas (7)
Key Ins
Lolo (FC Sevilla), Dejan Lekic (Red Star), Fernando Soriano (Almeria), Damia Abella (Real Betis), Asier Riesgo (Real Sociedad)
Key Outs
Cesar Azpilicueta (Marseille), Jorge Galan (Huesca – Loan), Dady (Bucaspor)
Coach; Jose Antonio Camacho
Key player; Walter Pandiani
Player to watch; Juanfran
Camacho should continue to build at Osasuna and with some handy additions another midtable finish is on the cards.
Sports Pundit prediction; 10th
Malaga
Last season; 17th (7-16-15)
Most goals; Duda (8)
Most assists; Duda (7)
Key Ins
Sebastian Fernandez (Banfield), Salomon Rondon (Las Palmas), Sandro Silva (Palmeiras), Quincy Owusu-Abeyie (Al Sadd), Javier Malagueno (Ciudad Juarez), Eliseu (Lazio), Edinho (PAOK – Loan Return), Rodrigo Palatto (Paranaense)
Key Outs
Victor Obinna (Inter Milan), Gustavo Munua (Levante), Milan Stepanov (FC Porto – Loan Return), Valdo (Espanyol – Loan Return), Felipe Caicedo (Manchester City – Loan Return)
Coach; Jesualdo Ferreira
Key player; Duda
Player to watch; Jesus Gamez
The arrival of ex-Porto boss Ferreira will fill Malaga with plenty of confidence. They’ve spent some money on Fernandez, Rondon and Silva and should push towards the top half.
Sports Pundit prediction; 12th
Sporting Gijon
Last season; 15th (9-13-16)
Most goals; Diego Castro Gimenez (10)
Most assists; Alberto Ramos, Diego Castro Gimenez & Miguel de las Cuevas (4)
Key Ins
Sebastian Eguren (Villarreal), Alberto Botia (FC Barcelona), Gaston Sangoy (Apollon Limassol), Ayoze Garcia (Tenerife), Nacho Novo (Rangers)
Key Outs
Kike Mateo (Elche), Jose Maldonado (Cartagena), Gerard (Xerez)
Coach; Manolo Preciado
Key player; Miguel de las Cuevas
Player to watch; Mate Bilic
Gijon have established themselves as a La Liga club nowadays and with some useful additions they’ll ease to survival.
Sports Pundit prediction; 13th
Almeria
Last season; 13th (10-12-16)
Most goals; Kalu Uche (9)
Most assists; Albert Crusat, Pablo Piatti & Juan Manuel Ortiz (4)
Key Ins
Marcelo Silva (Danubio), Diego Valeri (FC Porto – Loan), Miguel Angel Luque (FC Barcelona B), Leonardo Ulloa (CD Castellon), Michael Jakobsen (Aalborg)
Key Outs
Chico (Genoa), Fernando Soriano (Osasuna), Domingo (Santander), Guilherme Oliveira (Valladolid – Loan)
Coach; Juan Manuel Lillo
Key player; Pablo Piatti
Player to watch; Modeste M’Bami
There’s not been alot going on at Almeria this summer, but they’ve retained plenty of quality to ensure they’ll stay up although Soriano and Chico are big losses.
Sports Pundit prediction; 16th
Hercules CF
Last season; 2nd in Segunda Division (19-14-9)
Most goals; Ionel Danciulescu (10)
Key Ins
David Trezeguet (Juventus), Nelson Valdez (Dortmund), Abel Aguilar (Udinese), David Cortes (Getafe), Cristian Pulhac (Dinamo Bucuresti – Loan), Olivier Thomert (Le Mans), Mohamed Sarr (Standard Liege), Piet Velthuizen (Vitesse)
Key Outs
Ionel Danciulescu (Dinamo Bucuresti), Jorge Alonso (Valladolid), Gerardo Noriega (Recreativo)
Coach; Esteban Vigo
Key player; Nelson Valdez
Player to watch; Javier Portillo
Hercules come into La Liga after a good campaign and they’ve been boosted by some decent signings including Trezeguet, Valdez and Aguilar. They look more than capable.
Sports Pundit prediction; 15th
Racing Santander
Last season; 16th (9-12-17)
Most goals; Mohamed Tchite (11)
Most assists; Pedro Munitis (8)
Key Ins
Adrian Gonzalez (Getafe), Kennedy Bakircioglu (Ajax), Domingo (Almeria), Alexandros Tziolis (Siena – Loan), Francis (Xerez)
Key Outs
Sergio Canales (Real Madrid), Toni Moral (Cartagena), Nasief Morris (Panathinaikos – Loan Return)
Coach; Miguel Angel
Key player; Luis Garcia
Player to watch; Pedro Munitis
The challenge will be there for Santander boss Miguel Angel as they hope to stay up again. Canales’ departure is a blow, while the additions aren’t overly encouraging.
Sports Pundit prediction; 19th
Real Sociedad
Last season; Champions in Segunda Division (20-14-8)
Most goals; Carlos Bueno (12)
Key Ins
Raul Tamudo (Espanyol), Joseba Llorente (Villarreal), Diego Ifran (Danubio), Jeffrey Sarpong (Ajax)
Key Outs
Asier Riesgo (Osasuna), Carlos Bueno (Penarol – Loan Return)
Coach; Martin Lasarte
Key player; Claudio Bravo
Player to watch; Raul Bravo
Sociedad come into the Spanish top flight feeling good and they’ve added forwards Tamudo and Llorente and should be able to stay up.
Sports Pundit prediction; 17th
Zaragoza
Last season; 14th (10-11-17)
Most goals; Adrian Colunga (7)
Most assists; Gabi, Jorge Lopez & Lafita (4)
Key Ins
Florent Sinama-Pongolle (Sporting Lisbon – Loan), Leo Franco (Galatasaray), Matteo Contini (Napoli), Nicolas Bertolo (Palermo – Loan)
Key Outs
Adrian Colunga (Recreativo – Loan Return), Juan Pablo Carrizo (Lazio – Loan Return), Eliseu (Lazio – Loan Return), Humberto Suazo (Monterrey – Loan Return), Ruben Pulido (Eskisehirspor), Javier Arizmendi (Getafe)
Coach; Jose Aurelio Gay
Key player; Leo Franco
Player to watch; Florent Sinama-Pongolle
Zaragoza struggled to find reliable avenues to goal last seasons, so Suazo’s departure is a major blow and they’ll need to find a way if they’re to survive.
Sports Pundit prediction; 18th
Levante
Last season; 3rd in Segunda Division (19-14-9)
Most goals; Ruben Suarez & Javi Guerra (12)
Key Ins
Gustavo Munua (Malaga), Valdo (Espanyol), Javi Venta (Villarreal), Sergio Gonzalez (Deportivo Coruna), Asier del Horno (Valencia – Loan), Ignacio Gonzalez (Valencia – Loan), Xavi Torres (Malaga – Loan), Christian Stuani (Reggina – Loan)
Key Outs
Jorge Pina (Albacete), Daniel Carril (Las Palmas), Javi Guerra (Real Mallorca – Loan Return)
Coach; Luis Garcia Plaza
Key player; Gustavo Munua
Player to watch; Asier del Horno
After winning promotion, survival will be a tough ask for Levante. There’s plenty of new signings but probably not the quality needed especially with Javi Guerra heading back to Mallorca.
Posted by: sportspundit.com
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