As usual, all eyes in Spain are on Real Madrid and Barcelona, who will be getting together for the second leg of their Copa Del Rey quarterfinal matchup next Wednesday at the Camp Nou.
Before that, however, there’s a full card of Liga action on deck as the Spanish domestic race takes on more definition.
A couple of these battles will be featured this weekend. First, there’s the colorful all-Sevilla battle on Saturday at Estadio Manuel Ruiz de Lopera when the green half of the city, Real Betis, hosts the red half, Sevilla FC. Kickoff time will be 4:00 p.m. (EST), with TV coverage in the states provided by ESPN Deportes. A check with European wagering shops finds the match rated nearly a toss-up, with a Betis win priced at 6/4 and the take-back on Sevilla success at 7/4. The draw sits at 23/10.
On Sunday, focus switches to the capital city, where table-topping Real Madrid will be in action at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu against the pride of Basque country, Athletic Bilbao. Kickoff time in the states will be at 3:30 p.m. (EST), with ESPN Deportes again providing TV coverage. Euro betting outlets have a Real Madrid win priced prohibitively at 1/16, with Bilbao fetching a wild 25/1 for a win (not terribly bad value, considering the quality of the Basque side). The draw is priced at a very interesting 11/1.
A quick check of the Liga table indicates the importance of these two matches. The all-Sevilla battle might not have title implications, but both sides still fancy their chances of European qualification next term. That is especially true for Sevilla, sitting seventh on 25 points, just one point out of Europa League qualification and five points from a Champs League spot.
Crosstown Betis is only three points back on 22 points, but sits in 11th place, reflecting the competitiveness in the Liga race in which Betis is as close to the drop zone (just four points below) as it is to Europe.
Recent form, however, suggests an edge for the home Betis side, which had won three straight prior to last Sunday’s loss vs. high-flying Barcelona. Moreover, Betis has been scoring goals, netting eight in its last four games. Veteran Paraguayan striker Roque Santa Cruz, a world-class forward who for years was featured at Bayern Munich, is in good form and lead Betis with six goals.
Sevilla, meanwhile, are slumping, winless in their last four Liga matchups as opponents have been limiting the damage caused by livewire winger Jesus Navas, who was instrumental in the winning goal for Spain’s national side in the 2010 World Cup final. Sevilla could also use veteran French striker Frederic Kanoute, on a mere three goals for the season, rediscovering his best form in a hurry.
The Sunday matchup at the Bernabeu looks like a mismatch on paper, but dynamics suggest otherwise. Bilbao enters Madrid in a rich vein of form, winning their last three matches (including Copa Del Rey duty) by an aggregate 9-0. Included was a dominant 3-0 win over Levante last Sunday in Liga action and a 2-0 success against Real Mallorca in the first leg of Copa quarterfinal action at midweek.
Bilbao, fifth in the Liga table on 26 points, boasts a world-class quality striker in Fernando Llorente, often part of Spanish national rosters and posting a team-leading seven goals thuis far.
Of course, beating Mallorca and Levante is nothing like beating Real Madrid, but one must wonder if Los Blancos could be looking ahead to the second leg of the Copa Del Rey on Wednesday at Barcelona. Real Madrid not only need to make up a goal after losing 2-1 at home on Wednesday, but they must at least score twice to have a chance to advance on road goals.
Looking for a clue how Jose Mourinho might approach this match, consider last Sunday’s narrow escape at Mallorca as Real Madrid turned in a flat performance prior to the first leg of the Cup tie vs. Barca. Mourinho had kept a couple of regulars, Kaka and Gonzalo Higuain, on the bench at the outset, but sent both on in the second half as he tried to get something out of the match.
Higuain promptly provided the equalizer on 72 minutes before Jose Maria Callejon netted the winner in the 84th minute.
Mourinho, with plenty of firepower in reserve, might be tempted to rest a couple of more frontliners vs. Bilbao, but that could be a risky move.
We’ll be previewing the second leg of the Real Madrid-Barcelona quarterfinal Cup clash in our next Spanish installment on Tuesday.