UEFA Champions League

The tie of the round begins at the Emirates Stadium (Arsenal Stadium according to UEFA) as Arsenal and FC Barcelona meet in the knockout phase of the Champions League for the second consecutive year.  When Arsenal failed to win their group, the Gunners always knew that there would be a chance that they would get Barcelona in the Round of 16 draw, and the fates heeded such a matchup between two of the best footballing sides in Europe.

Compared to last season’s tussle in the quarterfinals, the most significant changes between then and now come up front for both teams.  For Arsenal, Robin van Persie did not play in either leg against Barça and now is actually healthy and on fire in front of goal.  Since the beginning of the new year, when he firmly established himself in Arsène Wenger’s starting eleven after easing himself into match fitness in the previous month and a half, he has scored ten goals in nine matches in all competitions.  Marouane Chamakh, who has lost his place in the lineup to van Persie, has had nothing but praise for his teammate, believing van Persie is currently “walking on water” and stating that Arsenal is much better with van Persie than with himself at this moment.

Remember Zlatan Ibrahimovic?  He used to play for Barcelona, and he scored twice in the first leg in London against Arsenal to give the blaugrana a 0-2 lead before Arsenal stormed back late in the second half for a 2-2 draw.  Ibra is now leading the line for AC Milan, and David Villa steps in as the center forward flanked by Pedro Rodríguez and Lionel Messi.  Messi torched Arsenal in the second leg of their quarterfinal with a four-goal romp through their leaky defense, and with Arsenal likely to focus much more manpower on Messi this time around, it will be up to Villa and Pedro to create chances on their own to afford Messi that extra foot of space to work his magic.

Before Arsenal and Barcelona meet on Wednesday night, Valencia and Schalke 04 will perform as the opening act at the Mestalla on Tuesday evening.  Los che return to the knockout phase of the Champions League for the first time in four years, and only five players still belong to the club since Chelsea knocked them out in quarterfinal stage in 2007: Joaquín Sánchez, Miguel Monteiro, David Navarro, Vicente Rodríguez, and David Albelda.  The current striking pair of Roberto Soldado and Aritz Aduriz might not be as fearsome as David Villa and Fernando Morientes were four years ago, but Valencia’s two new additions provide a physicality and an aerial presence that suit Unai Emery’s more pragmatic system.

Schalke’s mediocre form in the Bundesliga has been juxtaposed by their impressive cup play.  Similar to Atlético Madrid last season, where los colchoneros could not find their feet in La Liga yet won the UEFA Europa League and lost in the Copa del Rey final to Sevilla, Schalke sits a middling tenth in the league yet has reached the semifinal of the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) and won their group in the Champions League.

Die Knappen has more than a tad of Spanish flavor in their squad with Spanish natives José Jurado and leading goalscorer and Real Madrid legend Raúl and former Real Madrid players Christoph Metzelder and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.  Schalke will keep it tight in the midfield, especially away from home, and with their last five Bundesliga matches ending with only one goal in each of those games, expect a tactical affair, especially with Felix Magath and Unai Emery at the helm of these two teams.

Feb. 15

Valencia vs. Schalke 04 – 2:30 PM on FSN HD (5:00 PM delayed on Fox Soccer Channel HD and Fox Deportes)

Feb. 16

Arsenal vs. FC Barcelona – 2:30 PM on Fox Soccer Channel HD and Fox Deportes

UEFA Europa League

The defending champions Atlético Madrid fell meekly out of the competition in the group stage, and Getafe simply was not good or deep enough to make it out of their group, but the two strongest Spanish representatives in the Europa League, Villarreal and Sevilla, made it through to the knockout phase.  Villarreal travels to the Stadio San Paolo to face Napoli in the tie of the round in a matchup of devastating front lines: Giuseppe Rossi and Nilmar for Villarreal against Edinson Cavani, Ezequiel Lavezzi, and Marek Hamšik for Napoli.

Napoli’s stellar surprise season has been headed by Italy’s top scorer Edinson Cavani, but the knock on the Neapolitans has been that they could not win against the top clubs in Serie A.  They went into the Stadio Olimpico against AS Roma on Saturday in the Derby del Sole, where they had not won since 1993 and thoroughly deserved their 0-2 win against a Champions League-caliber team.  With Walter Mazzarri successfully staying with his attacking 3-4-2-1 formation, Napoli has reemerged as a team worth reckoning in European competitions.

Villarreal has taken a downward trend in the past couple of weeks, inexplicably losing consecutive league matches to Levante and Deportivo La Coruña, and trainer Juan Carlos Garrido has had to motivate a suddenly disinterested team on the pitch.  A European night against the number two team from Serie A should instantly pique the players’ interest, and especially the atmosphere that will be created by the Napoli faithful at the San Paolo will only help to help Villarreal focus as their minds have meandered from the task at hand in recent times.

Feb. 17

Napoli vs. Villarreal – 12:50 PM on DirecTV channel 481 (481-1 for HD)

Sevilla vs. FC Porto – 3:00 PM on DirecTV channel 481 (481-1 for HD) (delayed at 5:00 PM on Gol TV HD)

UEFA Champions League

While Real Madrid and Barcelona can earn their spots into the knockout round with wins against AC Milan and FC København, respectively, and will likely qualify even without victories in Matchday 4, Valencia does not have that margin of error as they play their reverse fixture against Rangers on Tuesday night.

Ever since Barcelona surged in the second half against Valencia to turn a 0-1 match into a 2-1 victory for los culés, Valencia has not won in La Liga or the Champions League.  Their only win during this period was a 0-3 first leg win in the Copa del Rey against Segunda División B side UD Logroñés, who were founded only one year ago.

With Manchester United likely garnering the three points against pointless Bursaspor in Turkey, Valencia and Rangers will fight it out for second position in the group, and if the first match between these two clubs is any barometer of future happenings, Valencia cannot afford to play less than their “A” game if they want to record a win over their Scottish rivals.

Criticism has rained down on trainer Unai Emery despite their fourth place position in La Liga because of Emery’s supposed conservatism when it comes to formation and tactics.  Juan Mata certainly has not helped Emery’s cause, as his poor form has relegated the Spanish international to the substitute’s bench in favor of Vicente Rodríguez.  Emery will have to open up their play against Rangers, as they should expect the men from Glasgow to play defensively and break on the few counter-attacking opportunities they will fashion against Valencia.

While Rangers will likely not completely sit back in their own half as they did against Manchester United when they came out of Old Trafford with an admirable 0-0 draw, they will not be as cavalier as they were at Ibrox when they drew with Valencia 1-1, a match Rangers should have won.

Valencia should be extra wary of Rangers because they lost their 100% record in the Scottish Premier League when Inverness Caledonian Thistle striker Eric Odhiambo equalized in the 81st minute and handed Rangers its first draw of the season.  The match was the classic “look ahead” match, as Rangers probably had one eye on their game at the Mestalla against Valencia and did not fully focus on Inverness.  Rangers will definitely have their full attention against Valencia, and this match should produce fireworks on both ends of the pitch.

Nov. 2

Valencia vs. Rangers – 3:30 PM on Fox Soccer Plus HD

FC København vs. FC Barcelona – 3:30 PM on Fox Deportes and DirecTV channel 482 (482-1 for HD)

Nov. 3

AC Milan vs. Real Madrid – 3:30 PM on Fox Soccer Channel HD

UEFA Europa League

Villarreal and Sevilla look comfortable in their groups to earn their spots into the final thirty-two of the Europa League, but the two Madrid clubs, Getafe and Atlético Madrid, have the most to lose on Matchday 4.

Getafe has only earned three points from three matches, and they sit six points behind group leaders Stuttgart and three points behind second place Young Boys.  With Odense as the whipping boys of this group, Young Boys will likely win in their reverse fixture against Odense, which would give the Bern club nine points.  If this scenario occurs, it is almost imperative that Getafe win their home match against Stuttgart on Thursday to have any chance of surviving to the next stage of the Europa League.

For Atlético Madrid, they are in the tightest group of the twelve in the Europa League, as Bayer Leverkusen leads the group with five points, Aris and Atlético trailing by only one on four points, and last place Rosenborg only two behind on three points.

Atlético will travel nearly 3,000 kilometers to Trondheim to face Rosenborg on Thursday evening, and the rain/snow conditions forecasted for that evening will affect Atlético’s slick passing game.  Atlético has fallen off since their terrific beginning, when los colchoneros almost began to believe they had a chance to compete for the La Liga title.  Atlético’s fans, the fatalists/pessimists that they are, believed that too much good was happening, and that soon the suffering would return, and it has.  Diego Forlán’s World Cup hangover persists, and Sergio Agüero, who has been stellar this season, cannot keep himself healthy for a string of games.

Los rojiblancos should be wary of Rosenborg, even though they handled them easily 3-0 at the Vicente Calderón on Matchday 3 because Rosenborg has already won the Norwegian Premier League a couple of weeks ago, so they have turned all their energy into qualification for the first knockout round of the Europa League.  Whereas Steffen Iversen, Rade Prica, and Per Skjelbred looked ordinary against Atlético in Madrid, they play much better at home, where they have not lost all season in their domestic league and won their only home match in the group stage thus far, a 2-1 win over Aris.

Nov. 4

Rosenborg vs. Atlético Madrid – 1:55 PM on DirecTV channel 482 (482-1 for HD)

PAOK vs. Villarreal – 1:55 PM on DirecTV channel 483 (483-1 for HD)

Getafe vs. Stuttgart – 4:00 PM on DirecTV channel 482 (482-1 for HD)

Sevilla vs. Karpaty Lviv – 4:00 PM on DirecTV channel 483 (483-1 for HD)

UEFA Champions League

If judging by current form at this very minute, Real Madrid might be playing the best football in Europe.  After their opening few matches where they could not kick the ball into the Mediterranean Sea, their ten goal outburst against Deportivo La Coruña and Málaga in their last two matches shows signs that the squad is starting to meld together under the José Mourinho system and tactics.  While many would hardly consider those two teams as world-beaters, Real Madrid’s confidence will be put to the test when they host seven-time European Cup champions AC Milan at the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday evening.

The AC Milan team that Real Madrid played twice in the group stage last season looks completely different than the one with whom they will clash on Tuesday.  Leonardo no longer coaches Milan, and current trainer Massimiliano Allegri has brought a more offensive system to the rossoneri.  Whereas Ronaldinho and Clarence Seedorf provided passes for Marco Borriello and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar to finish Milan moves, owner Silvio Berlusconi added über-talented and want-away stars Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho from FC Barcelona and Manchester City respectively to join Alexandre Pato up front.  Ibrahimovic and Robinho both have chips on their shoulder with the way that both exited from their former teams, and while Milan will be considered the underdog in this matchup, the two matches against Real should be contested at a much more even level than last season.

The times listed are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and include the pregame pleasantries, although sometimes the matches on the DirecTV La Liga specific channels may not go to match coverage until right before kickoff.

Oct. 19

Real Madrid vs. AC Milan – 2:30 PM on Fox Soccer Channel HD and Fox Deportes

Oct. 20

FC Barcelona vs. FC København – 2:30 PM on Fox Deportes (delayed at 5:00 PM on Fox Soccer Channel HD)

Rangers vs. Valencia – 2:30 PM on DirecTV channel 482 (482-1 for HD) (delayed Thursday at 12:30 AM on Fox Soccer Channel HD)

UEFA Europa League

While none of the Spanish teams face dire consequences in their groups if they suffer losses on Matchday 3 of the Europa League, Atlético Madrid needs a win the most of the four because they have not won a match in the group stage this season.  Whether consciously or unconsciously, Quique Sánchez Flores’ team has not shown its fullest effort in the Europa League while conversely focusing on league play.  Last season, Atlético Madrid provided their best performances in the Europa League knockout stage because their domestic campaign floundered in mediocrity and they did not play in the group stage of the Europa League, having qualified for the Champions League group stage.

Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, and other European teams in the past few years have deemphasized the Europa League to center their attentions on a high league finish and qualify for the pinnacle of European football, the UEFA Champions League.  While los colchoneros have not sent out under-strength teams littered with youth academy players, the effort displayed by those who have played against Bayer Leverkusen and Aris clearly showed a disconnect between domestic and European responsibilities.  Atlético should not underestimate Rosenborg, who has a decent European pedigree and carried the Norwegian torch in Europe for the past decade and a half.  Even though all four Spanish teams find themselves three points behind their group leaders, Atlético Madrid arguably plays in the toughest group of the four, and another loss could force them to have to win their final three group matches to advance to the knockout stage of the Europa League.

Oct. 21

Karpaty Lviv vs. Sevilla – 12:55 PM on DirecTV channel 483 (483-1 for HD)

Stuttgart vs. Getafe – 12:55 PM on Gol TV HD

Villarreal vs. PAOK – 3:00 PM on DirecTV channel 482 (482-1 for HD)

Atlético Madrid vs. Rosenborg – 3:00 PM on Gol TV HD

Gregorio Manzano took the reins of Sevilla FC one week ago from the sacked Antonio Álvarez, and he did not inherit a club that inspired any confidence from los nervionenses that filled the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán on Sunday afternoon.  Although the Andalusians only lost one of their first five matches in La Liga, two draws against cellar-dwellers Racing de Santander and Deportivo La Coruña and a loss to newly-promoted Hércules prompted Sevilla chairman José María del Nido to act swiftly and hire the man that was the betting favorite to become Sevilla manager during the summer months.

Last season, Manzano led Mallorca, a club that fostered mediocre expectations at the commencement of the campaign, to the brink of the UEFA Champions League, when, ironically, Antonio Álvarez and Sevilla broke los barralets‘ collective hearts with a stoppage time goal against Almería that propelled Sevilla into the playoff round of the Champions League and dropped Mallorca into the playoff round of the UEFA Europa League.  Besides a fourth-place finish in La Liga, Álvarez and Sevilla defeated Atlético Madrid in the Copa del Rey final to add to their trophy case.

Del Nido faced a similar situation that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich endured in 2008, when the managerial mid-season replacement accomplished feats that would make it hard for the owner to supplant him.  In Abramovich’s case, Avram Grant led Chelsea to the Champions League final, and save for a John Terry penalty kick that hit the post, Chelsea would have won the trophy that Abramovich most desired.  In addition, Chelsea harried Manchester United to the final matchday for the Premier League title, where Chelsea eventually capitulated when they could only draw 1-1 against Bolton Wanderers, whereas Manchester United defeated Wigan Athletic 2-0 to win the league by two points.

Amidst a groundswell to retain Grant as the manager, Abramovich made the decision to release Grant three days after the Champions League heartbreak and eventually hired Luiz Felipe Scolari later that summer.

When Mallorca released Manzano not due to performance but due to financial difficulties that eventually led to administration, José María del Nido wrestled over the future of his team’s managerial leadership between Manzano and Álvarez, but unlike Roman Abramovich, del Nido rewarded Álvarez for his work after replacing Manolo Jiménez and extended his contract through at least the end of the 2010-11 season.

After the ignominy of failing to qualify for the Champions League group stage at the hands of the little Portuguese team that could in Sporting Braga before the start of the La Liga season, Álvarez’s leash shortened considerably, and any other slip-up would be the impetus for Sevilla to fire Álvarez.  The 2-0 defeat to Hércules last weekend became that tipping point.

Amazingly, no team hired Manzano in the offseason, but he likely was biding his time until the Sevilla job opened, and immediately after Álvarez received the axe, Manzano accepted the position.

Manzano’s first test in La Liga came against an Atlético Madrid side who dearly wants to right the wrongs of last season’s domestic campaign.  While they marveled as a cup team, winning the UEFA Europa League and reaching the Copa del Rey final, their indifferent form in the league equally flabbergasted as they finished ninth, their worst finish since 2006.  Atleti has returned to their normally solid play in La Liga this season, sitting in fifth spot prior to the match against Sevilla.  The schizophrenia that marred this team last season has not completely left the brain, as their Europa League form reeks of indifference and middling.

Los colchoneros were not at full strength against Sevilla because José Antonio Reyes was serving his suspension for a red card he received in the previous match against Real Zaragoza and Sergio Agüero suffered an injury to the gluteus maximus muscle of his left buttock (no joke) in Friday’s training session.

For Sevilla, Manzano’s team started to come back to a good bill of health as Abdoulay Konko, Frédéric Kanouté and Renato returned to the starting eleven.  When Sevilla has been most successful, they played in a classic 4-4-2 formation with Jesús Navas and either Diego Perotti or Diego Capel flying down the wings to provide service for the two forwards Kanouté and Luís Fabiano.  While Navas did not play due to a thigh strain and Fabiano sat on the bench due to poor form, Manzano returned Sevilla to the 4-4-2 with Capel and Perotti on the wings and the maligned Álvaro Negredo pairing with Kanouté up front.

After the opening hour where Sevilla slightly wielded the upper hand, Sevilla scored twice within a span of six minutes to break open a tight affair.  In the 29th minute, Diego Perotti cut from the right and brought defenders with him, and when he made the reverse pass to his right for Álvaro Negredo into the penalty area, Negredo found some valuable space in which to work.  Negredo was not quite set for the shot, so he took a vital touch to his left to set himself up and create space from the two Atlético defenders that were scrambling to close down Negredo.  He curled the shot toward the left far post, and de Gea had no chance of getting a hand on it.

Six minutes later, Diego Capel’s feathery touch sent in Frédéric Kanouté into the box free and unmarked, and de Gea did well to rush off his line and close down the angle to save Kanouté’s shot.  The rebound from the save, however, lofted to Perotti just beyond the “D,” and Perotti took the shot on first-time, deflecting off Paulo Assunção to the left side of the goal, and de Gea was frozen once the ball took the deflection.

Save for a period of ten to fifteen minutes in the second half when Atlético Madrid scored their only goal of the match, Sevilla controlled the flow and never felt threatened by the rojiblancos.  The search team could not find Diego Forlán throughout the match as he continually looked a frustrated figure, and while Filipe Luís and Diego Costa provided a small spark coming off the substitute’s bench to start the second half, the same team that struggled to secure a draw against Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday showed up against Sevilla on Sunday.

Sometimes, managers receives too much credit or blame for what their players do on the pitch, but the eleven that Manzano put out against Atlético Madrid played with a freedom and desire that was achingly unapparent under Antonio Álvarez.  As with José Mourinho with Real Madrid, a managerial change can affect the group of twenty-five players in a positive manner if the manager commands the respect of those players immediately.  While Gregorio Manzano does not own the sprawling curriculum vitae of Mourinho, Manzano’s achievements at Mallorca certainly deserve credit.  When he inspired his Mallorca team to perform at their best when the players were not getting paid, that might be the toughest task to do with professional footballers.

After Sevilla goes to El Molinón to play Sporting Gijón after the international break, their following three fixtures will determine if they will be a genuine factor at the top of the table: home against Athletic Bilbao, at the Camp Nou against FC Barcelona, and home against current league leaders Valencia.  If Luís Fabiano brightens his moody attitude and avoids injuries that have plagued him in the past year and a half, his combination with Frédéric Kanouté, as proven in the past, can turn into the lethal force once again.  With Real Madrid and Barcelona slightly more vulnerable than at any point last season, Sevilla must seize this tough stretch by the neck and play without fear in order to attain at least six points out of nine.  Gregorio Manzano is the right man to motivate this team and lead them for the foreseeable future.

Fueras de Juego

- Scoring problems?  What scoring problems?  Real Madrid laid the 6-1 hammer down on pathetic Deportivo La Coruña in the final match of the round, and Gonzalo Higuaín got off the schneid with his first goal of the season.  This match was Real Madrid’s first since the club replaced their “potato field,” as José Mourinho coined it, with imported Slovakian grass, and the pitch looked and played just as fine as its owners did.  Despite the six-goal outburst, Mourinho will not be happy that they conceded a late goal to Juan Rodríguez.

- Mallorca has gone two for two against Real Madrid and Barcelona as Mallorca held Barcelona to a 1-1 draw at the Camp Nou.  Mallorca also drew with Real 0-0 in their opening match of the season to steal two valuable points against the royalty of Spanish football.  For Barcelona, the same story keeps being told: numerous golden and silver chances but unable to capitalize on enough occasions.  Last year, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was supposed to give the Catalans a different element with his size and aerial ability.  This year, David Villa is supposed to be the savior as the center forward in the front three.  The ghost of Samuel Eto’o continues to loom, as Barcelona has not been as clinical in front of goal since Eto’o went to Inter Milan.

- Almería played the best football of the twenty teams this weekend but somehow managed to only draw against Málaga 1-1 at home in their newly-named arena Estadio Juan Rojas.  Ten ocasiones de gol (scoring chances), twenty-six shots overall, and a leaky Málaga defense that conceded the most goals in La Liga prior to this round of matches should have equaled an easy win, but three efforts off the woodwork, a missed penalty by Kalu Uche, and various other misses that avoided the target by a couple of yards or less conspired to split the points with an undeserved Málaga.  These types of matches hurt the most, especially for a team that could be in the relegation fight throughout the course of the season.

UEFA Champions League

Real Madrid’s offensive woes will not be aided when they travel to the Stade de l’Abbé Deschamps on Tuesday and face an Auxerre squad who gave up the fewest goals in Ligue 1 last season with a meager 29.  While Auxerre’s form has not carried over to this current season, where they have not won in Ligue 1 while conceding ten in seven matches, expect the Burgundy outfit to pack it in the midfield and play with ten behind the ball throughout the vast majority of the match.  Karim Benzema will start for José Mourinho as he will hope to provide an extra spark that Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuaín, and co. have not lit consistently this campaign.

FK Rubin Kazan made their club known throughout Europe not only by winning back-to-back Russian Premier League titles in 2008 and 2009 but also by stealing three points away from then-defending champions FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou in the group stage of last season’s edition of the UEFA Champions League.  Both teams have been drawn again into the same group, and Rubin Kazan will host Barcelona at the Tsentralnyi Stadion in the early Wednesday match.

Rubin Kazan has won all their league matches in September to somewhat keep pace with Zenit St. Petersburg at the top of the Russian Premier League, but this focus to catch Zenit caught them in their first group stage match, when in a match bereft of any real quality, FC København talisman Dame N’Doye headed the winner in the 87th minute to give his team all three points.  Manager Gurban Berdiýew will have to rub his rosary beads harder than usual to come up with another shock against Barcelona, but besides the divine inspiration he will seek, Berdiýew will have the advantage of a Barcelona team that will have to travel thousands of miles to Tatarstan and possibly without Lionel Messi, although reports suggest Messi may be listed on the substitutes’s bench.

In one of the best matches of Matchday 2, Manchester United will travel to the Mestalla to play a Valencia team who currently tops the table in La Liga, unbeaten in five matches and winning four.  While Rangers held Manchester United to a dour 0-0 draw, Valencia went to Turkey and taught Champions League newcomers Bursaspor a European lesson with a 0-4 thrashing at the Bursa Atatürk Stadium.

The Red Devils will start the match without Wayne Rooney as Sir Alex Ferguson has decided to rest him against Valencia following their 2-2 draw at Bolton Wanderers on Sunday.  Rooney suffered a knock to his ankle during the match, and combined with his poor performances throughout the summer and the current Barclays Premier League season alongside the revelations of his sordid private life, Sir Alex felt that staying behind in Manchester would be the best move for both Rooney and Manchester United.

Valencia wants to extend their outstanding form against United, and for the last few matches, Los Che have been without their influential midfielder Éver Banega, who sprained his ankle against Racing de Santander early in Valencia’s second match of the season.  In Banega’s absence, new signings Mehmet Topal and Tino Costa filled in perfectly and kept the Valencia Experience a constantly smooth ride.  No one will convincingly make an argument that Valencia is a better team without David Villa and David Silva, and while Valencia lost a shade of flair and fantasy with their departures, they have sured up the midfield and defense and have become a more efficient team.  Not necessarily sexy but effective as their record indicates.

The times listed are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and include the pregame pleasantries, although sometimes the matches on the DirecTV La Liga specific channels may not go to match coverage until right before kickoff.

Sept. 28

Auxerre vs. Real Madrid – 2:30 PM on Fox Sports en Español and DirecTV channel 482 (482-1 for HD) (delayed at 5:00 PM on Fox Soccer Channel HD)

Sept. 29

FK Rubin Kazan vs. FC Barcelona – 12:25 PM on Fox Soccer Channel HD and Fox Sports en Español

Valencia vs. Manchester United – 2:30 PM on Fox Soccer Channel HD and Fox Sports en Español

UEFA Europa League

Two of the four matches in Matchday 2 of the UEFA Europa League involve a Spain vs. Germany showdown.  A struggling Sevilla who underwent a managerial change after their 2-0 to Hércules will go to the Signal Iduna Park, better known as the Westfalenstadion to face a Borussia Dortmund club who have won five of their six Bundesliga matches and trail the surprising leaders Mainz by three points.

The other España – Alemania clash involves Bayer Leverkusen playing trophy holders Atlético Madrid at the Vicente Calderón, where both teams’ ambitions in their respective leagues include upgrading to the Champions League for next season while maintaining interest in the Europa League.  Patrick Helmes will be the key figure as he tries to convince manager Jupp Heynkces that he deserves more than spot starts up front with Stefan Kießling.  Helmes will likely start for Leverkusen after his hat trick guided the boys from the Rhine to an easy 4-0 win over Rosenborg on Matchday 1.

Atlético Madrid will need to sharpen their European game after they played distracted in their 0-1 loss at Aris in their opening match of the group stage.  Los colchoneros might have had an eye on the following match against Barcelona when they lost to Aris, and with a key match against Sevilla this upcoming weekend, Atlético will fight those same demons to stay on the path and focus on a strong German team that looks like a serious contender for the Europa League trophy come May.

Sept. 30

Borussia Dortmund vs. Sevilla – 12:55 PM on DirecTV channel 481 (481-1 for HD)

Villarreal vs. Club Brugge – 3:00 PM on DirecTV channel 482 (482-1 for HD)

Atlético Madrid vs. Bayer Leverkusen – 3:00 PM on Gol TV HD

Unfortunately, the BSC Young Boys – Getafe match at the Stade de Suisse will not be shown on US TV.

The Castle of Santa Bárbara, standing sentry on top of a mountain peak in the center of Alicante, finds it origins in the 9th century during Arab rule.

La Liga clubs spent a week on vacation after the opening round of fixtures because of the international FIFA date, although for Real Madrid and Barcelona, many of their players were on international duty.  In particular, ten players from Barcelona and six players from Real Madrid traveled to Buenos Aires midweek for the Argentina – Spain friendly.  No one will feel sorry for them, especially the teams they will face this weekend.

Hércules, promoted from the Segunda División this season, made huge splashes in the transfer market, if not by outrageous sums of money but by well-known, veteran footballers.  David Trezeguet from Juventus, Nelson Haedo Valdez from Borussia Dortmund, and Royston Drenthe from Real Madrid signed for the Alicante club because they believe in the Hércules project, headed by chairman and renowned builder Valentín Botella and manager Esteban Vigo.

Although they lost a tight 0-1 match at home against Athletic Bilbao in Round 1, none of their star signings played in the match, and Fernando Llorente’s goal from a set-piece at the beginning of the second half was due to a defensive mistake that Esteban Vigo adamantly stated would never happen again.  They will travel up the Mediterranean coast to Barcelona into the cauldron of the Camp Nou for the early Saturday night kickoff, and even though no one expects them to pull off an astonishing upset, the experience of the new transfers should help in alleviating the anxieties of the majority of the Hércules players who have never played in front of such a large crowd.

Other intriguing matches this weekend include Osasuna visiting the Santiago Bernabéu where they nearly derailed Real Madrid’s chances of catching Barcelona at the tail end of the season when they took two different leads against Los Merengues but failed to secure any points when Cristiano Ronaldo headed his second goal of the match to pull Madrid out of the fire and earn the 3-2 win.

Athletic Bilbao hosts the hottest team in La Liga, Atlético Madrid, in the late Saturday kickoff.  Atlético deservedly captured the UEFA Super Cup against Inter Milan, and three days later, with many of the same players that started against Inter, crushed Sporting Gijón 4-0 to top the table after Jornada 1.  José Jurado, in what turned out to be his farewell match for the club, scored the opening goal in the eleventh minute, and after he came off in the 78th minute for Simão Sabrosa, the crowd at the Vicente Calderón gave Jurado a standing ovation because they knew he would be leaving.  He finalized a deal the following day to join Schalke 04 for €13 million, joining Christoph Metzelder and Raúl from Real Madrid to the Gelsenkirchen outfit.

The times listed are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and include the pregame pleasantries, although sometimes the matches on the DirecTV La Liga specific channels may not go to match coverage until right before kickoff.

Sept. 11

Valencia vs. Racing de Santander – 11:45 on DirecTV channel 477

FC Barcelona vs. Hércules – 11:55 AM on Gol TV HD

Real Madrid vs. Osasuna – 1:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3

Athletic Bilbao vs. Atlético Madrid – 3:55 PM on Gol TV HD

Sept. 12

Sporting Gijón vs. Mallorca – 10:45 AM on DirecTV channel 477

Real Zaragoza vs. Málaga – 10:55 AM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3

Villarreal vs. Espanyol – 12:55 PM on Gol TV HD

Sevilla vs. Deportivo La Coruña – 2:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3

Sept. 13

Almería vs. Real Sociedad – 2:55 PM on DirecTV channel 477

Unfortunately, the Getafe – Levante match at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez will not be shown on US TV.

UEFA Champions League

The group stage of the UEFA Champions League proper commences in this coming midweek, and Spain will only have three participants at this point of the competition for the first time since 2006.  Barcelona will host Panathinaikos on Tuesday night in a match that will see Panathinaikos play conservatively and on the counter-attack.  Surpise Turkish Süper Lig champions Bursaspor will welcome a new-look Valencia that no longer has David Villa, David Silva, or Carlos Marchena among others but has brought in Mehmet Topal from Galatasaray, the 24-year-old defensive midfielder that has played against Bursaspor in his time in Istanbul, and a new strike force in Roberto Soldado and Aritz Aduriz.

Wednesday evening pits two of the most successful teams in UEFA Champions League/European Cup history as nine-time winners Real Madrid hosts four-time winners Ajax at the Santiago Bernabéu.  Both teams will want to recapture past glories as neither has been relevant in this competition for a few years.  Real Madrid has not advanced past the first knockout round since 2004, and Ajax has not been in the group stage of the Champions League since 2006 and has not earned their way to the quarterfinals since 2003.

Sept. 14

FC Barcelona vs. Panathinaikos – 2:30 PM on Fox Sports en Español and DirecTV channel 481 (481-1 for HD)

Bursaspor vs. Valencia – 2:30 PM on DirecTV channel 484 (484-1 for HD)

Sept. 15

Real Madrid vs. Ajax – 2:30 PM on Fox Sports en Español (delayed at 5:00 PM on Fox Soccer Channel HD)

UEFA Europa League

The UEFA Europa League also commences in the midweek, and title holders Atlético Madrid will fly to the Greek coast in Thessaloniki to face Aris Salonika and La Liga veteran coach Héctor Cúper, whose last job in Spain was with Real Betis in the 2007-08 season when he was sacked in December of that season.

In one of the most engaging matches of the opening group stage fixtures, Sevilla hosts Paris Saint-Germain at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán.  After the humiliation of taking the parachute to the Europa League at the hands of Sporting Braga in the UEFA Champions League playoff round, Sevilla enters a competition where they have been quite successful, winning consecutive UEFA Cups in 2006 and 2007.  Manager Antonio Álvarez’s leash has become shorter and shorter, and any negative results in the next month or two could lead to his immediate firing.

Note: DirecTV has not set their schedule for the first collection of group stage matches, but as soon as they do, this column will be updated as soon as possible.

Sept. 16

Aris Salonika vs. Atlético Madrid – 12:45 PM on DirecTV channel 481 (481-1 for HD)

Dinamo Zagreb vs. Villarreal - 12:45 PM on DirecTV channel 483 (483-1 for HD)

Getafe vs. Odense – 3:00 PM on DirecTV channel 487 (487-1 for HD)

Sevilla vs. Paris Saint-Germain – 3:00 PM on Gol TV HD

A dispiriting final matchday left Mallorca forty seconds away from qualifying for the Champions League.  Sevilla manager Antonio Álvarez took a huge gamble late in that match by sending Sevilla youth product Rios Lozano Rodri into the match instead of Luís Fabiano, and Rodri broke the hearts of Los Barralets with an acrobatic goal in the fourth and final minute of stoppage time to defeat Almería 2-3 and finish fourth in La Liga, the final Champions League place.  To watch the drama unfold on the jumbo screen at the ONO Estadi was already hard enough, but the news that the club will enter administration will likely wreck an exciting squad that became one of the pleasant surprises in La Liga this season.

For those who do not know what administration means in this context, here is a brief explanation.  When a football team cannot pay off their outstanding debts, the court will assign “administrators,” mostly accountants, in charge of nearly every aspect of the club, and the accountants’ first order of business includes paying off football-related debts before any other job.  Administration serves as a rescue mechanism so that the club can continue to operate despite their debt owed to players, staff, and creditors.  In America, it is similar to filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The dirty little secret behind Mallorca’s success this campaign was their massive debt accumulated over the past few seasons.  Whether Champions League money would have eased that burden and prevented them from having to seek voluntary administration will always remain an unanswered question, but their reported €85 million debt grew too large to ignore any further.

According to majority shareholder Mateu Alemany:

“Over the past two years, Mallorca has suffered a very complex economic situation, with serious financial problems and an inability to meet its commitments.  This is a legal instrument that enables Mallorca to see the future in another way: to have a budget structure that has logic and controls debt, to take stringent budgetary measures to bring spending in line with earning capacity.

These are necessary things that open a future of hope that is necessary and has not existed at the club for two years. The bankruptcy law gives us this opportunity and provides a positive expectation for the club. It is a solution, not a problem.

Whatever happens, we start a new stage. It’s exciting because it ensures the viability of this club, which has been in serious danger of disappearing.”

With all of the economics explained, how will administration affect the team for next season?

UEFA president Michel Platini has not held back his criticism of clubs who continue to run their clubs on such poor economic standing and has threatened to exclude teams from UEFA competitions who are forced to enter administration or pile up an enormous debt.  There were more than a few whispers that Mallorca would be one of those clubs shut out of Europe, but Alemany ensured that Mallorca would compete in the UEFA Europa League next season after the Spanish football federation (RFEF) granted Mallorca their UEFA license.

Gregorio Manzano, the man who led Mallorca for the past four and a half seasons, will not return next season because the club cannot afford to meet his technical and financial demands.  In his first spell with the club in the 2002-03 season, he led Mallorca to a decent ninth place finish, but his biggest achievement that season was capturing the Copa del Rey with a 3-0 triumph over Recreativo Huelva with all three goals coming from fairly decent strikers: one from Walter Pandiani and the other two from Samuel Eto’o.  The winner of the Don Balón award for coach of the year in 2008, Manzano will likely receive the award for the second time this season after guiding Mallorca to their best finish in La Liga for nine years.

For a manager to keep his players focused on the pitch when economic turmoil behind the scenes made the club unable to pay the players for a few months, Manzano performed miracles, especially at home, where the seemingly unimposing ONO Estadi transformed into a formidable fortress.  Fifteen wins and one draw out of nineteen matches was an incredible feat, and he had to maintain such a stellar record at home because of their woeful play away from the Balearic Islands.

Whether Mallorca entered administration or not, Manzano was heavily linked to the Sevilla job currently held by caretaker Antonio Álvarez, and with Mallorca having no ability to compensate for Manzano €1.5 million per year salary, Manzano will need to seek a new club.  West Ham United noted their interest in Manzano, although Avram Grant looks set to take over the reins at Upton Park for the recently fired Gianfranco Zola.

As for the squad, many of the top-rated players will likely leave in the summer as well.  For the previous season, the wage bill equaled €34.6 million, and Mallorca will cut that budget considerably.  Alemany noted this impending fire sale when he said, “There will be a philosophy of austerity.  The insolvency will affect the first team squad and those who earn the most.”

Borja Valero, the influential playmaker in the midfield, will go back to his parent club West Bromwich Albion, who will return to the Premier League next season after spending a season in the Coca-Cola Championship.  Earlier in the season, Mallorca wanted to make his loan move permanent, but with the economic realities rushing upon them, Mallorca cannot afford a €5 million+ transfer fee.

Iván Ramis, who was rumored to go to Celtic in the January transfer window, formed a pivotal partnership with Nunes in central defense and held opponents to forty-four goals, the fourth-best defense in La Liga.  Ramis will attract many European teams, and while Mallorca wanted a fee in the neighborhood of €3.5 million when Celtic coveted him in January, Mallorca’s desperation to balance the books means that anything more than €3.5 million will be highly unlikely despite Ramis’ outstanding season.

Felipe Mattioni, the 21-year-old Brazilian right back starlet, will not return, as Maga Esporte, the sporting agency that owns his rights, expects a hefty fee for this promising defender from the Grêmio youth system.

Others might be on the way out, such as Aritz Aduriz, Gonzalo Castro, and Dudu Aouate, so the Mallorca squad that came within one minute of Champions League recognition will be drastically different from the team that will play their first official match of the season in the Europa League qualifiers in August.  Valencia can commiserate with their Mallorcan neighbors, as their debt has coerced them to sell David Villa to FC Barcelona and likely give David Silva to the highest bidder (Real Madrid).  Valencia, however, has the depth to be relevant in European competition in spite of the losses of Villa and Silva, whereas Mallorca does not.

Unless the club has a billionaire owner or has a glorious history, Mallorca’s fate, unfortunately, will become more and more frequent as these smaller clubs try to compete with the Real Madrids and the Barcelonas of the world by overpaying in both transfer fees and wages.  The news that the total debt in La Liga amasses over €3.53 billion with a “b” only furthers the notion that clubs are compelled to overspend in order to stay afloat in the league.  Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Numancia were the only teams to make an operating profit, and Numancia was relegated to the Segunda División last season.

The same seven or eight teams in Europe continue to pursue the most valuable and most talented players in the world, and if the status quo remains, teams like Mallorca, Valencia, and other second-tier teams throughout Europe will eventually become mere breeding grounds for Chelsea, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona, etc. to pilfer their players when they have matured, much like what Ajax, PSV, and Lyon have become.

Depending on the results of the final round in La Liga this upcoming weekend, Atlético Madrid can finish as high as ninth and as low as eleventh in Spain.  Fulham completed their 2009-10 in the Barclays Premier League in twelfth position.  All mattered not as they both navigated through massive European obstacles to arrive at the HSH Nordbank Arena in Hamburg on Wednesday evening to compete for the inaugural UEFA Europa League final, the newly reorganized UEFA Cup.

At the dawn of this season, Atlético Madrid held high aspirations domestically and internationally.  Los colchoneros qualified for the UEFA Champions League the past two seasons on the final matchday, holding off Sevilla in 2008 and Villarreal in 2009 to finish both years fourth in the league.  In addition, Atlético progressed easily through the Champions League group stage the previous campaign and lost on away goals to FC Porto in the first knockout round, so they expected to get at least that far if not farther.

Mediocre in the league and underwhelming in this year’s Champions League group stage, and Atlético struggled to achieve a draw against Cypriot champions APOEL Nicosia in the final group stage match just to receive the parachute to the Round of 32 in the Europa League.

Sergio Asenjo, their twenty-year-old goalkeeper of the future whom they bought from Real Valladolid for €6 million, struggled mightily and eventually sat on the bench in favor of nineteen-year-old David de Gea.

The team coped with unrest in the coaching ranks as Abel Resino was sacked in late October following Atlético’s horrendous start in favor of Quique Sánchez Flores.  Sánchez Flores could relate to Resino’s position, as he was also fired after a poor beginning to the 2007-08 season by Valencia after he guided Los Che to consecutive Champions League appearances.  Valencia would regret that decision because they chose Ronald Koeman as Quique’s successor, and coupled with Valencia’s growing financial problems, the Koeman era turned into an unmitigated disaster.

Realizing that any potential accomplishment in La Liga would be a fruitless endeavor, Atlético Madrid started to focus on cup competitions to salvage any sort of pride in this season.  This change in priority and the new influence of Quique Sánchez Flores heightened the waning confidence and play of the squad members.

Despite this expected rise in form, Atlético president Enrique Cerezo Torres and the Atlético technical staff must have shaken their heads and pulled out their hair numerous times because of their team’s schizophrenic personality.  Inexplicably pathetic matches against lower table teams such as Tenerife, Almería, and Real Zaragoza would follow inspirational performances against Sevilla, Barcelona, and Valencia.  Playing to the competition is usually portrayed as a pejorative because it implies that the team takes inferior opposition for granted while gearing up for tougher clubs, but in this particular case, for some strange reason, Atlético Madrid effectively employed this policy.

On their path to the Copa del Rey final, they encountered only one La Liga team, Racing Santander, and only in this tie did Atlético perform up to their capabilities in the first leg, dismissing the Cantabrians 4-0 to render the second leg virtually meaningless.

With the quality of teams they opposed in the Europa League, however, they could not help but play at a high level since their adversaries were such accomplished teams.

Galatasaray, Sporting Clube de Portugal, Valencia, and Liverpool.  Winners of fourteen different European trophies.  In recent years, facing these types of teams in succession would occur in the Champions League knockout stages. not the UEFA Cup/Europa League, but they did not faze the men from the capital.  As many have pointed out, Atlético Madrid did not win a single match in the Champions League group stage, and they only won two matches out of eight in the Europa League knockout stage on their way to the final.  Cup competitions, however, comprise of a completely different mentality and strategy than league play, and in all four knockout ties, it would be hard to argue that Atlético Madrid was not the better team over two legs in each tie.

Rarely does any team convincingly win every round, and Atlético was no exception.  They advance on three separate occasions on the away goals rule, and in the semifinal, it took extra time to settle the tie.  In the final against Fulham, in a match destined for penalties, Atlético scored what proved to be the cup-winning goal in the 116th minute, the 26th minute of extra time.  Three different times during their run to the Europa League crown, Atlético needed a late goal in the 90th minute and beyond.  There was only one man that scored all three: the indomitable Diego Forlán.

Notoriously nicknamed “Diego Forlorn” for his goal-scoring inadequacies at Manchester United, Diego Forlán worked tirelessly to shake this reputation when he made his move from Manchester United to Villarreal in 2004.  Three successful seasons at Villarreal substantiated the talent that United saw in him when they signed him from Independiente in 2003, including the Pichichi trophy (top goal-scorer in La Liga) in 2005 and a semifinal run in the 2005-06 Champions League where they topped their group while Manchester United finished last in that same group.

Forlán, always the humble and consummate professional, never said a venomous word about his former employers, especially when Villarreal and Manchester United played twice in the group stage.  He actually praised Sir Alex Ferguson and the Manchester United fans for their support during his two season stay despite his difficulties, but deep in his heart, he must have felt a little glee about preventing United from proceeding to the knockout stage.

When Fernando Torres moved to Liverpool for a club record £26.5 million in the summer of 2007, Atlético Madrid used some of that money to buy Forlán for €21 million from Villarreal.  86 goals in 153 appearances in all competitions for Atlético demonstrated further his status as a world-class striker, but his match-winning exploits in this season’s Europa League enhances his standing as not just a goal-scorer but also as a forward who scores the most important goals.

In the 90th minute of the second leg against Galatasaray at the Ali Sami Yen Stadium in Istanbul, appropriately nicknamed “Hell” because of its intimidating atmosphere, Forlán clinched the tie that was a couple of minutes away from extra time.  Quique Sánchez Flores did not include him in the starting eleven against Galatasaray, and he only came in after Sergio Agüero suffered a facial injury near the end of the first half.  No complaints or attitude came from Forlán, and he scored the ticket into the Round of 16.

Against Liverpool in the second leg of the semifinal at Anfield, Forlán stuck the lance in Liverpool’s side again with an extra-time winner in the 102nd minute that scrapped any semblance of a successful season for Liverpool.  One of Forlán’s few positive achievements at Manchester United was a two-goal effort at Anfield to defeat Liverpool 1-2, and the Manchester United faithful still laud that accomplishment, and as the chant goes, “He came from Uruguay, he made the Scousers cry.”  If Manchester United were not to win a European trophy, it was imperative for United fans that Liverpool did not win either, and the former United man was more than willing to haunt Liverpool yet again.

In the final against Fulham, the pre-game ceremonies contained more action than the first thirty minutes of the match because both teams showed their fraying nerves about competing in a European final.  Only three players from both teams’ starting elevens had competed in a showcase final of European club football, José Antonio Reyes with Arsenal, Mark Schwarzer for Middlesbrough, and Danny Murphy with Liverpool.  Elementary errors from both sides littered the opening stages of the match, and an errant pass by Paul Konchesky ultimately led to Atlético’s first goal that was scored by none other than Diego Forlán in the 32nd minute.

The goal came from a quick counter-attack, and it started with Reyes rampaging down the right flank and passing it into the center for Simão Sabrosa who purposefully made a lung-bursting run down the center of the pitch.  Simão then passed it first-time in the air to Agüero at the D; Agüero headed it down and took the shot off the volley, but he completely mishit it.  Luckily, it went into Forlán’s direction, and Forlán directed it to the left far post past a helpless Schwarzer.  It was debatable whether Forlán was offside, but Forlán’s positioning saved Agüero’s shot from rolling harmlessly wide and ascended Atlético in the lead.

After Simon Davies’ clinical volley five minutes late equalized the score at 1-1, balance reigned the rest of regulation, and extra time loomed in Hamburg.

Five minutes away from penalty kicks, Fulham looked tired and played for penalties.  Fulham’s journey to the Europa League final began on July 30 in the third qualifying round in Lithuania against FK Vètra, and sixty-three matches later and 115 minutes into the final where they left every last part of their energy on the pitch, no one would question them if they wanted to go into penalties.  Diego Forlán, however, prevented the lottery of penalty kicks with the cup-winning goal in the 116th minute.

Kun Agüero did most of the work on the left flank, making one last oxygen-inducing run to keep Antonio López lead pass from crossing the end line for a goal kick.  One-on-one with Fulham central defender Aaron Hughes, Agüero’s cross at the six-yard box was back flicked by Forlán, and it took a slight deflection off Brede Hangeland and into the back of the net.

A last flurry from Fulham in the second minute of stoppage time went for naught, and Atlético Madrid won its first European trophy in forty-eight years when they won the 1961-62 European Cup Winners’ Cup.

Amidst the immediate joy once referee Nicola Rizzoli whistled for fulltime, Diego Forlán merely raised his arms in the air and instantly went to hug and shake the hands of his opponents, specifically Chris Baird and Aaron Hughes.  He could have ran to the center circle and celebrated with his teammates, and no one would have blamed him, but the class that he carries at all times signals the kind of man and player that young player should strive to emulate.

This column would be remiss not to laud Fulham FC for its fairy-tale run from near relegation from the Football League in 1996 to seventh in the Premier League last season to a European final this season.  Roy Hodgson deservedly received the LMA Manager of the Year, voted on by his fellow managers in the Football League, and no one will ever forget their run to the final, toppling European powers Shakhtar Donetsk, Hamburg, and Juventus.

The night, however, belongs to Atlético Madrid.  If one said that a Spanish and an English team would meet in a European final, and the team from Madrid won, probably the last answer purported would be Atlético Madrid defeating Fulham in the Europa League final.  For a few days and months, Atlético own the city of Madrid over their eternal rivals Real, and if Atlético complete the cup double with a win over Sevilla in the Copa del Rey next Wednesday, they will have accomplished one of the unique coups in Spanish football history.  What other team than Atlético Madrid to complete such a bipolar season: average in league, perfect in cup.

Filipe Luís Kasmirski returned on Saturday as one of the inspirational moments of the season.

The Race for the La Liga Crown

If there were a match on which Barcelona would stumble in their path to a second consecutive La Liga title, Villarreal would stand in their way.

All involved with FC Barcelona said the right statements after Inter Milan eliminated the Catalans from the UEFA Champions League.  Barça president Joan Laporta wanted to focus on the league to give the Culés some joy.  Barcelona entrenador Pep Guardiola mentioned how his players needed to get up from the floor in the three days prior to their league match against Villarreal.  Various players, including Gerard Piqué, Pedro Rodríguez, and Sergio Busquets, mentioned how their whole attention is now on securing La Liga for the second consecutive year.  These are all nice statements, but after a gutting semifinal loss with a chance of competing the final at the Santiago Bernabéu, no one would be surprised if they delivered these quotes with a shade of hollowness.

Barcelona left their European disappointments behind with a 1-4 drubbing of Villarreal at El Madrigal, a fortress for the Yellow Submarine all season long.

If Villarreal would not be the Barça stopper, Sevilla must be the answer.

The Andalusian club became one of the few teams to defeat Barcelona this season when they went to the Camp Nou and won 1-2 in the first leg of the Copa del Rey Round of 16.  Sevilla had something for which to play, as they stood only one point ahead of Mallorca for the final Champions League berth.  Frédéric Kanouté and Luís Fabiano, whom Sevilla relies on so heavily, started together up front, an all-too-rare occurrence this season.

Barcelona handled them with ease for the first hour, building a 0-3 lead and benefiting from a man-advantage after Abdoulay Konko received his second yellow card for pulling down Bojan Krkic as he sped past him.  Even the Catalans can fall into a lull with such a significant ascendancy, and who else but Kanouté and Fabiano to score two quick goals in succession to make the final twenty minutes a nervy experience for the Blaugrana.  They refocused, and Barcelona saw out the rest of the match with relative ease.

With one match remaining, Barcelona needs to win at home against Real Valladolid to assure themselves of their twentieth Spanish title.

Real Madrid is akin to that little Chihuahua that incessantly nips at the heels and tries to protect its territory.  Los Blancos have riposted every Barcelona tally with a win of their own, although the methods in which Real Madrid continue to notch their victories provide more of those “heart in mouth” moments for their fans.

Late goals against Almería, Real Zaragoza, and Osasuna within the past month kept the title race alive, and facing an obstinate Athletic Bilbao team that defeated them at the San Mamés in the first half of the campaign, Real could not afford to put on a mediocre performance.

When referee César Muñiz Fernández sent off Fernando Amorebieta in the 20th minute for what he perceived to be an intentional handball in the penalty area, he gave Real Madrid the gift they needed to relieve some of the stress and nerves that could clearly be seen by those in the Santiago Bernabéu.  Cristiano Ronaldo coolly sent the penalty kick into the back of the net, and Los Merengues looked to be on their way to securing the three points early in the match.

Similar to Barcelona, Real went on cruise control for the rest of the half when Athletic went down to ten men, and Fran Yeste burned them with an impressive solo effort, as he took on four defenders who inexplicably did not close him down at any point while he made his lateral run across the top of the box.

1-1 with seventeen minutes remaining and with Barcelona winning at the Camp Nou, twenty minutes stood from Barcelona retaining La Liga for another season.  As Real are wont to do, they scored late, and Athletic Bilbao simply could not maintain their energy with one less man for 70+ minutes.  The 5-1 final flattered the men from the Spanish capital, but they did their job, and they have extended the title race to the final matchday for the first time since the 2006/07 season, when both Barcelona and Real Madrid were tied on 73 points heading into the final day.  Barcelona won at Gimnàstic de Tarragona 1-5, but Real Madrid against Mallorca 3-1, and Real held the head-to-head tiebreaker over Barça, so Real Madrid won their 30th crown.

The Race for the Final Champions League Place

Mallorca started Jornada 37 one point behind Sevilla for that Champions League qualifying spot, and on paper, Los Barralets had the easier match, as they traveled to A Coruña and faced a weary and beaten down Deportivo La Coruña squad who wanted the campaign to end as quickly as possible, whereas Sevilla hosted league leaders FC Barcelona who has only one trophy for which to play.

A typical Galician night with a steady rain pouring on El Riazor, the Depor fans hardly showed up because of both the weather and their team’s atrocious string of results in the second half of the season.  The first sixty-five minutes of the match was not much better.  The crowd started to rise when they saw that Filipe Luís Kasmirski donned his substitute’s bib and started to warm up on the sidelines.

One of the indelible images and scenes of the 2009/10 La Liga season was Filipe Luís’ foot hanging nearly ninety degrees after his ankle was crushed underneath the weight of a diving Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz.  Constant rehabilitation and sheer perseverance and will brought Filipe Luís to this moment, and less than four months after that horrific incident, Filipe Luís miraculously played for Depor as a substitute in the 66th minute.

Of the supporters who did show up at El Riazor, they created as much clamor and noise as if the stadium were full when Filipe Luís ran onto the pitch.  To complete this Hollywood story, Filipe Luís contributed to the only goal of the match when his run down the left flank brought a couple a defenders with him.  His pass into the center led to Juan Carlos Valerón’s pinpoint through ball to Riki in the box, and Riki placed his shot past Dudu Aouate at the left near post.

Although Mallorca lost 1-0 at Depor, Sevilla could not come back from a three-goal deficit against Barcelona, falling short 2-3 despite playing with ten men for the final half-hour.  Sevilla’s lead remains at one point, and with Mallorca losing the head-to-head tiebreaker with Sevilla, Mallorca has to win against Espanyol and hope that Almería can prevent Sevilla from winning in order for the debt-ridden team from the Balearic Islands to complete their unexpected journey with a shot at the Champions League group stage.

The Race for the Potential Final Europa League Spot

Depending on the result of the Copa del Rey between Sevilla and Atlético Madrid on May 19, seventh place could earn a berth into the UEFA Europa League, but Villarreal and Getafe cannot rely on that, so they continue to fight for sixth place and a certain spot into the third qualifying round of the 2010/11 Europa League.

Usually an entertaining and enthralling encounter, the Valencian derby between Villarreal and Valencia had none of those characteristics.  Valencia ensured themselves of third place and direct qualification into the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League group stage last weekend, so their motivation was near nil.  Unai Emery, whose contract was extended this past week, sent out the B squad against Villarreal, and Villarreal took advantage of their near neighbors with a professional performance that hardly extended any of their resources.

Villarreal manager Juan Carlos Garrido gave Javi Venta his final appearance for Villarreal at El Madrigal, and the fans greeted Venta with the reverence and respect he deserved for being involved with the team from its La Liga infancy eleven years ago to its esteemed status as a European force in 2010.  Robert Pirès, also likely to be gone in the summer, received his final farewell, and the latter stages of the match became more of a testimonial as Valencia obliged to the situation.

Getafe, however, also won on Saturday against Málaga, and while Getafe and Villarreal are equal on points, Getafe holds the head-to-head edge on Villarreal, so Getafe remains in sixth place with one round remaining.

The Race to Avoid Relegation

Whereas the other three races in La Liga each involve only two teams, five teams have a chance by 9:00 PM CEST next Sunday to fall to the Segunda División for next season.  All five teams were involved in matches that included late drama this weekend, and as the results stood at the end of Saturday night, the relegation picture is more muddled than ever.

Sprightly and plucky Xerez continues to linger around, and after their thrilling 3-2 victory over Real Zaragoza, they have a legitimate chance to stay in La Liga for the first time all season.  Their destiny is not in their own hands, but surprisingly, Xerez holds many of the tiebreakers against the other four teams in the relegation scrap, and if they somehow extend their journey in La Liga for another season after they have occupied the foot of the table since Round 12 and mired in the relegation zone since Round 2, that would be one of the top three stories of La Liga this season.

Until Málaga’s loss to Getafe on Saturday, they had been unbeaten in their previous five matches.  An impressive statement on its own until delved deeper, and it is realized that all five of those matches were drawn.  Málaga deserved to win none of those matches, and save for their battling performance against Mallorca at the ONO Estadi, Málaga failed to progress forward when their other relegation rivals earned victories.

Unfortunately for Málaga, La Liga is one of the few leagues in Europe to employ head-to-head results as the first tiebreaker as opposed to goal difference, or else they would stand at 16th in the table, but hosting Real Madrid on the final day, Málaga has little chance of achieving a result, and they wrote their own writings on the wall with substandard play in the past five rounds.

Racing de Santander and Real Valladolid arguably played the most significant match of the weekend, and it was a typical Javier Clemente match: slug it out and see what happens.  A disputed penalty and player unrest in the final fifteen minutes led to overtime work for referee Carlos Velasco Carballo, but at the end of the ninety minutes, Valladolid stole the three points that were absolutely necessary, as their final match is on the road against Barcelona.

Javier Clemente is on the brink of another successful late-season revival, and he has become the quick-fix doctor for Spanish teams whose season teeters between La Liga salvation and relegation ignominy.  No one will ever confuse Clemente’s football philosophies with Pep Guardiola or Arséne Wenger, but a team that usually wants his services does not care about style; they just want to stay in the top flight.

With Nino’s equalizer in the third minute of stoppage time to poach a vital point against Almería, Tenerife is on thirty-six points, tied with Valladolid, Racing, and Málaga and Xerez just three points behind.  The numerous permutations with these five teams will sort itself out next Sunday, and Round 38 of the 2009/10 season shapes up to be one of the most unpredictable final days for the whole table in recent memory.  Who says La Liga is boring?

The Tower of Hercules in A Coruña, built in the 2nd century CE, is the oldest Roman lighthouse currently in service.

There will be a Spanish team in a European final, but it is not the team that many expected.  Atlético Madrid completed their strange and wonderful trip to the Europa League final with an extra time goal by Diego Forlán against Liverpool.  As per usual, Atlético did not win the second leg of their Europa League semifinal against Liverpool, losing 2-1, but for the third consecutive round, Los Colchoneros progressed on the away goals rule.  Normally, if a team only wins twice throughout its whole European campaign, it has a million to one shot of advancing to a European final.

Who better than the 2009-10 Atlético Madrid team to defy any logic.

Only receiving the parachute from the Champions League to the Europa League with a last matchday group stage draw against APOEL Nicosia, Atleti completed the Champions League group with zero wins and three draws.  Their only two wins in the Europa League knockout phase came against Galatasaray with a Diego Forlán goal at the death and against Liverpool with another Forlán late show goal.

Although standing a mediocre tenth in La Liga, Atlético looks forward to their hectic May schedule with two cup finals scattered among their final four league matches.  The 2009-10 Atlético Madrid team is reminiscent of the 2000-01 Liverpool team that won the UEFA Cup, the FA Cup, and the League Cup but only finished third in the Premier League.  Atlético would have certainly taken third place in La Liga, but cup triumph is in the forefront of their minds, and they will likely be a shell of themselves when they face Sevilla on Sunday afternoon.  Atlético has nothing for which to play in the league, and Sevilla continues to fight Mallorca and Villarreal for the final Champions League berth.

Do not be surprised if Sevilla runs over Atlético Madrid with ease.

Then there is that other Spanish team that competed in a European semifinal.  Barcelona failed in its attempt to win consecutive European Cups since the AC Milan teams of Frank Rijkaard and Marco van Basten completed the double in 1989 and 1990.  The vaunted attack could not break through Inter Milan’s brick wall, and now they have seventy-two hours to recover from their Champions League hangover to encounter a Villarreal outfit that has enjoyed a renaissance under their second trainer of the season, Juan Carlos Garrido.

After their disastrous start to the campaign, Villarreal has climbed to within four points of Mallorca for the final Champions League place, and while they have recently done well on their travels, Villarreal relies on its solid home record, earning thirty-nine of their fifty-two total points at El Madrigal.  Because they dug themselves such a cavernous hole early in the season, they cannot afford to lose any of their last four matches if they have any inkling of joining Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Valencia in the Champions League next season.

Barcelona could only muster a draw at the Camp Nou at the beginning of the new year against Villarreal because of an inspired performance by the Yellow Submarine, David Fuster in particular, so the question arising from this match is if Barcelona can recover and regain their wits about them to focus on their slim one point lead over Real Madrid in La Liga, or will Villarreal derail the already faltering Barça train with their new-found confidence and panache.

The times listed are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and include the pregame pleasantries, although sometimes the matches on the DirecTV La Liga specific channels may not go to match coverage until right before kickoff.

Note: ESPN 360 has rebranded itself as ESPN3.

May 1

Málaga vs. Sporting Gijón – 11:45 AM on DirecTV channel 456

Real Valladolid vs. Getafe – 11:45 AM on DirecTV channel 457

Tenerife vs. Racing de Santander – 11:45 AM on DirecTV channel 458

Deportivo La Coruña vs. Real Zaragoza – 11:55 AM on Gol TV

Espanyol vs. Valencia – 1:55 PM on Gol TV

Villarreal vs. FC Barcelona – 3:55 PM on Gol TV

May 2

Sevilla vs. Atlético Madrid – 10:55 AM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3

Real Madrid vs. Osasuna – 12:55 PM on ESPN2 HD/ESPN Deportes/ESPN3

Athletic Bilbao vs. Mallorca – 2:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3

Unfortunately, the Xerez – Almería match at El Chapín will not be shown on US TV