Schedule for the rest of this week .......

 

 

 

 

Email #1 @ 09.45 UK time, covering Ligue 2 and probably JL-1 football ( there are three games starting at 11.00/11.30).

 

Email #2 @ 14.00 wll look at the Saturday J-league games.

 

 

Saturday 06/04 @ 10.00 with English and MLS football.

 

 

Sunday 07/04 @ 10.00 with English and MLS football, plus PGA golf.

 

 

Not sure that there will be notes on the golf this Sunday, it is a very low key event with a change in schedule and not the usual build up to Augusta and next week's first major of the year. The US Masters is always a big event for us , see the post on the clubgowi website and it will be getting very extended pre tournament coverage next midweek.

 

 

Really busy weekend ahead, less so today, but a couple of La Liga games we can look at briefly.

 

 

 

 

Leganes came into the top flight in 2016-17 if, not with a breath of fresh air, then the smell of cucumbers ! At the time I wrote they would be tough to beat in their tiny Leganes Butarque stadium on the outskirts of Madrid and that they were looking to enjoy their their first ever season in La Liga with a "scratch and sniff" team shirt and free cucumbers for visitors ! Their nickname is the cucumber growers by the way !

 

They survived by one place , but a handy four points in that first campaign, in 2017-18 by finishing in the same (17th) position, but a whopping 14 points ahead of the team in 18th and only six adrift of Espanyol in 11th. They are currently 12th with a game in hand on most and could move into the top 10 with a win this evening.A third season in the top flight has seen the additional funds well spent and the stadium expanded twice and now it holds 12,450 (formerly just 5k) and the team has progressed similarly, albeit without any stand out individuals and with little money spent. Mauricio Pellegrino is now head coach and is rebuilding his reputation back in Spain after a disastrous spell at Southampton and he and the club have traded well in the loan market. It took a little time for things to gel, they picked up just 10 points from their first 12 games, but have averaged 1.53 point pg from their last 17 outings and have played two of the big three away in that sequence. That run equates to enough points for about 7th over a full season and highlights how well they have played since November. They are coming off possibly a season best performance at Champions League chasing (4th place) Getafe last weekend, winning 2-0 , have been strong at home all season, losing just twice, but one came in their last start here and they will want to continue the bounceback from that and build on the good work from last week, ahead of a tough run of games. With their next three starts trips to Alaves (5th), Villarreal and a visit from Real Madrid.

 

Valladoilid arrive in 16th, six points adrift of Leganes and the hosts probably know that winning this might already just about secure survival. The visitors have collected more points on the road than at home and did win their last away start, at Eibar, but really rode their luck there and incredibly, trailed as they entered the 92nd minute ! They are La Liga's lowest scorers, just 24 goals and found over 8% of those in injury time at Eibar !

 

Leganes have a great record in this series, won on their last two trips to Valladolid, including 4-2 in December and have won the last three as host without conceding (6-0 total). The home side are without 8 goal striker Youssef En-Nesyri, but do have good options up top and will have Chelsea loanee Kenneth Omeruoback from suspension and able to return to the back three. Real arrive without left winger Toni Villa (just one win in 8 in his absence), and suspended duo of forward Enes Unai and midfielder Anuar Mohamed, the trio have six goals between them, which is 25% of their total, plus another 3 assists.

 

 

 

 

 

 

These two are 10th and 9th respectively, have no relegation fears and have probably not quite given up on top 4 yet, as 4th position is held by Getafe who do not have the fear factor bigger La Liga clubs do and they are "only" 9 and 6 points adrift, with 27 still to play for and Real have still to host the Madrid club. To keep those dreams alive one is going to have to win this as a point, especially for Sociedad, is not going to help much at all, so reasonable to expect an open encounter . That is what we tend to see when these two face each other, they played out a 2-2 draw here in the Copa del Rey in January, the league game last season finished 4-4 and the last six meetings in San Sebastian have produced 28 goals at an average of 4.67 pg. Both teams are able to freshen up a little with players returning from injury/suspension and another entertaining encounter is on the cards..............so , 0-0 it is then !!!!

 

Both teams have underachieved offensively, overperformed defensively, compared to expected goals scored/conceded and hopefully, that should start to balance out this evening.