21.09. (Tue) 22:00 Real - Espanyol

Solid But Unspectacular
Real Madrid are quickly discovering that simply appointing Jose Mourinho as head coach is not a formula to magically nullify all their problems, yet los Blancos have still made a commendable start to their Primera Division campaign and sit third as they approach their midweek encounter against Espanyol.

After an opening day stalemate in Mallorca, los Merengues have since defeated Osasuna and Real Sociedad, though neither has been dispatched in any great style. Saturday’s performance in San Sebastian may not have been all-conquering, but it was enough to get all three points as Angel Di Maria and Cristiano Ronaldo both scored fine goals en route to a 2-1 victory.

“I’m very pleased, not only for the goal but for the win,” proclaimed the Argentine goal scorer to the media after the game. “We wanted to win, and we must continue to win. Real Sociedad are a great team, we had a difficult time but we finally beat them.”

Rumours that Mourinho could take charge of Portugal on a temporary basis, suggestions that had the potential to cause a rift at the club, appear to have been cleared, with the coach claiming that he holds no grudges against los Blancos, who would not let him discuss the position.

These suggestions come at a rather fortuitous time as the club have no time to brood on the issue but are rather thrust into a period when they are playing game after game, allowing them to concentrate on their on-field issues as opposed to niggling off-field problems.

Scrappers
Rarely last season did Espanyol look like a particularly free-flowing offensive unit, but by the same token they were rarely easy opponents to break. Those same characteristics have been on display over the course of the first month of the Primera Division season, during which time los Periquitos have earned six points.

Saturday’s encounter against Almeria at the Cornella-El Prat was an archetypical performance from the Barcelona club. They kept things tight at the back but struggled to create a great deal going forward, hindered by the loss of top marksman Pablo Daniel Osvaldo due to injury. Maurizio Pochettino eventually saw his side make the breakthrough, scoring through Jose Callejon just after the interval.

“The players have shown strength, courage, hope, discipline and order,” Pochettino explained after the fixture to the media. “It has been a fair victory and I think we have perhaps not scored as many times as we should have. It is three important points, even at this stage of the season.”

The Argentine was somewhat reluctant to express any great hope of taking points from the midweek encounter against Real Madrid, explaining simply: “Hopefully we can play with the regularity and strength that we have shown at home.”

If Espanyol can make the game scrappy and disjointed, they will be pleased with their efforts as a battle would suit them far more than their hosts.

TEAM NEWS

Real Madrid

Sergio Canales is set to miss out for around two to three weeks after innocuously spraining his ankle during training, but Raul Albiol returned to work with the squad on Sunday for the first time after suffering a similar issue during pre-season.

Kaka, Ezequiel Garay and Fernando Gago remain longer term issues for Jose Mourinho to consider.

Los Blancos have been training behind closed doors, keeping their cards close to their chest.

Probable Starting XI: Casillas; Ramos, Pepe, Carvalho, Marcelo; Khedira, Alonso; Ronaldo, Oezil, De Maria; Higuain

Espanyol
Ankle problems seem to be very much in vogue at present as Espanyol’s Ivan Alonso has also picked up an issue with the joint and will be missing for around a month, joining Pablo Daniel Osvaldo on the sidelines. Felipe Mattioni won’t be back in action until 2011 due to a serious knee injury.

The club were without Ivan de la Pena at the weekend due to a slight muscular problem, and the midfielder is again doubtful for this encounter.

Chica returns following a one game ban.

Probable Starting XI: Kameni; Chica, V. Ruiz, Forlin, Garcia; Duscher, Verdu, Marquez; Datolo, Luis Garcia, Callejon

Prediction

Espanyol won’t travel to the capital with the intention of going down easily. The Catalan side have already shown themselves to be obstinate opponents of late, but Madrid still command one of the fiercest offensive lines in the world and must always be backed to score on at least one occasion. Jose Mourinho’s men will pick a hard-earned three points in this match.

Real Madrid 2-0 Espanyol  

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21.09. (Tue) 20:00 Athletic Bilbao - Mallorca

Good Weekend Point
Athletic Bilbao haven’t had an especially easy start to their Primera Division campaign and will be aiming to gain some real momentum by defeating Mallorca at San Mames on Tuesday evening.

Los Leones recorded an opening day victory over newly promoted Hercules by a 1-0 margin but would then succumb in the Basques Lands to in-form Atletico Madrid. It seemed on Saturday that they were heading for successive defeats as they went 2-0 down against Sporting de Gijon, but they came back into that match thanks to efforts from Carlos Gurpegui and Fernando Llorente, who saved them a point.

“We must be much stronger in defence, but there is much merit in the draw because in Spanish football to come back from 2-0 down is very complicated,” coach Joaquin Caparros told the media. “We have lacked a bit of luck, but I am left with a positive viewpoint because we have scored a point that had become very difficult.”

Despite losing to los Colchoneros in their opening Liga match in the Basque Country this term, Athletic boast a reputation for being inhospitable hosts, with the fans in their tightly packed venue loud and almost on top of the pitch. Against a Mallorca side who continue to toil on the road, they will expect to extract maximum points from this fixture.

Perfection Does Not Exist

The split persona of Mallorca continued to develop at the weekend as they picked up three points from their home encounter against Osasuna. Gonzalo Castro put the Islanders ahead from the spot midway through the first half before Jonathan De Guzman’s effort late in stoppage time at the end of the match simply served to tie the points up.

“This was a very important win, but it is important for us to have more control of matches. However, perfection does not exist, and certainly not in football,” coach Michael Laudrup considered after the match.

“As we reach a better level of performance, the key thing is to score points. I can say the same as [Real Madrid coach Jose] Mourinho in that my teams play better in the second year. Everything will come, but first we must get points.”

The Dane’s biggest problem is his side’s road form. On the opening day of the season Mallorca showed their pedigree by holding Real Madrid to a scoreless home draw, yet that was followed up with a disappointing 2-0 defeat by Sporting de Gijon. This was a pattern displayed over the course of last season and will be a major crutch to the Balearic side’s efforts unless they can somehow overcome their mental block when playing on their travels.

Prediction

Athletic Bilbao 1-1 Mallorca

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21.09. (Tue) 20:00 1899 Hoffenheim - Bayern Munchen

Hoffenheim Hoping To Rebound

The early season has been a good one for Hoffenheim, who had a perfect three wins in as many matches before last weekend’s slip up against Kaiserslautern. After Luis Gustavo put the village team ahead, Erwin Hoffer netted a second half brace, and it seemed that Hoffenheim might have been on their way to a first defeat of the season.

Enter Gylfi Sigurdsson, the Icelandic midfielder who was discovered by coach Ralf Rangnick’s son while he was on holiday in England. The former Reading man delivered a fine free kick to level the terms, and Hoffenheim managed to earn a draw.

“After the equaliser shortly following the break, it was clear that we weren’t at our best,” Rangnick told reporters. “We have to be satisfied the point, because we did not play very well.”

It may have been encouraging to have come back to earn a draw, but Hoffenheim’s failure to win on the weekend left them two points adrift of league leaders Mainz. Having lost their position atop the league table, Hoffenheim will be keen to rebound, even if it is against a dangerous Bayern side.


Bayern Desperate For Momentum

They may have won their Champions League opener against Roma, but Bayern have gone 270 minutes in the Bundesliga without scoring. In terms of ball control, the reigning German champions have completely dominated nearly every match in which they have played, but ultimately have had little to show for their efforts.

Most recently, against Koeln, Bayern won more than 77% of possession and completed nearly 90% of their passes. Their visitors were almost completely starved of chances to score. Yet, for all their ball control, Bayern barely made any scoring opportunities of their own.

“We didn’t take our chances again, and this time, the final pass wasn’t always accurate enough,” coach Louis van Gaal told reporters. “We did everything we could to get into dangerous positions in the box, but that’s not enough. We’ve also got to score.”

Bayern now have just five points from four matches, and are winless since their opener against Wolfsburg. They will face a Hoffenheim side that is far more technically proficient than recent opponents Koeln and Kaiserslautern, and that will be far more eager to attack.

Hoffenheim’s presumed willingness to attack at home may open up more opportunities for Bayern to use their pace and skill in open space, but this reality should not be taken for granted as a positive.

TEAM NEWS
 
Hoffenheim

Matthias Jaissle and Chinedu Obasi remain a bit short of health for Ralf Rangnick’s side, and the Hoffenheim coach is sweating over the fitness of Vedad Ibisevic and Sejad Salihovic, who took knocks last weekend. Gylfi Sigurdsson and Prince Tagoe are potential deputees for the Bosnian pair, should they fail to reach full fitness before kick-off.

Probable Starting XI: Starke - Beck, Simunic, Vorsah, Compper - Weis, Luis Gustavo, Sigurdsson - Mlapa, Ba, Tagoe

Bayern Munich

It’s been three matches since Bayern last scored domestically, and Louis van Gaal could make a tactical change, but the coach is more likely to stick with his standard 4-2-3-1 formation. Arjen Robben remains unavailable with a torn hamstring, and Breno is again unlikely to start due to fitness concerns, but Van Gaal should have the same squad available that has featured throughout the early season.

Probable Starting XI: Butt - Lahm, Van Buyten, Badstuber, Contento - Van Bommel, Schweinsteiger - Mueller, Kroos, Ribery - Klose

Prediction

For reasons tactical and quality-based, Hoffenheim will get overrun in midfield, and Bayern should expect to win possession at least by a 2:1 ratio. However, there is really little reason to expect the Bavarians to do much with the ball. THough it is entirely possible that Hoffenheim will score on the counterattack, or that any of a number of Bayern players may have a spark of brilliance, but a scoreless draw seems most likely.

TSG Hoffenheim 2-2 Bayern Munich

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