22.09. (Wed) 22:00 Valencia - Atletico Madrid

No Prizes Yet
Valencia have played three Primera Division fixtures so far this term, and on each occasion they have claimed maximum points, meaning that they are the only side amongst Spain’s elite to command a perfect record going into Matchday 4. Los Che face their toughest test yet as they meet Atletico Madrid at the Mestalla on Wednesday evening.

A fine opening day success against Malaga saw Unai Emery’s side run out 3-1 victors, a result that was followed by a 1-0 success over Racing Santander following the international break. At the weekend, Valencia’s good run continued as they triumphed 2-1 away to Hercules, and in the midst of these fixtures they even found time to thump Bursaspor in the Champions League. Goalkeeper Cesar Sanchez isn’t getting carried away, however.

“There is no special award for being leaders after three matches,” he told the media. “It is true that I feel comfortable here and that I think we are on the right path. We have to do our best work and we deserve to be where we are. There is no time for distraction at the moment.

“Everyone has their good days and bad. It’s about making sure that the majority of your actions are good.”

Los Che are certainly a side who feel they should be competing at the top end of the table, though they have already accepted that challenging Barcelona or Real Madrid over the course of 38 games is likely to be a task too great for them. Should they defeat in form Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, it may be worth re-evaluating.

Capital Punishment

For the opening month of the season, Atletico Madrid caught the headlines for all of the right reasons as they started their campaign off with a winning charge, leading some pundits to proclaim los Colchoneros to be genuine contenders to Barcelona’s crown. On Sunday, however, their reputation was tarnished as they lost 2-1 to la Blaugrana and saw Tomas Ujfalusi dismissed for an ugly challenge on Lionel Messi.

Though the scoreline would suggest this was a fixture that Atleti competed hard in, they rarely managed to get at Barca in any serious style and were reliant on the sheer brilliance of David De Gea in their goal to keep the scoreline respectable.

“Barca have been brilliant both physically and tactically,” coach Quique Sanchez Flores stated. “We were much less than we could have been but we lost against a great opponent in Barcelona, a team who have won many titles.”

Ujfalusi was defended by his trainer and the club as a whole, but the storm surrounding the Czech’s challenge is unlikely to have blown over by the time this fixture kicks off as the Spanish FA’s disciplinary committee could ban the former Fiorentina man for anything up to 12 games for his tackle.

Atleti cannot afford to allow that affair to sour their fine start to proceedings and could be making positive news in the Spanish sportspapers by Thursday once again should they overcome los Che.

TEAM NEWS

Valencia

Only Ever Banega, who will miss another two weeks because of an ankle problem, and Vicente failed to work with the first team squad as they loosened their muscles up during Monday’s regenerative training session.

David Navarro is suspended after being dismissed at the weekend.

Probable Starting XI: Sanchez; Miguel, R. Costa, Maduro, J. Alba; Albelda, T. Costa; Joaquin, Mata, Vicente; Aduriz

Atletico
Tomas Ujfalusi will miss this match due to an automatic suspension enforced after his red card at the weekend. He could be absent for as many as 12 encounters though.

Sergio Aguero nursed an ice pack to his knee after going off against Barca at the weekend, but he was only scheduled to play an hour of that fixture in any case.

Sergio Asenjo and Borja Gonzalez are both nearing a return to fitness, though neither is expected back in the squad before November after knee ligament damage.

Probable Starting XI: De Gea; Perea, Godin, Dominguez, Lopez; Reyes, Assuncao, Tiago, Simao; Forlan, Aguero

Prediction

Wednesday’s match promises to be a fascinating affair. Atletico’s form has been good overall, but Sunday’s defeat may be a significant blow to their momentum, while Valencia just keep winning. Because this encounter is being played out at the Mestalla, los Che should start as favourites to win a very watchable encounter.

Valencia 2-2 Atletico Madrid

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22.09. (Wed) 20:45 Lazio - Milan

Eagles Soaring High

A 2-0 defeat to Sampdoria in Genoa in the opening weekend of the season saw Lazio fans express their anger. Indeed, after last season's struggle against relegation, the Aquile's disappointing performance in their opening game of the new campaign shouldn't have been appeasing.

However, since then Edy Reja's side have steadied themselves and have won their last two league fixtures. An easy 3-1 win against relegation-battlers Bologna in Rome was followed by an encouraging comeback 2-1 win against Fiorentina in Florence at the weekend.

The Lazio players are in confident mood ahead of their clash with Milan on Wednesday evening, with goalkeeper Fernando Muslera claiming that they "can win this match based on our determination" and Hernanes noting that Milan "will be tired" because of their commitment other than in Serie A.

Losing The Grip

Milan commenced their league campaign with a 4-0 trouncing of minnows Lecce at the San Siro and that gave many the belief that the Rossoneri will be genuine Scudetto challengers this time around. The arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho only reinforced this notion.

However, Massimiliano Allegri's side have struggled since then, losing to Cesena 2-0 away from home and then failing to defeat Catania at home on Saturday evening. The pressure is already on Allegri and his Milan troops and nothing less than a win in Rome on Wednesday will alleviate it.

However, midfielder Clarence Seedorf is in confident mood and says, "We met a team in excellent shape in Cesena, the same with Catania. We conceded only on the counter attack, but this gives me hope, because if we eliminate that then we will concede very little to our opponents."



TEAM NEWS

Lazio

Meghni, Garrido and Matuzalem are unavailable because of injuries. Floccari, though, has recovered and he is set to start.

Probable Lineup (4-3-2-1): Muslera, Lichtsteiner, Biava, Dias, Radu; Brocchi, Ledesma, Mauri; Zarate, Hernanes; Floccari

Milan

Ambrosini and Pato remain the Rossoneri's only injury concerns. Robinho could be given the nod upfront.

Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Abbiati, Bonera, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Antonini; Boateng, Pirlo, Seedorf; Robinho, Ibrahimovic, Ronaldinho

Prediction

The Aquile will fancy a win against the Rossoneri at home given that they have won their last two games in the league. Milan have struggled so far but they still do retain a chance to win in Rome on Wednesday evening.

Lazio 2-2 Milan

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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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