LaLiga Santander launches its Second round with Barcelona in command and more authority, to defend their advantage as sole leader against Sevilla, pursued by Real Madrid, who will visit Mallorca, and Real Sociedad, who will receive a team in trouble like Valladolid.
The twentieth date of the championship will present the latest news from the winter market, including the return of Bryan Gilon loan from English Tottenham to Sevilla, which has also been reinforced with the Franco-Senegalese Pope Gueye, loaned in his case by Olympique de Marseille.
Both arrive for a very different Barça-Sevilla from other seasons, given the situation of the Andalusians, although their last victory, over Elche, has been the third in their last four games and It has moved them two points from relegation.
Barça has not yet lost at home and has only conceded one goal in the Camp Nou He will jump into his field after settling the postponed match against Betis in his favor and once Real Madrid settles its visit to Mallorca after the postponed match with Valencia also for the Super League.
Today’s result will mark the flight of the whites to Mallorca, just like the recovery that the Italian coach Charles Ancelotti can play injured players until next Sunday.
Forced by the rhythm of Xavi Hernández’s eleven, the madridistas will look for their victoria novena at home in Mallorca, in a field that has only seen his team fall in three league games. The eleven of the Mexican Javier Aguirre comes from chaining in Cádiz his third defeat at home.
Real Sociedad awaits from its privileged third position, and after drawing at the Bernabéu on the last day, the visit of Valladolid, one of the teams overwhelmed by the proximity of relegation.
The pucelanos are only one point away from this, next to Valencia, Espanyol and Celta de Vigo, and they face the clash after having beaten Valencia to end a streak of four consecutive games without points and without goals and with it also the stage of the Italian Gennaro Gattuso at the helm of the Ché club.
In the leading quartet, Atlético de Madrid will receive Getafe in a Madrid derby that he intends to resolve to stay in positions of “Champions“. The Argentine team Diego Pablo Simeone now has a three point lead (34) over the Villarreal and the Betiswho was the one who forced those of Quique Sanchez Flores a week ago, to sink to the penultimate place in the table.
Villarreal will face Elche at the Martínez Valero, even further down the table, 14 points from salvation, which has equaled the worst statistics in its history with 19 games in a row without winning, as in the 1970-71 season. The people of Castellón come from losing to Rayo Vallecano to stop a streak of five league games without having been defeated.
The lower part, with Valencia, Espanyol, Celtic and Valladolid to a point of descent (20), and with Cadiz (19), Getafe (17) y Elche (9) Right now in Second, he will live decisive matches again.
Valencia will visit Girona in the second duel of the Valencians again with Salvador Gonzalez ‘Voro’ as coach and without Míchel Sánchez on the local bench due to the two-game ban that he will have to serve after seeing a red card against Barcelona.
At the expense of what happens tonight in the postponed match against Real Madrid, the Valencians they have only won 7 of the last 30 points for which they have competed.
The numbers also go against Celta, because Betis He has only lost 7 of the 41 official matches in his field against the Galicians, who arrive with the reinforcement of the Swiss international Haris Seferovic, the only one they have done in the winter market.
Espanyol will jump in search of the third victory in their field, against an always uncomfortable rival like Osasuna, encouraged by their presence in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey, but conditioned by having touched players like Aimar, Rubén Peña and Nacho Vidal.
The day will open tomorrow in San Mamés, where the other semifinalist of the Copa del Rey, Ahtletic, hopes to add their sixth victory at home against Cádiz, which is the one that opens the way to relegation. The last game will face Rayo Vallecano and Almería on Monday, to which the people of Madrid arrive with the spirit of having defeated Villarreal and the Andalusians after celebrating their first victory this year over Espanyol.
== LaLiga Santander (matchday 20)
. Friday 3-Feb
21.00 Athletic Club-Cádiz
. Saturday 4-Feb
14.00 Espanyol-Health
16.15 Elche-Villarreal
18.30 Atlético de Madrid-Getafe
21.00 Betis-Celta de Vigo
. Domingo 5-feb
14.00 Mallorca-Real Madrid
16.15 Girona-Valencia
18.30 Real Sociedad-Valladolid
21.00 Barcelona-Seville
. Monday 6-Feb
21.00 Rayo Vallecano-Almería.
