u/Pitchinsightsoff

We all have seen the capabilities of the spanish youngster, but can he be actually be playing a role that madrid are suffering to find? and should he be starting some matches ahead of tchouameni ?

In my opinion and as a neutral spanish football enthusiastic, i really loved how Thiago played last season. A raw talent entering the starting 11 for Madrid, fresh and talented, even tho he did some mistakes some in the UCL and some in LaLiga i don't thing we can blame him. He was on his first season with the first squad and still trying to fit in and show what he's made of. Playing in the midfield for Real Madrid specially these recent years after Kroos and Modric should be soo hard, being criticised every match on every touch and every pass he's making should be very difficult.

This summer, he won the U-19 championship having 5 assists in 5 games, + Yesterday he played with the SUB-20 in a friendly vs Mexico and scored the first goal, in a match that ended 2-0 for spain. He still hadn't had a minute this season with Madrid, he was injured in his first trainig session for 6-8 weeks for a medial collateral ligament in the knee, and got registered in Castilla so he can gain fitness and come back to the first team selection. However, we can see that he's on the bench in the last 3 LaLiga games so i think he's will come back soon to play under Mourinho who didn't want his transfer to Fulham in the past transfer window after Arbeloa's interest in the player obviously like he was interested in basically every Real Madrid rising players lol.

What do i think about him starting in the future for Real Madrid ? In my opinion, he's a player that stats doesn't define him. If u watched this guy playing last season u will see from his first minutes that he is the real deal. Other than him being spanish and that gives him +50% midfield talent, he's from La Fábrica and thats really important. We have seen a lack of players that comes from the academy and actually stays in the team, everyone is getting solde like Garcia and Palacios this past transfer window for huge money. He's one of the rare players to actually be a season starter for the first team, but the team's unstainability, changing multiple coaches, the team itself and the enviroment around it being bad also is affecting the player.

I think he should be getting minutes after his full recovery. He should be playing and starting for Tchouameni. Madrid are lacking creativity so much that we are not seeing passes from their midfield. We are looking at a 62% approx. completed passes per 90 passes, and an average of 55% posession /match + Arda Guler being the most creative player in the team but the thing is that he's the attacking midfield. Tchouameni isn't giving any linking passes from the defense for the final third, and Valverde isn't a midfielder in my opinion and he should be playing on the right. We can see the team getting some air to breath when Bernardo Silva is coming out of the bench and that's a clear indicator what the team is missing : A CREATIVE MIDFIELDER, and Thiago with the development needed can fill that role easily without Florentino Perez buying a 150M midfielder.

So what do you think of this analysis? Do you think Thiago Pitarch could be having a future at the team or will he not be utilized and get solde in the future ?

España llega a este partido tras remontar y ganar 3-2 a Inglaterra en Wembley, mientras que Croacia debutó en la Nations League venciendo 2-1 a la República Checa. La racha reciente de Croacia incluye victorias sobre la República Checa, Ghana y Panamá.

Hay mucho que destacar de este encuentro: vimos la eficacia de Álex Baena saliendo desde el banquillo (con una asistencia y un gol) y cómo Oyarzábal sigue demostrando su valor en ataque marcando nada más entrar en el minuto 54, además de la actuación perfecta de Lamine Yamal. Por su parte, la gran figura croata, Modrić (a sus 41 años), anotó un gol, y el banquillo también aportó soluciones: Pašalić marcó en el minuto 77 tras haber ingresado al campo en el 63.

Se espera que De la Fuente utilice un sistema 4-2-3-1 con Rodri y Pedri por detrás de Yamal, Dani Olmo y Baena, y con Oyarzábal en punta. Quizás haga alguna modificación, como dar la titularidad a "Ferminator" o conceder minutos a Huijsen o al delantero del Espanyol, Roberto Fernández, tras su primera convocatoria con la selección absoluta. Croacia también debería emplear esa misma formación, con Modrić y Kovačić en el medio campo, seguidos por los dos Sučić e Ivanović por detrás de Budimir, quien liderará el ataque.

España solo cuenta con la baja de Joan García, mientras que Croacia no podrá contar con Martin Baturina, Martin Erlić ni Josip Juranović.

El historial de enfrentamientos directos favorece a España: 4 victorias frente a las 2 de Croacia y un empate; además, España no ha perdido en sus últimos 39 partidos, aunque Croacia llega tras ganar su primer encuentro de la Nations League. En mi opinión, será una victoria cómoda por 3-0 para España.

Spain return to football tonight at Wembley, after just over two months ago, beating Argentina 1-0 in New Jersey to become world champions for the second time, adding the second star to the shirt. They won all five of their World Cup matches, beating Austria, Portugal, Belgium, France and then Argentina in the final, scoring 9 goals and conceding just once. Now their first game as world champions is against England, the team that won against 2-1 in the Euro 2024 final.

De la Fuente's first post-World Cup call-up includes Roberto Fernández, who's getting his first senior selection after a perfect start with Espanyol: 6 goals in 523 LaLiga minutes. There's also Fermín López, who missed the World Cup through injury but has already returned to Barcelona's starting XI and has 4 goals + 2 assists in 371 league minutes.

Álex Baena is a one to watch after starting the season with 4 goals and 1 assist for Atlético + Lamine Yamal : already has 7 goals and 2 assists in 491 LaLiga minutes for Barcelona this season, averaging an 8.67 FotMob rating + You still have Nico Williams, Oyarzabal, Ferran Torres, Dani Olmo, Pedri and the most important piece which is Rodri.

Predicted lineup should be : 4-3-3, with Simon, Cubarsi, Laporte/Huijsen, Cucurella and Fresneda/Eric garcia in the defensive line. Rodri, Pedri and Olmo in midfield and Yamal, Oyarzabal and Nico Williams up front. England are expected in a 4-2-3-1 with Bellingham, Gordon and Saka behind Harry Kane.

There are also some interesting absences as Spain are without Marc Pubill, England are missing Marcus Rashford and Cole Palmer..

And there's one more thing that makes this feel bigger than a normal Nations League game: this is the first meeting between these two since that Euro 2024 final. Spain won that night through goals from Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal, and England have only won once in their last five meetings. So i expect Wembley to be super loud, England have enough quality to make this a serious match, and Bellingham, Saka and Kane are obviously huge threats.

But Spain arrive with two stars on the shirt, a World Cup trophy still fresh in the cabinet, a perfect Barcelona midfield, i will go with a 2-0 Spain on this one hopefully.

Real Madrid vs PSG is probably one of the best possible opening games for the 2026/27 Women's Champions League, and this time there is a very personal storyline attached to it. Real Madrid have started the season unbeaten, with 5 wins and 1 draw from their first 6 matches. They beat Ajax 2-0 and 2-1 to reach the league phase, then beat Atlético 3-2, drew 0-0 with Eibar, beat Deportivo 2-0 and Valencia 3-1. PSG are also unbeaten, winning their first three league matches and then eliminating Eintracht Frankfurt 6-2 on aggregate in qualifying.

Real Madrid have some really interesting new attacking options this season, particularly Felicia Schröder. The 19-year-old Swedish striker has already scored 3 goals in 111 Liga F minutes, while Linda Caicedo scored in the 2-0 win over Deportivo and again against Valencia. Schröder has scored in both of her Liga F appearances so far, while her Champions League qualifying goals against Ajax have taken her European start to three goals in four matches.

Pau Quesada has also built a side with plenty of flexibility. Madrid have been using a 4-3-3, with the width coming from players such as Linda Caicedo, Lotte Keukelaar and the full-backs, while Andreia Jacinto, Caruso and Elisa can give them control in midfield. PSG under Paulo César have plenty of experience in the middle and out wide, particularly through Sakina Karchaoui, who has already scored twice against Frankfurt and also has an assist in league play. Merveille Kanjinga has also scored twice in the Champions League qualifying tie and was the player who rescued PSG with a very late winner against Nantes.

Naomie Feller is now wearing PSG colours, but she spent four seasons at Real Madrid and left the club after making 136 appearances, scoring 26 goals and providing 13 assists. So her first return to the Di Stéfano isn't just another Champions League fixture. She knows the club, the stadium and many of the players she's going to face. Their qualifying tie against Frankfurt showed exactly what they're capable of: after a 1-1 away draw, they destroyed Frankfurt 5-1 after extra time, with Kanjinga and Karchaoui both scoring twice. They've also started their domestic season with three straight clean sheets, beating Lens 2-0, Strasbourg 2-0 and Nantes 1-0.

The H2H is actually in PSG's favour. This will be the sixth meeting between the clubs in the Women's Champions League, with PSG leading 3 wins to 1, plus 1 draw, and a 9-3 goal advantage. Madrid's one win came in Paris in October 2025, when they won 2-1, so that previous meeting is still very recent for both sides.

Real Madrid have home advantage and a very good start behind them, but PSG have already shown they can survive difficult European ties and then completely take over a game. Madrid also have to deal with a PSG attack containing Feller, Kanjinga, Ajibade and Karchaoui, while PSG will have to worry about Linda Caicedo and the emergence of Schröder. I expect like 3 goals minimum in this match in my opinion.

It has been a post that i wanted to talk about even if it's obvious, but i cannot skip it. Bro when Barcelona failed to get Julián Álvarez this summer, it looked like one of those transfers that could've completely changed the way the season was supposed to go in our eyes as football fans or fans, and most importantly in the eyes of the Barcelona Director Board. Atlético's board refused to negotiate with Barça at all, and the club eventually had to move on. What nobody expected was that the solution would already be inside the squad and will be costing you nothing but a renewal: Raphinha as a No.9.

Like how simple it is to think that the brazilian that player in 3 other positions these past 4 seasons will be the best in his new position in his 5th.

And after 7 LaLiga matches, Raphinha has 12 goals and 3 assists, meaning 15 goal contributions, and after adding his Champions League numbers he's up to 17 goal contributions in 8 games. His perfect hat-trick against Sevilla took him to 12 league goals, making him the current top scorer in LaLiga. Ok so i have watched football and specially LaLiga for the past 18 years, and i think after the Messi/Ronaldo + Suarez era so 10 years ago, i have never seen these numbers before. He's the third historically to have 12+ goals in 7 matches after Cristiano's 13 goals in 2014/2025 and Esteban Echevarría for Real Oviedo 14 goals in 1943/1944.

Raphinha' current campaign has him producing around 8.8 xG, while his finishing has taken him well above the quality of chances he's received. He's also getting a huge amount of his involvement inside the penalty area rather than simply collecting touches out wide. That's exactly what you'd want from the central forward in Flick's system, and that is what makes the positional change SO GOOD. Raphinha hasn't suddenly become a traditional No.9, he's taken everything that made him dangerous as a winger and moved it into central areas. He can start his pressing between the centre-backs, drop into the left half-space combining with Adeyemi, Gordon and Cancelo/Xavi espart when it's possible, drift on the right combine with Yamal, and then his explosivness back into the offensive's box. His movement can drag a centre-back away and immediately create another lane for a teammate.

It fits Flick's ball perfectly. Barcelona want to press high, win the ball back quickly and attack before the opposition can rebuild its shape like we saw these 2 past seasons with the german. Raphinha gives them a No.9 who is willing to run, press and move constantly for 90 min straight rather than waiting in the box. And Lamine Yamal himself explained the team's mentality this season very simply in his past press conference : “Here, everyone presses.”

And then there was 2 : This is probably the part that gets overlooked when people just look at Raphinha's goal numbers.

Raphinha isn't only performing alongside Yamal, he's one of the CAPTAIN figures around him. Flick chose Raphinha as one of Barça's captains, and Yamal was later voted into the leadership group. When discussing the role, Yamal specifically described Raphinha, alongside the other captains, as an “EXAMPLE” and “ROLE MODEL” .

You can actually see that relationship on the pitch. after every goal, every celebration, every penalty given to the other. Yamal has the freedom to stay wide, drift inside or attack defenders because Raphinha's movement from the No.9 position keeps changing the defensive target points. And when Yamal receives between the lines, Raphinha is constantly looking to run behind them, specifically that 3rd goal vs Sevilla 2 days ago. The production between the two has become too good. Raphinha and Yamal have combined for 31 goal contributions in Barça's first eight games of the season, with Raphinha accounting for 17 and Yamal 14.

And I think the relationship is helping Yamal mature as well. He's not just the player that Barça throw the ball to and ask to dribble and take the pressure on his shoulders. He's becoming one of the team's leaders + more collective and thats soooo important + having an experienced captain like Raphinha next to him gives Barça another player who can take responsibility.

Raphinha arrived at Barcelona as a winger trying to establish himself under Xavi. Now, four years later, he's a captain, TOP dressing-room figure and the team's central attacking point, while Yamal has gone from teenage dreams to one of the 5 captains alongside him. The numbers are ridiculous, but the role is what really bugging me out. He's being used differently, he's influencing games from central areas, he's still contributing defensively and his understanding with Yamal is giving Barcelona another level of force to their attack.

And all of this happened because Julián Álvarez never arrived.......... Barcelona thought they needed to buy a world-class striker. Atlético said no. Flick moved Raphinha inside.

Eight games later, the Brazilian has 17 G/A, Yamal has 14, the pair have 31 between them, Raphinha is wearing the captain's armband and Barça are still unbeaten in every competition.

We're talking about a generaltional start of the season, i hope no injuries will come to end his magical performances every game, let's hope he doesnt start in the brazil friendly games lol.

Dépor have quietly put together five unbeaten matches, although their last game was a 1-0 defeat to Sevilla at home, and before they drew with Getafe 1-1 away, beat Villarreal 3-2 away and Valencia 3-1 at home. Betis are in really good shape : 1-0 Getafe with the Ezzalzouli goal, 2-1 Villarreal away and 2-3 Lille in the UCL away, and with that 1-0 win over Real Madrid still one of the biggest results of their season.

Obviously Aubameyang is the man everyone will be watching from that Depor side. He's on 5 goals and 2 assists from 6 games, with 2.77 xG, while Betis' Riquelme has 2 goals from 1.13 xG. Aubameyang is already looking like one of the stories of this promoted side.

Hidalgo is expected to use a 4-4-2, with Aubameyang alongside Bil Nsongo, while Pellegrini should start with his 4-2-3-1, giving Isco freedom behind the striker. That midfield battle is massive: Marc Casadó and Amatucci will have to deal with Isco dropping into pockets and Antony/Ezzalzouli looking to isolate the full-backs.

Dépor are without Angeliño through suspension and Noé through injury, while Betis are missing Ismael Barea, (ACL), Aitor Ruibal and Diego Llorente and he will be back in october after the internationals.

Dépor have scored nine goals in their last five, haven't kept a clean sheet in six, but also haven't lost in five. Betis have also scored nine in their last five and have kept three clean sheets, the most in the competition, with goalkeeper Álvaro Vallés averaging 4.6 saves per match, the best numbers in the league. I think i will go with a 3-1 Betis on this one, i think Betis are a superior team comparing them to Depor who's doing really good tbf. But the form return ro Abdelssamad + Anthony + Parrott and Isco in behind should be their key for winning this game.

The match we ( Specially Barcelona fans ) are all waiting for today. Atletico come into the derby after finally finding some momentum, beating Osasuna 4-0 and Real Sociedad 3-0 in their last two league games, although they also lost to Athletic away 3-0 and Liverpool in the UCL 2-1 at Anfield recently. Madrid have won their last three competitive games, beating Rayo 4-1, Inter 2-1 in the UCL and Elche 3-2, after that 1-0 defeat away at Betis. So both sides arrive with confidence, but Real Madrid are playing basically their LaLiga and their confidence before the international break.

And then there are the two main attacking stories. Julián Álvarez will be available, adding Atleti with one of their biggest attacking weapons specially in the madrid derby but probably from the bench, while Alexander Sørloth is also unavailable. However, Jonathan David is performing more than i thought tbh with 2 goals and an assist in 98 LaLiga minutes, with an xG of 1.72 so pretty clinical for the Canadian. Real, meanwhile, have Kylian Mbappé on 7 goals from 7.86 xG, the league's 2nd top scorer after Raphinha's uncomprehensible 12 goals in 7 matches with 2 Back-to-Back hatricks, with Arda Güler leading the competition with Lamine until now for 27 big chances created. Not to mention Kang-in Lee that is proving to be one of the star signings this season for Atleti + ALEX BAENA, ALEX BAENA.

Atlético have scored 11 goals in their last five, are ranked third at home this season and average 2.3 goals per match. Madrid have scored 13 in their last five, and have also won the last two derbies that was 1 in the Super Spanish cup and 1 in LaLiga at the bernanbeu 3-2 .

Simeone is expected to go with a 3-5-2, while Mourinho should use a 4-2-3-1. The obvious tactical question is what happens when Madrid's attacking midfielders start finding the spaces between Atlético's midfield/defence + Güler drifting inside alongside Bellingham and finding Mbappe can make life very uncomfortable for Koke and Cardoso/Hjumland. Atlético are without Cristian Romero and Sørloth, while Madrid are missing Raúl Asencio, Éder Militão, Ferland Mendy and Rodrygo.

Historically, LaLiga only, They have played 178 league derbies: Real Madrid won 92, Atlético 42 wins and drew 44 times, with 307 for real and 233 for atleti. However, in their last 3 matches at the metropolitano, atleti won 2 and drew once. In case Real Madrid looses this match, they will be having a bad time chasing barcelona, so in reality they should be grabbing the 3 points specially before the internationals, but i have the feeling of a 2-2 match idk. What do you think ?

Getafe come into this with 5 points from their first six, Málaga have only picked up three and are still waiting for their first win since returning to LaLiga. Getafe have scored just 3 times in their last 6, and Málaga have managed 3 also, so neither attack arrives with good numbers. Málaga's recent run is 1-3 Villarreal, 1-1 Celta, 0-0 Levante, 0-4 Real Madrid and 1-1 Deportivo, while Getafe : 0-1 Betis, 1-1 Deportivo, 1-1 Celta, 0-1 Osasuna and 1-0 Racing.

For the individuals, Enes Ünal has 1 goal from 1.19 xG, Málaga's Adrián Niño has one goal from only 0.14 xG. Kiko has been Getafe's biggest chance creator so far, while Chupe has Málaga's most shots on target per game at 0.6.

Bordalás is expected to use a 5-3-2, while Málaga should line up in a 4-4-2. That gives Getafe an extra defender and makes their ability to stay compact pretty obvious as every match lol, while Málaga will have to find ways of getting Larrubia and Chupe involved.

For the injuries : Carlos Dotor, Adam Aznou, Álex Pastor, Julen Lobete, Moussa Diarra, Aarón Ochoa, Fernando Calero and Diego Murillo are all unavailable, while Getafe are missing Kiko, Abqar, Uche and Juanmi, with Francho Serrano also out.

Getafe have scored four goals in their last five and won the previous two meetings with Málaga, while Málaga haven't won in six attempts. This really feels like the kind of game where one goal could decide everything. But that was 8 years ago in 2018, so now maybe some stuff can change, idk i see that match as a 1-1 draw.

Celta still can't seem to get that first league win. They're now on a long run without winning, and the attack + creating goal scoring chances are one of the main issues : Celta scored 3 goals in their 6 matches. Racing, on the other hand, have been much more dangerous going forward, scoring 11 in their last 6 before this game, but conceeding 16.

The individual numbers make the situation clearer. Iago Aspas, Carl Starfelt and Ferrán Jutglà are on just 1 goal, while Racing's Yassir Zabiri is already on 6 goals from 3.49 xG. That's a huge difference in end product, and Zabiri is becoming one of the most dangerous players among the promoted sides and obviously in the league and will defo turn some heads from the big teams towards him.

Giráldez should stick with his 3-4-3, with Hugo González, Jutglà and Hugo Álvarez up front, while Racing are expected in a 4-2-3-1, with Canales and Iñigo Vicente behind Zabiri. Celta will want to control the game through possession and their wing-backs showen by their 54.3% average posession control, whereas Racing will be much happier attacking quickly once they win the ball like they do normally,

Celta are without Iago Aspas and Jones El-Abdellaoui, while Racing are missing Simon Eriksson and Andrés Martín. That makes Celta's lack of attacking depth a bit more noticeable. Racing haven't kept a clean sheet in 15 matches. Julen Agirrezabala has also been extremely busy, averaging 4.6 saves per match, one of the highest figures in the competition.

That match should be really interesting, specially cause i love how racing plays football. For me, the match will be a 1-1 draw.

Athletic haven't been completely consistent, but they've already shown what they can do with that 3-0 win over Atlético Madrid, although they've now drawn 1-1 with Elche but beat Celta 2-0 away. Alavés had a great run earlier in the season, beating Villarreal and Osasuna, but they've lost recently to Valencia 1-0 at home and 2-1 away vs Racing.

Robert Navarro has 2 goals from 1.22 xG, Lucas Boyé has 4 from 1.24 xG. Boyé has been one of the most clinical forwards in the league so far, while Navarro has become a really useful attacking right side for Athletic. We should highlight that Alavés' Ángel Pérez has already created 6 big chances, putting him among the league leaders as 3rd most big chances created .

Athletic are expected in a 4-2-3-1, with Sancet behind the Williams brothers and Nico starting from the left with Robert Navarro on the right. Alavés should use their familiar 3-5-2, with Boyé and Toni Martínez up front.

For the injuries : Athletic have Peio Canales with a calf injury, Daniel Vivian who's recovering from a groin injury and Unai Egiluz out until end January (ACL) , while Alavés are missing Facundo Garcés and Mikel Rodríguez (ACL), and Aitor Mañas who's recovering from a head injury.

Athletic have scored 7 goals across their last five, while there hasn't been a draw in the last four meetings between these two. And with Unai Simón currently averaging 4.3 saves per game, Athletic have already had to rely on Unai in more than a situation. I think Bilbao should be getting something from this match other that they are playing at home and Depor are in a 2 losses in the last 2 so they maybe dont have the momentum. 2-1 Bilbao.

Osasuna have had a pretty strange few weeks. They started well, beating Getafe and Celta, but then lost 5-2 to Alavés, 2-0 to Espanyol and 4-0 to Atlético. Rayo have also been inconsistent, with wins over Racing and Espanyol but heavy defeats to Barcelona and Real Madrid. So both teams come to this match in El Sadar needing to stop the defeats and take the 3 pts.

The striker battle is probably the headline here. Ante Budimir has 4 goals from 4.18 xG, Rayo's Sergio Camello has 6 goals from 2.27 xG. Camello in particular has been ridiculously clinical, scoring almost three times as many goals as his xG would suggest. Defo a one's to watch in this match and in the remaining of LaLiga in general.

Ramis is expected to stay in a 4-2-3-1, with Budimir as the target point between Del Castillo,Enrique Barja and the main man in the CAM position Rubén Garcia. Beñat San José should use a 4-3-3 with Camello between Jorge de Frutos and Álvaro García. That gives Rayo a lot of pace in transition, while Osasuna will probably try to get crosses and second balls/long balls into Budimir.

For the injuries : Osasuna are without Jorge Herrando, Aimar Oroz and Moi Gómez, while Valentin Rosier is still recovering but back in training. Rayo are missing Augusto Batalla, Jozhua Vertrouwd, Luiz Felipe and Randy Nteka, with Isi Palazón also still unavailable.

The H2H is pretty even: Osasuna have 9 wins, Rayo 7 and there have been 4 draws from 20 matches. Well tbf idk what i expect from this game regarding the score, maybe both teams to get a goal but i lean towards Rayo getting something from this match.

Espanyol come into Round 7 with 7 points, while Elche are still waiting for their first win after taking only 2 points from their opening six. Espanyol's last five have been : Lost away vs Rayo 2-1, won 2-0 vs Osasuna away, 1-1 Sevilla at home, lost 1-2 away vs Real Sociedad and lost 1-2 at home in the opening vs Real Madrid. Elche's run is much rougher: tough 2-3 loss vs Real Madrid at home, 1-1 away vs Athletic, lost 2-3 home vs Sociedad, 2-3 loss vs Racing away and 0-5 loss vs Barcelona in their LaLiga opening.

The main attacking story is Roberto Fernández vs Fer Niño. Roberto has 6 goals from 3.21 xG + got called up for the Spanish selection, while Niño has 3 goals from 2.01 xG. Roberto has been one of the most productive forwards in the league so far, and Espanyol will probably look to keep feeding him in the box.

Manolo González is expected to use a 4-2-3-1, with Roberto and Marcos Fernández up front, while Martín Anselmi's Elche should go 4-1-4-1, with Abiel Osorio leading the line. Elche have an extra player sitting in front of the defence, while Espanyol should have more freedom to attack through Calatrava, Expósito and Dolan. And seeing the way Elche is playing, they are keeping so much space in the back.

For the injuries : Espanyol are i think without Jofre Carreras, Omar El Hilali for a red card suspension, Javi Puado still recovering from the ACL and Kike García with a hamstring, while Elche are missing Adam Boayar and Yago Santiago who's back in training.

The H2H is somehow close: Espanyol have 4 wins, Elche 3 and there have been 5 draws. More recently, though, Espanyol have had the better run and haven't lost to Elche in their last six meetings, winning three and drawing three. But for me even without seeing the H2H, i think Espanyol should be getting their 3 points and move forward in the league table, specially seeing how Elche are bad at defending and they are playing away. i will say 2-0 Espanyol.

For me, this comes down to whether Elche can keep Roberto away from the dangerous areas. They're scoring enough to stay competitive in games, but the 12 goals they've conceded already show how vulnerable they can be defensively.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOHHAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!

Europa Legue starts today for Real Sociedad, and it will be against a VERY HARD Bournemouth side. Sociedad haven't had the start they wanted, with 7 points from 6 LaLiga games, but the last one was especially rough: a 3-0 loss to Atlético where they managed just 0.27 xG against Atlético's 2.05. Bournemouth come into their Europa League opener with a much better momentum, having drawn 2-2 with Brentford after producing 1.75 xG and 20 shots / 10 on target.

The individual numbers are worth taking a look at. Luka Sučić has 2 goals in LaLiga being the top scorer for Sociedad from 0.77 xG for Sociedad, while Bournemouth's big danger is Marcus Tavernier, who has 3 goals from 1.70 xG in the Premier League, with Justin Kluivert sitting on another goal from 1.0 xG + Evanilson having 3 Assists as their main striker tho, something to be attentioned from during the game.

Both sides are expected to use a 4-2-3-1, which should make the midfield battle the main scene of this match. Matarazzo will want Sučić and Soler getting on the ball and bringing Barrenetxea, Guedes and Oyarzabal into the game, while Marco Rose's Bournemouth have plenty of pace and 1v1 ability in Tavernier and Kluivert. The big danger for Sociedad in my opinion is leaving space behind their full-backs when they push forward.

There are a few important absences too. Sociedad are without Igor Zubeldia with a muscle injury and Álvaro Odriozola who's recovering from an ACL. Bournemouth are missing Julián Araujo, Veljko Milosavljević, Junior Kroupi and Amine Adli.

For me, this comes down to whether Sociedad can get back to their normal level with the ball. They're at Anoeta, but Bournemouth have shown in England that they can create chances without needing huge amounts of possession. HUGE GAME, i will expect for this game to finish in a 1-1, or 2-1 cause i want Sociedad to win.

Why i edited the photo to black and white ? If u know Camello then you already know.

Rayo have had a pretty rough start, but there are reasons not to write them completely off. They've beaten Racing 3-2, but they've lost to Sevilla 2-1 away, Barça 5-2 away and now Real Madrid 4-1 away, with a draw against Deportivo Alaves at home 1-1. Espanyol have been much better, with wins over Levante 3-0 at home and Osasuna 2-0 away, a draw against Sevilla 1-1 at home and 2 losses against Sociedad 2-1 away and 2-1 vs Real Madrid at home.

The individual numbers are toooo interesting. Sergio Camello has 6 goals from just 1.97 xG, and Espanyol's Roberto Fernández has 5 goals from 2.93 xG. So both strikers are producing, but Camello for me is finishing at a ridiculous rate. Both strikers will absolutely have some offers abroad or even in spain guaranteed.

Rayo should be in a 4-3-3, with Camello between Fran Pérez and Álvaro García, and Espanyol are expected in a 4-2-3-1 with Roberto leading the line with a Mid 3 of Dolan, Hernández and Fernandez. That should give Rayo more width and pace in transition as we saw in their other matches specifically their goal against Barcelona the first one, while Espanyol will try to use Javi Hernández and Tyrhys Dolan between Rayo's lines.

For the injuries : Rayo are still without Isi Palazón, Augusto Batalla for the broken leg, Jozhua Vertrouwd with a hamstring, Luiz Felipe and Randy Nteka with muscle injuries, while Jorge de Frutos is suspended with a red card. Espanyol are missing Jofre Carreras, Javi Puado until october i think and Kike García, with Andoni Gorosabel doubtful.

The H2H currently favours Espanyol a bit: 11 wins to Rayo's 9, with 3 draws in their last 24 matches. Their recent form is probably more relevant this time though, and both teams need these points badly and need to turn their chances into points. i think this match screams a draw, i will go with a simple 1-1 with both strikers scoring.

Villarreal still haven't won in LaLiga and are coming off a 3-2 Champions League defeat to Dortmund, after earlier LaLiga defeats to Alavés 1-0 away and Deportivo 2-3 at home, and draws against Atlético 2-2 away and Racing 2-2 in the opening. Betis have had a much stronger run recently: 1-0 Real Sociedad, 0-1 Valencia, 5-2 Levante, 1-0 Real Madrid, before also beating away Lille 3-2 in the Champions League.

The individual numbers are pretty close. Nicolas Pépé has 2 goals from 0.71 xG, while Betis' Riquelme has 2 goals from 0.84 xG. Ayoze Pérez, Mikautadze and Gerard Moreno give Villarreal plenty of experience up front, while Isco, Anthony and Fornals are the players Betis will want finding space behind Villarreal's midfield.

Villarreal should play in a 4-4-2, with Pépé/Buchanan and Moleiro providing the width and Ayoze/Mikautadze alongside Gerard Moreno. Betis are expected in a 4-2-3-1, with Bernal and Marc Roca behind Antony, Isco and Fornals. That should create an interesting midfield battle: Villarreal can attack directly through the front two, while Betis will probably look to control possession and get Isco receiving between the lines.

There are a few absences worth watching. Villarreal are without Juan Foyth, Carlos Romero is doubtful. For Betis : Giovani Lo Celso, Abde Ezzalzouli, and Aitor Ruibal are unavailable.

Despite Villarreal's poor start, their recent H2H is pretty competitive : 11 W for Villarreal, 9 for Betis and 6 Draws in their last 26 Matches This isn't normally a fixture where either side completely controls the other, and Villarreal having home advantage makes the game hard to predict.

For me, this is all about whether Villarreal can finally turn their chances and attacking quality into a result. They've already shown they can score against a strong opposition, but they keep getting punished at the other end with their defense, i will go with a 2-2 draw why not.

Athletic come into this after their biggest wins of this season with a huge 3-0 over Atlético Madrid, and they've now won their last two league games after starting with defeats to Barça and Sevilla. Elche, meanwhile, have only 1 point from four and have conceded 12 goals, although they've also scored five.

The attacking numbers are interesting because Athletic don't need huge numbers from one player. Robert Navarro has 2 goals from 0.92 xG, Elche's Fer Niño has 2 goals from 1.96 xG. Athletic have been getting much more out of their chances, while Elche are still creating opportunities but struggling to make them count consistently.

Athletic should be in a 4-2-3-1, with Sancet behind the Williams brothers and Robert Navarro, while Elche are expected in a 5-3-2. Athletic should try to stretch the pitch and attack through their wingers, while Elche will have the extra defender and look to survive the pressure before breaking through Buonanotte and Niño.

Athletic also have some defensive injuries. Daniel Vivian, Unai Eguiluz, Peio Canales and Gorka Guruzeta are unavailable, while Elche are missing Adam Boayar and Yago Santiago. That could make Athletic's ability to control the game even more important.

The recent form is where the gap really shows: Athletic have gone 3-0 Atlético, 2-0 Celta and 2-0 Barcelona in their last three league wins, while Elche have lost 3-2 to Sociedad, 3-2 to Racing and 0-5 to Barcelona. And San Mamés should be a difficult place for Elche to stop the momentum. I will go with a straight 3-0 Bilbao win.

Osasuna have 7 points from 4 matches, although that 5-2 defeat to Alavés last weekend was a reality-check after an unbeaten perfect start. Espanyol have 4 points, and they come into El Sadar after a 1-1 draw with Sevilla. Before that, they had lost narrowly to Real Madrid 2-1 at home and 2-1 away at Sociedad but also smashed Levante 3-0.

Talking about strikers, Ante Budimir already has 4 goals from 4.11 xG, while Espanyol's Roberto Fernández has 3 goals from 1.61 xG. Budimir is getting himself into chances consistently, whereas Roberto has been much more clinical with the opportunities he's had.

Ramis is expected to use a 4-2-3-1, with Budimir up top and Rubén García, Del Castillo and Jonathan Dubasin supporting him. Manolo González should also go with a 4-2-3-1, with Calatrava, Javi Hernández and Tyrhys Dolan behind Roberto. The tactical part will be whether Espanyol can get their wide players attacking the space behind Osasuna's full-backs Abel Bretones and Iñigo Arguibide.

There are a few important absences. Osasuna are without Jorge Herrando, Aimar Oroz and Moi Gómez, while Valentin Rosier is still working his way back. Espanyol have Javi Puado and Kike García out, with Andoni Gorosabel doubtful.

H2H currently gives Osasuna the + : 10 wins to Espanyol's 6, with 5 draws. More importantly, El Sadar has been a difficult place to come to, and Osasuna have already shown this season that they can win games without needing huge amounts of possession.

It feels like another physical game where Budimir could make the difference, i will go with a 2-1 Osasuna win on this match to be real, or a 1-1 if i wanna be more towards a direct game, but aleast i have Espanyol scoring.

The match is live but i should give some opinion on the match even if it's late lol. Racing come into this with 4 points from their first four, while Alavés are sitting on 10 points and unbeaten, so this is already a pretty serious test for the promoted side. Racing have lost their last two, 1-0 at Getafe and 3-2 at Rayo, after beating Elche and drawing with Villarreal. Alavés, meanwhile, are coming off that crazy 5-2 win over Osasuna, having also beaten Villarreal 1-0 and drawn 1-1 with Rayo.

The individual matchup is really interesting too. Yassir Zabiri has 3 goals from 0.74 xG, while Alavés' Lucas Boyé has 4 goals from 0.89 xG. Both have been incredibly efficient so far, but Boyé is obviously coming in with even more confidence after scoring four times already.

There are a few important absences too. Racing are without Andrés Martín, who has a knee injury, while Alavés are missing Facundo Garcés and Mikel Rodríguez with long-term ACL injuries. Toni Martínez is back in training.

The recent form makes this feel like a tougher game for Racing than the table alone suggests. Alavés have already shown they can win without needing much possession, while Racing have been involved in much more open games and have conceded 8 goals across their last three matches.

For me, the biggest question is whether Canales and Vicente can pull Alavés' back five apart. If they can't, Alavés have exactly the type of structure and finishing quality that can punish Racing. Maybe both teams to score, advantage Depor.

Sevilla come into Round 5 with 7 points from 4 matches, while Valencia are still without a win and have only 1 point from 12. Sevilla's last four league games have been 2-1 vs Rayo, 3-1 vs Athletic, 1-3 vs Atlético and 1-1 vs Espanyol. And Valencia's run is worse: 0-0 Celta, 0-1 Betis, 1-3 Deportivo and 0-5 Barcelona.

The attacking numbers are not great for both sides, but Valencia's situation is in my opinion worrying. Isaac Romero is on 1 goal from 0.33 xG, and Umar Sadiq has 1 goal from 1.34 xG. So despite the poor results, Sadiq has at least been getting himself into some positions before his injury.

Sevilla should be in a 4-3-3 and Valencia in a 5-4-1. Luis García have more numbers high up the pitch, with Ejuke and Danjuma providing the width that they need, however Carlos Corberán is expected to make Valencia very compact and try to attack on the openings. Javi Guerra and Harvey Elliott should be the key players if Valencia want to turn those transitions into something dangerous. The problem is that the injury lists make this even harder for them. Umar Sadiq, Guido Rodríguez, Diego López, Sergi Canós, Justin De Haas and José Copete are unavailable, with Diakhaby, Foulquier and Luis Rioja also doubts of being available. Sevilla are missing Arouna Sangante, with Rubén Vargas has a physical discomfort.

For the H2H, which is probably the biggest reason I wouldn't dismiss Valencia like 100% : they haven't lost to Sevilla in their last 6 meetings, winning 3 and drawing 3. That's a pretty strong record considering how much Sevilla have struggled for consistency. But this season i see it differently specially with all the problems that Valencia are in : in the club, long injury list, player qualities, i will not talk about the coach cz bro he has an entire squad injured, idk man.

I don't think will and should drop points in that match, and they should take advantage as the match will be at home, so i will expect 2-0 Sevilla.

THE CHAMPIOOOOOOOOOONSSSSSSSSSSSS PAPAPAPAPAPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

I don't usually do match analysis outside LaLiga or for spanish clubs in the UCL, UEL or Conference league, but seeing Cesc Fàbregas taking Como into their first-ever Champions League campaign was enough to change that and i love that manager bro ( Lebanese wife lol ). And honestly, this is the true test for him. Como have started the season really well, with wins over Napoli and Genoa and a 1-1 opener against Udinese, while Leipzig have already shown both sides of themselves with a 3-0 win over Gladbach at home followed by a defeat to Werder Bremen 3-1 away.

Fàbregas is expected to use a 4-2-3-1, with Máximo Perrone and Lucas Da Cunha behind a really explosive attacking four of Assane Diao, Nico Paz, Martin Baturina and Douvikas. Leipzig should be lining up in a 4-3-3, with Nusa, Nkunku and Bakayoko leading the attack, with Seiwald, Banzuzi and El Aynaoui in the midfield. That makes the central battle really hard because Como's three attacking midfielders can constantly rotate around Douvikas, while Leipzig will try to stretch Como's formation through the wingers.

And this is exactly where I like Fàbregas' approach. Como aren't trying to sit back because they're the underdog. They want to build properly, use the ball and create overloads through the middle, while their full-backs Alex Valle and Yan Couto can provide the width. Against Leipzig's 4-3-3, getting Nico Paz between the lines could be their key to be dangerous + getting Baturina who's having a big start for the Serie A with 2 goals and 1 assist in 3 matches so keep an eye on Martin Baturina. Just to add something that can give Leipzig some hope is that they produced a 5.5 xG in 2 games playe, second to Bayern who holds a 6 xG in 2 games played in the bundesliga, we can see from their numbers that Leipzig are obviously creating a lot of chances.

There are some absences to keep an eye on too. Leipzig's list is a bit packed: Assan Ouédraogo, Christoph Baumgartner and Rocco Reitz are out, with Brajan Gruda doubts and Rômulo also sidelined.

And obviously, there is no H2H history to speak about here. This is a completely new European campaign for Como, which makes the whole occasion even bigger and myself doing their first UCL analysis.

For me, the question isn't really whether Como have enough quality cause they clearly do. It's whether Fàbregas can make his possession game work against Leipzig's pressure without exposing the space behind his full-backs. So for that i will give my a bit biased which is 3-1 Como and my honest would be between 2-2 and 2-1 Como i dont see leipzig winning specially after their score away after Bremen. Best of luck for Cesc !!!