The ‘in need of protection’ Weekend Predictions - Round 14

Saturday

Levante (16th) v Atlético Madrid (7th)

The modern, hurly-burly world is not an easy place to live in at the moment. Unemployment, Sepp Blatter, Autotune-themed songs everywhere. So take a little lie back, tickle your tootsies and enjoy Atlético MadridâÂÂs defending in the 2-3 defeat to Aris in the Europa League on Wednesday night. ItâÂÂs truly heartwarming stuff.

The rather surprising loss leaves qualification from the group stages out of AtletiâÂÂs hands, with the current holders needing to do better than their Greek rivals in the final round of matches. Or maybe a draw with a heavy defeat for Aris. Or something like that.

Either way, Atlético club president, Enrique Cerezo, has thrown in the towel by huffing that âÂÂI donâÂÂt have any hope in the competition.â Then again, this was the same gentleman who said that his coach, Quique Sánchez Flores, only deserved a one match ban for trying start a fist-fight with most of the Espanyol side, last Saturday, because âÂÂit wasnâÂÂt the French Revolution.âÂÂ

FEF also spotted the lack of bayonets, powdered wigs, pamphleteers and stinky cheese but still handed the Rojiblanco manager a two game touchline ban for last weekâÂÂs wickedness.

LLL Prediction - Away win

Osasuna (12th) v Barcelona (1st)

Quality is not exactly a word that is generally associated with the Osasuna side. Violence certainly is though. And thatâÂÂs going to be the tactics against visiting Barcelona claims midfielder, Fernando Soriano. âÂÂBoot, knees, elbows. It has to be a hard, physical game,â predicted the former Almería man. âÂÂI believe and hope they wonâÂÂt find it so easy here.âÂÂ

LLL, for one, has been fooled by this tantalising trash talk.

LLL Prediction - Draw

Real Madrid (2nd) v Valencia (5th)

This weekâÂÂs âÂÂrain on your wedding dayâ moment comes from Marca, of course, who have been moaning again that Cristiano Ronaldo is tackled too much (as well as not being given enough penalties). ThursdayâÂÂs edition wittered that the big match bottler was âÂÂhunted in the Camp Nou.â Mainly because he had gone missing, perhaps.

âÂÂWe need the the likes of Cristiano, Messi, Agüero and Forlán to be fully fit and perfectly protected,â said the paperâÂÂs editorial in a perfectly fine sentiment.

Fast forward a day and Marca is reporting that Messi is a major doubt for SaturdayâÂÂs clash with Osasuna with an ankle injury. The one that Sergio Ramos gave to him. âÂÂWith extreme violenceâ noted Xavi.

LLL Prediction - Home win

Sunday

Getafe (11th) v Mallorca (6th)

Wednesday night was a tough one for those 46 hardcore, all-weather Getafe fans who actually cared about the clubâÂÂs Europa League campaign. In what looked like rather chilly temperatures in Denmark, Getafe were leading Odense 1-0 until an injury time equaliser for their opponents dumped the Spanish side out of the competition.

Angel Torres for one was more upset that the other tie being played in their group, Young Boys against Stuttgart, had kicked off half an hour later due to bad weather with the Getafe president almost suggesting something fishy was going on that would certainly have seen him thrown into UEFAâÂÂs brig. But, in the end, Torres pulled himself back from the brink. âÂÂWeâÂÂre not going to complain,â he added a day after the game.

LLL - Home win

Almería (19th) v Zaragoza (20th)

Zaragoza defender, Jiri Jarosik, the man footballer is largely responsible for most of his sideâÂÂs dropped points this season - well, the ones against Sevilla a few weeks back anyhow - has shown just as much awareness of the world of football off the pitch, as on it this week with his assessment of SundayâÂÂs relegation 15 pointer against Almería.

âÂÂItâÂÂs a very important match in terms of points and the teamâÂÂs morale. WeâÂÂre going for the win.âÂÂ

LLL Prediction - Home win

Espanyol (4th) v Sporting (17th)

One of the musings that came out of the Barça battering of Madrid was what Sporting coach, Manuel Preciado, would make of the whole affair. Keen followers of la Liga will remember a few episodes ago, the avuncular coach was on the end of a sneer or two from José Mourinho, who accused the mustachioed maestro of resting players and giving up in a league game in the Camp Nou against Barça - a game Sporting lost 1-0 in what was a fairly tight affair.

âÂÂTightâ certainly isnâÂÂt one the words that was used describe MondayâÂÂs mauling, so Preciado was asked for his opinion on the game. âÂÂ5-0? It certainly didnâÂÂt make me sad,â admitted the Sporting supremo. Manolo also confessed that he preferred Barcelona to win the game but âÂÂnot because I have anything against Real Madrid,â he deadpanned, âÂÂbut I like Barça. I think theyâÂÂre better and deserved to win.âÂÂ

To rub extra salt into MadridâÂÂs chafed bits Preciado also opined that the current Barcelona could be âÂÂthe best team in history.âÂÂ

LLL Prediction - Home win

Málaga (18th) v Racing (15th)

Perhaps one of the best Tweets - as the kids today call them - going around in regards to the Madrid defeat was a pretend Marca headline on Tuesday that involved the current Málaga manager - âÂÂside formerly lead by Manuel Pellegrini loses to Barcelona.âÂÂ

Incidentally, SundayâÂÂs match for Málaga will be particularly worth watching if it pops up on a screen somewhere just to witness DudaâÂÂs attempt at a cool and hip fin hairdo with the forward not really having a great deal of âÂÂresourcesâ to play with.

LLL Prediction - Home win

Villarreal (3rd) v Sevilla (8th)

Two home defeats in la Liga to Mallorca and Getafe and a 4-2 loss to PSG in the Europa League on Thursday means that the Sevilla camp certainly isnâÂÂt a happy one at the moment. And thatâÂÂs not even LLL making stuff up, for once.

Defender, Drago, this week confirmed what most Sevilla fans have seen for themselves this season from the eighth-placed side. âÂÂThe group doesnâÂÂt have the ambition or drive as before,â revealed the Serbian stopper. âÂÂThe dressing room is not together.âÂÂ

LLL Prediction - Home win

Real Sociedad (9th) v Athletic (10th)

One of the bad boys taking part in the first Basque derby in nearly four years is AthleticâÂÂs Carlos Gurpegui, the scorer of his sideâÂÂs last second winner against Osasuna, last week.

However, the midfielder is more usually known for being a dirty, gobby so-and-so but that's only because he is victimised by the game's governing bodies, claims the midfielder himself when comparing the one match suspension handed to Sergio Ramos for his assault on Leo Messi on Monday.

âÂÂIf it had been me, IâÂÂd have got three or five games,â complained Gurpegui.

LLL Prediction - Home win

Monday

Deportivo (14th) v Hércules (13th)

Despite David Trezeguet having only been at Hércules for a matter of months (but knocking in seven goals in his time there, to be fair), the Frenchman has set his sights on a move away from Alicante to somewhere with a touch more finesse. And a training ground, perhaps, a luxury that Hércules is still lacking.

The week began with his agent, Antonio Caliendo, admitting his client is wanted by Inter Milan. As soon as possible. And that means January. âÂÂWe have certainly looked at the Inter option and for the moment, we arenaâÂÂt ruling out anything.âÂÂ

But rather than being all with the âÂÂI love it here at Hércules and intend to give it everything IâÂÂve got,â Trezeguet confirmed what his agent had revealed and that he couldnâÂÂt wait to leave the east coast club. âÂÂMy aim is to show what I can do to move next year to a club with more important ambitions,â snooted Trezeguet.  Like the Higuaín-less Real Madrid perhaps?

LLL Prediction - Home win