The Sun-Creamed Weekend Predictions - Round 1

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SATURDAY

Real Madrid vs Deportivo

When asked to opine on who will win the title this season, La Liga Loca would always give a thoughtful, careful, considered answer based on a number of factors - the questionerâÂÂs purtyness, drunkenness and what club she supported.

But now, the blog must give the genuinely honest response of âÂÂBarcelonaâÂÂ.

Until Thursday evening, it was always going to be 50/50 on that particular topic. However, the sale of Arjen Robben seems to have swatted the ball firmly into the Catalan clubâÂÂs court.

However, painful as it is to agree with Marca and AS, both papers make valid points on Friday on the rationale behind his â¬25 million move to Bayern Munich.

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With all the other open questions floating around la Liga this season â such as who will win it, which games will Guti choose to play in and whether Pep Guardiola will break his personal record of wearing two shirts at the same time â there are some secure certainties.

An interesting choice is the blogâÂÂs polite response.


"Oh balls, it's on Channel Five"

âÂÂI want to win anyway I can,â claimed manager Joaquín Caparrós before Thursday nightâÂÂs match in Norway. âÂÂThe only thing that matters is being in that draw in Monaco.âÂÂ

And thatâÂÂs where theyâÂÂll be despite having âÂÂsuffered like dogsâ in TromsoâÂÂs Arctic home, where Athletic battled to a 1-1 draw to give them an aggregate victory over their whale-hunting opponents.

According to La Liga LocaâÂÂs pinpoint-accurate prediction table, these two teams will be tipping their hats goodbye to the top flight come May.

So SundayâÂÂs tie might be a fine time for at least one of them to have a week or two feeling warm and content before the inevitable nine months of misery and despair to come.

But one of XerezâÂÂs on-loan recruitments, BarcelonaâÂÂs Victor Sánchez, feels that the southern side has every chance of staying up this season.

âÂÂTake away seven or eight and the rest of the sides are in Xerezâ league,â claimed the defender.

For the moment, the clubâÂÂs supporters are merely looking forward to their team's first ever top-flight campaign.

âÂÂThe party has begun!â whoops one fan on MarcaâÂÂs message board. âÂÂáViva Andalusia! áForza Xerez!âÂÂ

Then go out, sell everything you have and put all the loot on Jonathan Pereira as the top-flightâÂÂs top scorer, this season!

They were pretty much all against one side, to be fair, but you can prove anything with facts, canâÂÂt you?


"Your place or mine?"

Like the other four games being played on Sunday at 17:00hrs it's going to be astonishingly hot come kick-off â a good 85C in some places, if La Liga LocaâÂÂs hyperbole-prone weather service is to be believed.

ValenciaâÂÂs pitch has reportedly died after a 10-year life having been burned to a crisp over the summer.

Málaga vs Atletico

With an own goal in AtleticoâÂÂs favour within the first few minutes of Tuesday nightâÂÂs Champions League encounter, it was always going to be a dull old affair at the Vicente Calderón against Panathinaikos.

The rojiblancosâ newfangled tendency towards ditchwater-dull professionalism and competency meant that the tie was in the bag at 4-2 up on aggregate.

But there was at least some entertainment to be enjoyed â the return of the ever-popular José Antonio Reyes, who trotted out onto the pitch as a second-half substitute after a year on loan to Benfica.

âÂÂIt really doesnâÂÂt affect me at all. ItâÂÂs only the extremists who booed me.âÂÂ

Considering nut-jobs make up most of the Atlético crowd, José's in for a rough ride.

Although Real Madrid and Barcelona may take a tiny tip of the attention over the weekend â not that they should, considering they have dead-cert home bankers lined-up as their openers â this is the proper manâÂÂs game of an encounter this weekend.

Valencia have once again been propped up by a loan guaranteed by the local council â and itâÂÂs stopped the club disappearing into either the Segunda B or the oblivion of nothingness.


"Anything you can spare, guv"

Almería vs Valladolid

If Manucho is to keep his 40-strikes-for-Valladolid promise this season, then he'll need just over a goal a game for the next nine months.

When gobby Real Madrid sporting director Jorge Valdano began a diatribe on the nature of BarcelonaâÂÂs nationalist tendencies, there was always going to be trouble.

âÂÂHere, it would difficult to have a player saying âÂÂViva Real Madridâ and âÂÂViva the Community of MadridâÂÂâ said the Argentinian, marching into a minefield of controversy.

But the comment he most took offence to was ValdanoâÂÂs claim that he was right to pass over knee-knacked defender Gaby Milito during his spell as manager at Real Madrid. 

âÂÂI donâÂÂt think Gaby deserves this. HeâÂÂs even one of his countrymen. IâÂÂm sure that when Valdano takes a moment, heâÂÂll realise he made a mistake and correct himself.âÂÂ

**Don't forget â Tim will be tweeting from the Bernabeu on Saturday. Follow La Liga Loca on Twitter

The Big Season Preview - Part One
The Big Season Preview - Part Two
The Big Season Preview - Part Three
The Big Season Preview - Part Four

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