It promises to be another week of cracking action in La Liga, so who better to look ahead to the four live games on Sky Sports than our Spanish football expert Guillem Balague.
If you've got a question for Guillem, send it in here.
Barcelona v Espanyol
Valencia v Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid v Villarreal
Sporting v Sevilla
Hurdle: Pochettino must get past Pep Guardiola (right) before recovery begins
Barcelona v Espanyol
7.00pm, Sat, Sky Sports 3 & HD3
The last two outings have been a disaster for Espanyol; they've let in eight goals in total without scoring one themselves, so this is a game Barcelona should be able to have fun in. I do expect Espanyol to turn their fortunes around because I trust Mauricio Pochettino but this game has come at the wrong time for him. On the plus side, Espanyol do have players with personality like Luis García and Jose Maria Callejón - players who in this type of scenario are capable of raising their game. So it won't be as easy for Barca as some people may think but of course the home side is the favourite. They've had a run of big games and come through them - Inter, Real Madrid. Xerez, Depor. Let's see what happens with Dynamo Kiev and now this one.
I do expect Espanyol to turn their fortunes around because I trust Mauricio Pochettino but the Barcelona game has come at the wrong time for him.
Guillem Balague
Quotes of the week
Barcelona v Espanyol
7pm, Sat, Sky Sports 1 & HD1
Valencia v Real Madrid
9.00pm, Sat, Sky Sports 3 & HD3
This is a big, big game. It looks as though Kaka will be out for the rest of the year with a groin injury similar to the one sustained by Torres. That means Real are heavily reliant on Cristiano Ronaldo, but he won't be playing after his red card last week. I think Valencia are favourites to win this one. They are a balanced side now. I like Unai Emery and what he is doing. All in all, I can see Real Madrid really struggling with this one.
Atletico Madrid v Villarreal (second half)
7.00pm, Sun, Sky Sports 1 & HD1
Quique Sanches Flores is another manager I'm a big fan of. He's found the perfect tactical solution for Atletico it seems. He's changed to a 4-1-3-2 formation with Jurado just behind the two strikers in a diamond-shaped midfield. All of a sudden the defence is much better protected because everybody is tracking back and after two clean sheets everyone is starting to believe in Quique's tactics. Villarreal, on the other hand, remain irregular. They were losing to Getafe but then managed to turn the game around from 1-2 to 3-2 with ten men. That win has given everybody confidence and it is great to see Cazorla back. He's had a very difficult 12 months because of a fibula injury. He missed the Confederations Cup in the summer and then suffered a hernia but he's somehow come back from that to play football again. Fantastic!
Sporting v Sevilla
8.00pm, Sun, Sky Sports 1 & HD1
This match completes a very good weekend of games. Both teams love to go forward. coach Manolo Jimenez told us on this week's Revista how Sevilla try to play their football. After reaching their first target, qualification for the next stage of the Champions League, they seem to have relaxed resulting in two draws against Malaga and Real Valladolid as well as lost to Unirea. I think Sporting could harm Sevilla - it should be an exciting game to watch!
Guillem answers your questions...
Got a question for Guillem? Then send it in here or use the feedback form below, and then look out for his answer next week.
NOT SOLD ON IDEA
Guillem, as a Real Mallorca fan it is good to see the team in their current league position especially after many experts were predicting relegation. Could you please update us on the current state of the club with regards to ownership, will any players have to be sold in the January transfer window and will our underrated coach Gregorio Manzano leave as a result of having to endure continually difficult circumstances? Kevin Hazell
GUILLEM SAYS: Mallorca need around 12m Euros to recover as soon as possible and that means trying to sell Aduriz, maybe trying to offload Victor - whoever is available really. There was a businessman who tried to buy the club but he failed to make the first payment so the man who was trying to sell the club - Mateu Alemany - retained control and now he is trying to buy more time for himself to try and sell it again. There is a group of British businessmen who are trying to put money together to buy it but they are not making much noise as yet.
LOPEZ LATEST
Hey Guillem, As a MUFC fan I see we are linked with Diego Lopez from Villarreal. Is there any truth in these rumours? And do you think he's capable of succeeding Edwin van der Sar? Kind regards, Fred van Amerongen, The Netherlands
GUILLEM SAYS: Yes, there have been many rumours for a while - some of which have come from his agent - who is convinced that Lopez could replace Van der Sar at United. I am convinced as well even though there has been no contact so far and nothing has been agreed. I wouldn't think twice about signing him if I was Sir Alex Ferguson. Lopez is a modern goalkeeper and Fabio Capello wanted him as his No 1 instead of Iker Casillas during his time at Milan. He's tall, quick and good with his feet and is ready now to jump to another team.
CENTRE OF ATTENTION
Hola Guillem. I have a question regarding Messi. It seems that he hasn't been able to finish one-on-ones this season, the same ones he would have put away with ease last season! Why do you think that is? Is it a confidence issue (like Maradona forcing him to basically be Argentina) or is it something else? Thanks! Kari M
GUILLEM SAYS: I don't know which games you've been watching because Messi is Barcelona's highest goal-scorer so far this season! I think what you are trying to say is that you haven't seen him so much on the wings because he's been playing a lot in the centre. In the centre it is more about the assist and seeing the pass, doing less dribbling. Everything's still there. The current debate is whether Ibrahimovic is better than him. I think at this moment in time Ibrahimovic is probably the best player in the world because he is scoring every 90 minutes and has changed his game. He's been outstanding.
Comments (10)
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Harry Brown (Manchester United fan) says...
Guillem, i am a Man utd fan, i read you believe Benzema could possibly move to United in January. I would love to have Benzema, but how much do you think he will go for, compared to the 35million, Madrid paid? And how big of a possibility is this?
Posted 12:22 11th December 2009
Aaron Basha (Liverpool fan) says...
hi guillem, i was just wondering what is the situation with mascherano, are barcelona gonna make a serious offer for his services, as he has not yet committed his long term future to liverpool? also what are the rumours surrounding ruud van nistlrooy or van deer vaart moving on loan to liverpool in january?
Posted 00:24 11th December 2009
Michael Gomez (Atletico Madrid fan) says...
Hola Guillem, My preivous comments on your blog seemed to have given us some luck!. I travelled to Madrid to watch the Espanyol and i have to say that we played the best I've saw all season! (well this is the only game I've been to all season but i've seen and heard how awful we were).Now that the champions league is behind us do you think that we can keep the stone roling and become a side to be feared in La liga?
Posted 21:34 10th December 2009
Kevin F (Manchester United fan) says...
Hey Guillem. I have a question that should provoke debate, but considering you're from Barcelona and you lived in liverpool for a while, I would like to trust your opinion on this topic. So my question is this, taking every thing into context, the history, support and success of these clubs, which rivarly is the biggest and the most bitter, Barca vs madrid or United vs liverpool? Cheers. Kevin, Dublin (MUFC fan)
Posted 21:31 10th December 2009
Eric Paul (Barcelona fan) says...
More Messi blunders: He missed like 3 or 4 one on ones against Zaragoza. I already wondered myself, what's going on with him lately. But these things happen. I remember some of the best goalscorers in history having goal-draughts. Still, Messi's the best!!!
Posted 19:40 10th December 2009
Paul Simpson (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...
Guillem, you are a respected journalist and seem to know something about everything that is going on in Spanish football, but do you really believe that Ibrahimovich is better than Messi & Ronaldo? My mate and I constantly have this argument and he is an Ibrahimovich fan and if I told him what you've just said i wouldn't hear the end of it!!
Posted 18:52 10th December 2009
Owen Pocock (Chelsea fan) says...
High Guillem, what is the current situation regarding the potential transfers of of David Villa and Santi Cazorla? Cazorla nearly went to Madrid a few transfer windows ago if i remember correctly, and with Villa, we hear of Valencia's debt problems yet seem unwilling to depart with him. Both the big Spainsh clubs have spent big recently on the likes of Benzema and Ibrahimovic, so it seems unlikely they will fork out another 40-50 million on another striker, and i've heard quite a few times that Villa doesn't want to leave Spain. What do you see happening to both players? Maybe the World cup will effect their situations, especially if Villa was to finish top scorer? Gracias y feliz Navidad.
Posted 16:42 10th December 2009
Akbar Shah (Southampton fan) says...
Hi Guillem, I have a question about Barca's tactics this season. It seems that Iniesta is playing more and more as the left forward, but i personally think Barca play much better with him and Xavi together in centre-mid. Which is Iniesta's preferred position and is he out wide to compensate for Henry's loss of form (and accomodate Keita, who is in good form), or do you think this will be a more permanent move? Btw, I'm a big fan of you and all the Revista team - keep up the good work!
Posted 13:12 10th December 2009
Phil Ormond (Barcelona fan) says...
Hi Guillem, and again last night, one on one with the keeper! though I think he is still the best player in the world right now by a country mile!! What is your take on the way Howard Webb controled the game? I felt as though he was happy showing yellow cards for fouls that were not injury threatening like shirt pulling and handling the ball yet didn't offer the likes of Messi Xavi Iniesta or Keita any protection, and now it looks as though Messi will be missing for the derby this weekend robbing all the locals in Barcelona from seeing the ballon d'Or winner!
Posted 11:55 10th December 2009
Mohammed Abdullahi (Barcelona fan) says...
Hello guillermo, i think the person asking this question means that messi couldn't finish wen his one-on-one wit the keeper i.e against A.Bilbao in the first half, against madrid in the second half, against depor in the ending of the first half,againt kiev in the first half, this r full one-on-one chances that he failed to score due to playing the ball on the groung rather that chippinig the ball over the keeper as he did last season against sharktar D.,real madrid first leg, A.madrid 1st leg, so wat do you think caused his miss?
Posted 13:37 9th December 2009
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