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Tag: Antoine Griezmann

  • Griezmann retires from international football

    Griezmann retires from international football

    France’s 2018 World Cup-winning star Antoine Griezmann has announced his retirement from international football, bringing to an end a 10-year career with his country.

     “It is with a heart full of memories that I am closing this chapter of my life,” France vice-captain Griezmann, 33, wrote on X. “It is with profound emotion that I am announcing my retirement as a France player, after 10 incredible years,” he added in a video accompanying his message.

     “It is time for me today to turn a page and hand over to the new generation.”

    The Atletico Madrid forward made his France debut in March 2014 and won 137 caps, a figure beaten only by his former teammate Hugo Lloris (145) and 1998 World Cup winner Lilian Thuram (142).

    Griezmann is also fourth in France’s list of all-time goal-scorers with 44, behind only record marksman Olivier Giroud, Thierry Henry and current captain Kylian Mbappe.

    Griezmann scored in France’s 4-2 win over Croatia in the final of the 2018 World Cup in Moscow, having previously helped his country reach the final of Euro 2016, a tournament he ended as top scorer with six goals.

    Griezmann was also outstanding for Les Bleus on their run to the 2022 World Cup final, which they lost on penalties to Argentina in Qatar.

    Read Also: Fans rail against Sanusi’s 5th term  bid as NFF General Secretary

    His last major tournament will be remembered less fondly, as neither he nor his team found their best form at Euro 2024 despite making it to the semi-finals.

    He also played at the 2014 World Cup and at Euro 2020, as well as helping France win the UEFA Nations League in 2021.

    Griezmann’s final appearance for France came in a Nations League win at home to Belgium in Lyon, not far from his hometown of Macon in Burgundy, earlier this month.

    The former Real Sociedad and Barcelona player had insisted recently he had no intention to withdraw from the national team.

    France coach Didier Deschamps said in a message shared by national team staff that he felt “a lot of emotion” on hearing the news.

     “After much reflection, Antoine has decided to call time on his magnificent international career. We had a long discussion about this recently,” Deschamps said. “It was often said that Antoine was my favourite. We did have a very strong relationship, and that will remain intact.”

    Griezmann’s decision to quit is further confirmation that an era has come to an end for the French side.

    Lloris and centre-back Raphael Varane both retired from international duty in the wake of the 2022 World Cup, with the latter quitting football entirely last week at the age of just 31.

    Giroud stopped playing for his country in the wake of this year’s Euros in Germany.

     “I am convinced that the future is promising and I can’t wait to see the new generation shine,” Griezmann added.

    Deschamps will name his next France squad this Thursday ahead of Nations League matches against Israel in Budapest on October 10 and Belgium in Brussels four days later.

    Mbappe will not be involved in those games as the Real Madrid superstar is currently sidelined due to a thigh injury.

  • I stand with Griezmann

    The week has been filled with interesting stories on trends in football, with the biggest poser coming from Antoine Griezmann, one of the French players who did well for both his club Atletico Madrid and country France, questioning the absence of Frenchmen from FIFA’s The Best awards scheduled to hold in England on September 24.

    Griezmann submitted his resume for last season, which includes winning the Europa League and the Super Cup with Atletico Madrid of Spain and helping France seal their second World Cup triumph in Russia. If FIFA’s point scoring indices are anything to go by, it will be difficult to explain why  Griezmann didn’t make the three-man list in a World Cup year. Such feats don’t happen all the time. Tears for Griezmann.

    No World Cup winner in FIFA’s The Best’s award in a Mundial year leaves much to be desired. It would have been understandable if no player merited it. But in Griezmann is a World Cup champion and a winner of two of UEFA’s best competitions (Europa Cup and Super Cup).

    FIFA’s biggest competition is the World Cup and Griezmann played crucial roles in France’s feat, scoring goals that mattered, aside being the pivot of the team’s attacking onslaughts. Besides, UEFA’s second biggest competition behind the Champions League is the Europa Cup, which Griezmann and his Atletico  Madrid mates won. What has made Griezmann’s protest more significant is that Atletico beat Real Madrid in the Super Cup, a one match game between the winners of the Champions League and the Europa. Simply put, that Super Cup victory earned Griezmann and his mates the best team and best set of players in Europe for last season. It explains why Griezmann should be listed in FIFA’s The Best’s top three, going by players’.

    FIFA’s The Best three nominees are Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Mohamed Salah. In terms of achievements for their clubs, Ronaldo towers high, besides sharing the glory of winning the Champions League diadem with Modric, which is the only trophy the Portuguese won last year. Ronaldo was outstanding in goal-scoring but the goals came from the midfield ingenuity of Modric, Kroos et al. In a World Cup year, I won’t give the best footballer of the year to Ronaldo, even if goals make the game beautiful and exciting to watch.

    I won’t pick Salah. He didn’t win a trophy for his club and country. Looking at what FIFA has thrown up through votes from coaches, managers, captains of national teams and other technical men, I will give the diadem to Modric, who won the Champions League trophy like Ronaldo and played at the finals of the Russia 2018 World Cup.

    But this is where Greizmann’s protest is important. He won the World Cup, which Ronaldo, Modric and Salah didn’t; he won the Europa Cup, although both Ronaldo and Modirc won the bigger trophy in UEFA’s calendar. But winning the Super Cup, ahead of Modric would have been the clincher for Griezmann, having done well for both club and country, winning trophies in both categories.

    ‘’It’s weird and a pity,’’ Griezmann told L’Equipe. ‘’This is a trophy that’s awarded by FIFA, right? We won the World Cup and On Tuesday, Atletico gave a brilliant response to Griezmann’s snub. The Spanish side posted a photo of their star striker inside an empty Wanda Metropolitano surrounded by the World Cup trophy, UEFA Europa League title and the UEFA Super Cup. ”No words necessary,” was their short-but-sweet verdict.

    Griezmann did make the shortlist in 2016, only to finish third behind Ronaldo and Messi, due to defeats in both the Champions League and Euro 2016 finals. Griezmann argued that his successful year should merit his inclusion this time round. He told L’Equipe: ”That year, I lost two finals, this year I’ve won three, so normally…”

    Is Griezmann asking for too much? Please, let me have your comments on this topic, dear reader.

     

    Mourinho, the enigma

    I love Jose Mourinho. He is a fighter. He knows when the stakes are high and delivers. When the job is done, he takes on critics, reminding them of his qualities, which are unassailable. But he learned a new lesson now warming himself up with the players lest he capitulates like he did at Chelsea. The setting with the Blues is, however, different- only Ambrahmovic calls the shot at Chelsea. His word is irreversible, unlike at Manchester United, which has a board. Otherwise, what the fans did on the manager’s behalf translates to mutiny. But the big question is, will Mourinho survive the third season syndrome?

    Mourinho is a serial winner. He operates best under pressure. He flows with the supporters who he calls the 12th man in the field. He makes them happy with victories when the team has the right calibre of players and team balance. When management puts obstacles to his quest for new players, he cries out when things go awry; the fans know why.

    Little wonder the fans hoisted a banner calling for the sack of Manchester United’s Vice-Chairman Ed Woodward, thus putting him on the spot. The world awaits the chairman’s reaction to the club’s transfers in January but he knows that he has a bad customer in Mourinho who doesn’t stoop to conquer.

    The story broke on Tuesday that Mourinho accepted a one-year prison sentence as part of a plea bargain deal with prosecutors accusing him of a £2.9million (€3.3m) tax fraud. He also accepted a six-month jail sentence for each of the two financial crimes he was accused of accepting wrongdoing as part of the agreement with prosecutors, respected Spanish newspaper El Mundo said on Tuesday.

    El Mundo reported the 55-year-old, whose future at United has been called into question after a disappointing start to the season, had also agreed to pay a fine totalling £1.78m (€1.98m) representing 60 per cent of the amount defrauded. First-time offenders in Spain do not normally serve jail sentences of two years or less – meaning the one-year jail term Mourinho has reportedly accepted for two counts of tax fraud will almost certainly be suspended at a later date after the investigating court has been officially informed of the situation.

    These are indeed difficult times for Mourinho but his lawyers have shown their mastery of the situation, giving the iconic manager enough time to concentrate on the profession that brought him fame and wealth. The Spaniards need the cash. The only businesses that thrive in Spain are the two teams- Real Madrid and Barcelona. Both teams spend so much to get the big boys into their squads, which translates to megabucks for the country’s tax offices. The backlash will be that big players will stop looking in the direction of Spain, learning from what happened to Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and now Mourinho. Others who have fallen into the trap are Javier Mascherano, Angel di Maria, Samuel Eto’o, Radamel Falcao and Jorge Mendes.

    But why do the stars fall prey to the tax laws? I don’t think so. After all, celebrities, such as David Beckham, played in Spain with all his marketing franchises without qualms. Why did Beckham escape these laws? In 2005, a special law was passed for foreigners coming to work in Spain on an employment contract with a Spanish company. According to this law, a person is taxed at 24% of his/her income. This law was dubbed “Beckham’s Law” after David Beckham became one of the first beneficiaries. This law has been further modified, and had come under major scrutiny in 2009.

    So, what has stopped Mourinho, Ronaldo, Messi, Mascherano, Angel di Maria, Eto’o, Radamel Falcao, to mention a few, from enjoying this Beckham law?

    According to Spanish tax laws, a person is classified as a resident of Spain if he/she has stayed in Spain for the last six months or so. Further, if a person has income above 60,000 EUR, he/she is liable to pay around 45–47% of his/her income.

    The questions are how come such big brands find it difficult to pay their taxes, given the volume of money associated with their celebrated transfers to these clubs? Could it be that the clubs collude with the players’ agents to hide vital information, knowing that the tax offices have mechanisms to discover underhand deals?

    ”However, in an ironic twist, professional footballers were excluded from this scheme in 2015. This led to footballers having offshore accounts in a bid to hoodwink the authorities into believing that their income was not derived on Spanish soil. This is the major reason why you’ll find that all the tax evasion scandals that come up in the newspapers are in the timeline of 2009–2014. This is because, during that period, there was a lot of confusion regarding the prevalent law, which has led to footballers being accused of fraud,” an online report revealed.

  • France hopes for good home show against Dutch

    France manager Didier Deschamps believes they need to sharpen up when they play the Netherlands on Sunday in their first home match since winning the World Cup in July following their goalless draw away to Germany.

    The French seemed to be nursing a post-victory hangover when they faced Germany in Munich on Thursday in their first outing since the final, creating only a few chances in the Nations League game compared to their opponents’ half dozen.

    The Germans were eager for redemption after their shock World Cup group stage exit while France at times looked content with a draw.

    “We can do it better. “We are returning home (for Sunday’s game in Paris) but we need to be more efficient.

    “We ran out of steam towards the end and obviously the entire squad is not yet at the peak of their form. Not at this time of the season,” Deschamps said.

    France’s passing was far from accurate and they seemed to lack pace, with forwards Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud, who were so dynamic at the World Cup in Russia, posing no real threat for most of the game.

    Read Also: LaLiga leads the way as France top the world

    It was unlikely, however, that France would instantly pick up where they left off in July, with their players having had limited pre-season preparation following their lengthy World Cup campaign.

    Deschamps’ team can expect days of festivities when they return to Paris but the players will know they need to pick up three points from their next Nations League match as well as put on a show for the French fans.

    “It will be a great feeling because it will be our first match in France since we won the title.

    “But we know we have to get the three points against the Dutch to stay in contention in the Nations League,” Giroud said.

    The Nations League, brainchild of European soccer body UEFA, aims to boost interest in international football.

    It also features all 55 of Europe’s national teams divided into four divisions split into four groups, with games played between September and November.

  • LaLiga leads the way as France top the world

    …11 LaLiga players were involved in Sunday’s World Cup final in Moscow, more than from any other league

     

    LaLiga’s huge influence on this summer’s World Cup continued right through to Sunday’s final, with MVP Antoine Griezmann of Atletico Madrid scoring one and setting up two as France topped Croatia 4-2. Meanwhile, Real Madrid midfielder and Croatia captain Luka Modric was voted player of the tournament despite his country falling just short at the final hurdle.

    11 LaLiga players were involved in the decider at Moscow’s Luzhniki stadium, more than any other league. Griezmann clinched his third MVP award of the tournament with an impressive performance. It was his free-kick that was knocked into the net for the game’s opening goal, his penalty which put France 2-1 up and his assist which led to France’s third.

    Atletico defender Lucas Hernandez laid on France’s fourth and final goal, with his fellow defenders Samuel Umtiti of Barcelona and Raphael Varane of Real Madrid also impressing, while Sevilla’s Steven N’Zonzi was a second half substitute as Les Bleus saw out their victory.

    Modric shone albeit in defeat and was awarded the 2018 ‘Golden Ball’ for his contribution over the month in Russia. This included a penalty in the opening game victory over Nigeria, a tremendous 20-yard strike in the unforgettable 3-0 victory over Argentina and shoot-out spot-kicks converted against Denmark and Russia during the knock-out stages.

    Croatia also had Barça’s Ivan Rakitic in midfield in Sunday’s final along with Atletico’s Sime Vrsaljko at right-back, while Mateo Kovacic was on the bench. New Atletico signing Thomas Lemar and Barça’s Ousmane Dembele were unused subs for France.

    It was a fitting end to a tournament at which LaLiga stars have been prominent throughout, right from the opening game when Villarreal’s Denis Cheryshev scored twice for Russia in the hosts’ 5-0 victory over Saudi Arabia. The following month of games then saw 24 different LaLiga players from ten different Spanish clubs score 40 goals in total. LaLiga stars were named MVP in 21 of the 64 games as 81 players from across LaLiga Santander and LaLiga 1l2l3 represented their countries.

    Among the standout stars was Barça’s Philippe Coutinho, who provided two goals and two assists as his team were knocked out at the quarter-final stage by Belgium, for whom Real Sociedad’s Adnan Januzaj got on the score sheet in the group stages.

    There were countless other memorable moments involving LaLiga stars, including Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos’s sensational last-gasp strike for Germany against Sweden, Atletico centre-forward Diego Costa’s three goals for Spain and Lionel Messi’s superb solo effort in their victory over Nigeria. Camp Nou teammates Luis Suarez and Yerry Mina hit the net twice and three times for Uruguay and Colombia respectively.

    Other LaLiga interventions during the group stages included Celta Vigo forward Iago Aspas and Malaga striker Youssef En-Nesyri both scoring as late substitutes in Spain and Morocco’s 2-2 draw. Japan midfielder Takashi Inui, who has just completed his move to Real Betis from Eibar, scored against both Senegal and Belgium while Saudi Arabia’s match winner in their final group game against Egypt was Villarreal’s Salem Al-Dawsari.

    This summer’s World Cup has truly showcased the breadth of LaLiga’s quality, talent and its true international reach, leaving fans worldwide to eagerly await the start of the 2018/19 Spanish season next month.

  • World Cup celebrations rock France

    Newspapers and TV stations hailed France’s World Cup victory on Monday, while clean-up crews worked against the clock to tidy up after a crazy night’s partying in Paris ahead of a victory parade down the Champs Elysees.

    “Our Day of Glory Is Here” declared Le Figaro, referencing a rousing line from the Marseillaise anthem.

    “History Made” announced sports daily L’Equipe, while business journal Les Echos went for the more straightforward “Champions of the World.”

    Photos of superstars Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Paul Pogba, as well as shots of the team holding aloft and kissing the trophy, dominated coverage.

    The victory has created a sense of national unity, with commentators playing up the fact the squad, the second-youngest in the competition, includes many with central and North African heritage, even if all but two were born in France.

    When the country won its first World Cup in 1998, when Zinedine Zidane was its talisman and playmaker, the team was referred to as “Black-Blanc-Beur” (Black-White-Arab), a positive reference to its diverse ethnic make-up.

    But some were keen to push that phrase to one side, seeing in it a sense of separateness, even if it was meant positively.

    “We’re not in 1998,” said Mounir Mahjoubi, the secretary of state for digital affairs, whose parents emigrated from Morocco.

    “We’re not still celebrating ‘Black-Blanc-Beur,’ we’re celebrating brotherhood,” he said of the current team.

    Videos shot by the players in the frenetic changing room after the win showed them singing, dancing and raising a toast together, while teaching President Emmanuel Macron, who could barely contain his excitement, how to do a “dab.”

    For Macron, who became president last year at the age of 39, taking his political movement to victory against the odds, the football team’s success is likely to have positive repercussions after a slump in the polls.

    The Paris metro system got into the celebratory mood, announcing the names of a number of stations were being briefly changed to honor the players and coach, Didier Deschamps.

    So Notre-Dame des Champs station was relabeled “Notre Didier Deschamps,” and Victor Hugo was switched to “Victor Hugo Lloris” after the captain and goalkeeper.

    The 2 km Champs Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe and the vast Place de la Concorde turned into a heaving sea of people on Sunday night, waving red, white and blue flags, setting off firecrackers and blowing horns until early morning.

    On Monday, the after-effects were still visible.

    A number of smashed windows, an overturned car and graffiti scrawled here and there, including the phrase “Liberte, Egalite, Mbappe,” a reference to the national motto “Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite.”

    On Twitter, Brazil legend Pele paid tribute to the exploits of Mbappe, France’s standout, 19-year-old superstar, saying that if the teenager kept equaling his goal-scoring records, Pele might have to strap his boots back on.

    Mbappe replied to the tweet in English saying “The king will always remain the king,” quickly gaining 15,000 retweets.

    The team is scheduled to arrive back in France at 14.00 GMT, with crowds set to gather at Charles de Gaulle airport to receive them.

    A parade down the Champs Elysees is scheduled for 15.30 GMT, and there will be a formal victory reception with Macron at the Elysee Palace at 16.30 GMT.

    It’s not just in Paris that the nation has been taken over with football fever.

    From Nice and Marseille in the south to Lille in the north, Nantes in the west and scores of towns and cities in between, TV stations were full of images of red, white and blue clad fans singing in streets and squares.

    NAN

  • Russia 2018: France sends Uruguay home

    France are through to the semi-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup after securing a 2-0 victory over Uruguay.

    Raphael Varane headed France into a first-half lead, and a terrible mistake from goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, saw him fail to save a shot from Antoine Griezmann, booking Les Blues to their first semi-finals since 2006.

    The world was treated to a dull footballing from the twenty-two players on the pitch, but the French have Hugo Lloris to thank for producing a world-class save Martin Caceres, shortly after Varane’s goal in the first half. Diego Godin blasted the rebound he got from that save.

    The second half started with France continuing to control possession, but they were gifted the goal that made certain of their victory.

    There seemed little danger when Griezmann let fly from the edge of the area but Muslera misjudged the flight of the ball, flapped at the shot, and saw it loop slowly over the line.

    Read Also: Russia 2018: Brazil beat Mexico to reach quarter-finals

    It was Griezmann’s third goal of the 2018 World Cup, his first from open play.

    The drama in Nizhny Novgorod continued when when Kylian Mbappe fell to the floor. Uruguay skipper Diego Godin gestured with the teenager to get up, pulling him from the turf. This caused a little fight involing most of the players and saw French coach Didier Deschamps come onto the pitch to try to calm tempers.

    A likely repeat of the 1998 FIFA World Cup final will happen again in Saint Petersburg on Tuesday 10th July, if Brazil beat Belgium in the next quarter-final match, as France await the winner between the Samba Boys and star-studded Belgium

  • ‘We can limit outstanding Messi’, says France coach Deschamps

    France have a number of options to limit Lionel Messi’s influence in their round of 16 clash against Argentina coach Didier Deschamps said on Friday.

    However, the French coach also resigned that he could turn the match in an instant.

    Messi has yet to light up the World Cup in a stuttering Argentina side.

    But his clinical strike in the 2-1 win over Nigeria underlined the danger the Barcelona forward will present Deschamp’s side at the Kazan Arena on Saturday.

    “Messi is Messi, look at his statistics, 65 goals in 127 matches,” Deschamps told reporters at the stadium.

    “It’s straightforward, hopefully we would like to neutralise him, but we know very well he can make the difference with very little.

    “When you play Argentina and Messi on the pitch there are several solutions to limit his impact.”

    France will look to boss the midfield in a bid to limit supply to the lethal 31-year-old, who has struggled to impose himself in the tournament.

    He will also hope their defence can continue to hold firm after conceding only one goal in the group phase.

    Read Also: Super Eagles are unbeatable without Messi – Rojo

    Deschamps said full back Benjamin Mendy had been ruled out with a “small muscle injury”.

    The Manchester City defender returned as a second half substitute in the 0-0 draw against Denmark after missing the opening games against Australia and France.

    France may face more queries up forward, however, where their array of attacking talents have yet to dominate.

    Striker Antoine Griezmann is under pressure to perform after being off the pace in the dull Denmark draw, and he has only got on the scoresheet with a penalty in the opening 2-1 win over Australia.

    Captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris backed Griezmann to make his mark at the tournament.

    “It is normal that there are expectations around Antoine,” said Lloris.

    “He’s one of the top players, he’s done a major Euro competition and feels like being one of the great players of this World Cup.”

    Although sailing through the group phase, the scoreless draw against Denmark raised concerns about Les Bleus’ momentum heading into the Argentina blockbuster.

    Lloris said his team was only looking ahead, however.

    “As we said, this is a new tournament that begins, and I think we have to depend on our collective strength, on a defensive solidity and we know our attacking potential,” Lloris added.

    “We have a lot of young but talented players who can make a difference at any moment of the game.”

    NAN

  • Russia 2018: France, Denmark advance to Round of Sixteen

    Denmark joined France on the round of sixteen of the 2018 FIFA World Cup after playing out the first goalless draw of the tournament, at the Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow.

    The result leaves the Les Blues finish on top of Group C,  with Denmark finished second of the group.

    The fans in Moscow, disappointed the result, booed the players after the game. They were initially enthusiastic for a goal, especially the red-shirted Danes who packed one end.

    Read Also: Russia 2018: Lukaku strikes twice, as Belgium down Panama

    But they saw little in the way of goal-mouth excitement, with the first shot on target arriving in the 39th minute, when France’s Antoine Griezmann turned to fire a tame effort at Kasper Schmeichel from the edge of the area.

    Denmark did fashion the best chance of the first half, when France keeper Steve Mandanda just beat Christian Eriksen to Andreas Cornelius’s excellent low cross.

    Peru on the other hand, left the Mundial with their heads held high after goals from Andre Carrillo and Paolo Guerrero earned them a 2-0 win over Australia, in Sochi.

    Paolo Guerrero teed up Peru’s first World Cup goal in 36 years and then scored the second himself as Ricardo Gareca’s side ended Australia’s qualification hopes with a 2-0 victory.

  • Barcelona president fuels Griezmann speculation

    Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu has been in contact with Antoine Griezmann’s agent amid reports the Atletico Madrid striker is set to join the Spanish champions.

    Frenchman Griezmann has a 100 million euro (88 million pounds) release clause in his contract and Spanish media reported that Barcelona are ready to pay it.

    “We are analysing the season and we will see what we will do with ins and outs.

    “I have bumped into him (Griezmann) occasionally in the Balearic Islands. I have not spoken to him this year but I did speak to his agent in October.

    “With (Atletico Madrid President Enrique) Cerezo I have spoken about a lot of things, but not about this,” Bartomeu told radio station RAC1.

    Barcelona are looking to strengthen their squad after winning the Spanish title 12 points clear of second place Atletico with three matches left.

    They drew 2-2 with Real Madrid on Sunday in a tempestuous Clasico despite playing the second half with 10 men after Sergi Roberto’s dismissal, and are unbeaten in 42 league matches.

    “We are very happy with (Coach Ernesto Valverde’s) work and that of the players.

    “When they sent off Sergi Roberto, I suffered a bit thinking about the second half, but then we went on to have a great game,” Bartomeu added.

    Barcelona also won the Spanish Cup this season but were knocked out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage by AS Roma after squandering a 4-1 first-leg lead.

    NAN

     

  • Goals to rain in LaLiga

    Goals are expected this weekend in the Spanish LaLiga  given the excellent form of many of the league’s big name attackers, while defensive security will be paramount for those teams closer to the bottom.

    LaLiga’s current top scorer Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona will aim to add to his 24 goals so far this season when Athletic Club visit the Camp Nou on Sunday afternoon, with Athletic midfielder Raul Garcia hoping to continue on from his double strike last weekend.

    Atlético Madrid travel to Villarreal on Sunday afternoon with their star Antoine Griezmann having scored eight in his last four LaLiga games. But Villarreal have their own in-form hitman in Carlos Bacca, who got the equaliser in the teams’ 1-1 meeting earlier this season at the Wanda Metropolitano.

    Real Madrid face Girona on Sunday evening with red-hot Cristiano Ronaldo having 14 goals in his last eight LaLiga outings. However the visitors’ strike pair of Christhian Stuani and Portu will recall they both scored when the LaLiga debutants won October’s reverse fixture 2-1.

    Three goals in his last two LaLiga games have boosted Valencia CF striker Rodrigo Moreno’s chances of World Cup selection for Spain. On the other side at Mestalla on Saturday afternoon will be Alavés’ Swedish forward John Guidetti, who is also hopeful of a trip to Russia.

    Read Also: Marcelo: LaLiga in Real Madrid´s Hands

    Sunday’s lunchtime sees fifth placed Sevilla FC return to LaLiga action after their midweek Champions League exploits at Manchester United against a Leganes side who have conceded less than a goal a game this season at their Butarque home stadium.

    Real Sociedad centre-forward Willian Jose will hope to celebrate his Brazil national team call-up with a goal when Getafe visit Anoeta on Saturday afternoon. Later that evening at the Benito Villamarin, Real Betis’ young attacker Loren, who has five goals in his first six LaLiga appearances, faces an Espanyol defence which has conceded just three goals in their last five games.

    Saturday’s lunchtime at Riazor sees a huge clash in the battle towards the foot of the table, with 19th placed Deportivo La Coruna hosting an 18th placed Las Palmas side. Both teams have improved defensively recently, so one goal might well be enough for a very valuable three points in what is likely to be a tight encounter.

    Both Depor and UDLP will kick off knowing whether 17th placed Levante built on last week’s debut win for coach Paco Lopez at home on Friday night to a solid Eibar side who have conceded just once per game over their last six LaLiga road trips.

    Bottom team Malaga have gained some solace from the performances of young Moroccan World Cup hopeful Youssef En-Nesyri in recent weeks, but his team face a big challenge against Celta Vigo’s fearsome Russia-bound strike pair Iago Aspas and Maxi Gomez at Balaidos on Sunday evening.