Tag Archives: jorge molina

Granada hoping for European qualification for next season

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When we think of La Liga we tend to dive in and look for Barcelona, Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid, and those clubs have warranted why we do that. The big 3 will be dominating for some time one suspects. But this season there have been some surprise packages from Real Sociedad to Villarreal. Another club that has caught the eye is Granada.

Granada are currently in 7th position and have 27 points and they are only 3 points away from a European finish which would be incredibly beneficial for the club. Last season Granada finished seventh and this is quite remarkable because in the previous season they were playing their football in the Segunda Division. A lot has changed for the club in such a short time.

A lot of Granada’s good fortune comes down to current coach Diego Martinez who joined the club in 2018 when they were in Spain’s second tier and he has not only guided the club back to La Liga but also last season they qualified for the Europa League.

Martinez has plenty of good experience too coaching Sevilla’s B teams during the 2010s and helping out as an assistant to Sevilla during their successful spell in the Europa League during the 2010s, and he is only 40 years old.

Martinez has come in with fresh ideas and has been hailed as a possible future great coach, right now he is doing wonders for Granada who when promoted may have been content with finishing in midtable and just surviving but for the second season in a row they remain a force to be reckoned with.

This season Granada have qualified from their Europa League group and next month they will play their 2 legged round of 32 match against Italians Napoli.

Domestically the goals have been shared around and Jorge Molina and veteran Roberto Soldado have scored the most with 3 goals each. The player with the most points in the fantasy rankings is striker Darwin Machis and Molina who have 12 points each. Machis is valued at 5.5m and while he has been struggling with goals scoring just twice so far he has assisted in a further three goals.

Perhaps this season the club could aim a little higher too with more consistency given that they are only 5 points short of a Champions League place and that really would be historic for the club.

Granada are a team who have proven that a good work ethic can have a team expected to be fighting in the middle of the table actually pushing for Europe and deserving to be there too.

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La Liga: Best 11 Players from the Weekend: Matchday 23

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Let’s take a look at the winners and heroes who picked up the most points for your fantasy team this weekend in La Liga.

Formation: 4-4-2:

Goalkeeper: David Soria- Getafe 7pts

Getafe have been superb this season and David Soria was able to keep yet another clean sheet as the team beat Valencia 3-0. It was Soria’s 10th clean sheet of the season and it says it all that he is 3rd on the goalkeeping rankings list for La Liga.

Defender: Djene-Getafe 5pts

Djene has been brilliant in the heart of defence for Getafe who won 3-0 at the weekend keeping another clean sheet. Getafe are in 3rd place and with the help of their defence which has only conceded 20 goals this season they could be heading for the Champions League.

Defender: Stefan Savic- Atletico Madrid 5pts

Stefan Savic helped his team keep another clean sheet as Atletico win 1-0 at the weekend and that is his 7th clean sheet of the season, he would cost you 7m and is having a very solid term.

Defender: Mario Hermoso Atletico Madrid 5pts

Hermoso has built up a steady relationship with Savic in the Atletico defence and has been a real find this season as his team try to finish in a Champions League place.

Defender:  Tono- Levante 7pts

Tono earned big points for Levante after assisting in the clubs 2nd goal as they eased past Leganes 2-0. He also, of course kept a clean sheet for the icing on top of a very successful weekend for him and his club.

Midfielder: Sergio Canales- Real Betis 4pts

Sergio Canales was on the losing side as Betis were beaten by Barcelona 3-2 but he did open the scoring. Canales kept a cool head to convert a penalty and put his side in the lead after just 6 minutes before a Barca fightback. It was his 3rd goal this season and he has 20pts and is valued at 7.5m.

Midfielder: Takashi Inui-Eibar 4pts

Inui has 20 points so far this season and even though Eibar lost at the weekend 2-1 he did provide the consolation goal. That was his 3rd assist of the season.

Midfielder: Angel Correa- Atletico Madrid 6pts

Correra got the only goal in Atletico Madrid’s vital win over Granada. It was a tough game for the home side who were reduced to just 3 shots on target the whole game, so the midfielder really came through to get all three points.

Midfielder: Lucas- Real Madrid 4pts

Lucas did really well as he only came on for Real Madrid with just over twenty minutes to go and made an immediate impact scoring the 3rd goal for the club in a game they eventually won 4-1 against Osasuna. It was only his 2nd goal of the season.

Striker: Jorge Molina- Getafe 8pts

Getafe are the team of the moment in Spain, no question about that and Jorge Molina has revamped his career. He scored 2 goals in 9 second half minutes to end Valencia’s resistance as Getafe ran out 3-0 winners. Molina now has 5 goals this season.

Striker: Lionel Messi- Barcelona 6pts

It’s no surprise that Lionel Messi turns up in team of the weekend picks but he earned another 6 points as Barcelona staged a dramatic comeback against Real Betis winning 3-2. There was no goals for Messi but he did assist in the winning goal.

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Getafe keep Champions League hopes alive

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Getafe

Getafe have continued their push for a top four La Liga finish with vital wins over Athletic Bilbao and Sevilla in recent weeks.

If Jose Bordalas’ side can hold their nerve in the next five games of the season, they will be bringing Europe’s biggest names to the Coliseum Alfonso Perez for the first time in their short history.

Neutrals have followed their season closely, although it is forgivable to think that the more established names, outside of the Big Three, would have eventually hauled them back in the push for Europe.

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Getafe prove no pushovers in race for LaLiga top four spot

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Getafe

Getafe picked up a massive three points in the race for a Champions League place via LaLiga’s top four over the weekend.

The home side beat a Sevilla team on a run of three straight wins to leapfrog them back into 4th position. They are now two points clear of both Sevilla and other top-four hopefuls, Valencia.

Sevilla looked the most likely to score early on. Franco Vazquez put his volley onto the top of the crossbar and Wissam Ben Yedder forced a save out of David Soria minutes later.

VAR played its part, however. Franco Vazquez was penalised for a handball in the 33rd minute and Getafe’s Jaime Mata made no mistake from the resulting spot-kick. Continue reading →

Week 33: Best Players of the Weekend in Fantasy La Liga

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KAS(1)

It was a weekend that saw the top 5 clubs in Spain win and Barcelona edging nearer to the league title once more and their 4th championship in five years. In the big match to help progress a top 4 position Getafe and Sevilla, 4th v 5th and it was Getafe who won the game 3-0 and the club moved into 4th place. Indeed another contender for a top 4 placed emerged in Valencia as Sevilla dropped down to 6th place.

But which players were the best performing of the past weekend, and who has earned you the most points in your team- look at these players and perhaps if you don’t have them, get them quick, as the season draws ever closer.

Formation: 4-4-2.

Goalkeeper: David Soria- Getafe

In truth there were a few goalkeepers that earned 7 points at the weekend including Jan Oblak for Atletico Madrid. But David Soria of Getafe gets the nod given that his side won 3-0 and kept a clean sheet in such a big game as playing Sevilla, it could be a turning point in his career and for the club this season. Soria is 6m and is currently the 3rd best ranked keeper in La Liga Fantasy.

Defender: Diego Godin- Atletico Madrid

All of Atletico Madrid’s back four put in a super shift as the club conquered over Eibar 1-0 away from home. This was Godin’s 4th clean sheet in the last five games, and his tactical awareness and tackles was pivotal to keeping another clean sheet. He is valued at 9m and is currently ranked as the best defender in La Liga- this performance simply underlined that.

Defender: Ignasi Miquel- Getafe

Miquel has started just 2 games for Getafe this season but was drafted into the team because of injuries and considering his lack of first team football put in a memorable display in the heart of a defence that stopped Sevilla from scoring. His value is 2.5m.

Defender: Gimenez- Atletico Madrid

We often talk about the more recognisable players of this brilliant Atletico Madrid defence, but Gimenez has put in his great displays too and did so well alongside Godin. He earned 5 points as Atletico beat tricky Eibar away from home 1-0 and his value to buy is 6m.

Defender: Raphael Varane- Real Madrid

Varane has not had a great season with Madrid but the hope is with Zinedine Zidane back with the team that will change. Varane has just 32 points this season but 5 were earned at the weekend as Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0. Varane is valued at 8.5m.

Midfielder: Thomas Lemar- Atletico Madrid

Thomas Lemar not only scored the goal that won Atletico Madrid the match against Eibar but he put in a brave performance and looked very dangerous on the ball to earn 6 points this past weekend. Lemar has played 18 times and looks good value at 6m.

Midfielder: Sofiane Boufal- Celta Vigo

Sofiane Boufal has earned just 25 points this season and 20% of those points came in just one weekend as his club Celta Vigo rose to victory over Girona. Boufal was excellent as he assisted in the first goal and scored the 2nd, in a 2-1 win. However he dropped points for a yellow card. Boufal can be bought for 6.5m.

Midfielder: Marc Roca- Espanyol

Marc Roca seldom earns point but he got 4 at the weekend as Espanyol drew 2-2 against Levante away from home. Roca got his clubs 2nd goal which put them in the lead and played one of his best matches of the season. Roca is just 5m to buy.

Midfielder: Gareth Bale- Real Madrid

Earning 4 points was enough to get Gareth Bale into the team of the week. But the Real Madrid play maker had a good, solid and determined game. This culminated in the Welshman setting up Karim Benzema for the clubs 3rd goal at the end of the game. Bale has started 19 games this season and is valued at 11m.

Striker: Karim Benzema- Real Madrid

Karim Benzema has been in our team of the week quite a few times this season and he was simply sensational at the weekend, where he earned a massive 14 points after scoring a hat trick. Real Madrid beat Atlethic Bilbao 3-0 and Benzema got all of his goals in the 2nd half of play. He is valued at 10m and is ranked in fantasy La Liga as the 2nd best striker in the league.

Striker: Jorge Molina- Getafe

Jorge Molina and Getafe were playing perhaps the biggest and most important game of their season so far as Getafe played Sevilla a direct top 4 rival for Champions League qualification. Molina scored a penalty and a great goal in a match that ended 3-0. He has 9 goals this season and his value is rated at 6m. He is ranked 8th in Fantasy La Liga standings.

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Getafe Champions League bid under threat

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Getafe

The unlikely Champions League push of Getafe could be under threat in the coming weeks, as their La Liga form shows signs of faltering.

The side from South Madrid have won plenty of admirers this season, as they have consistently looked to upset the odds and finish inside the top four for the first time in their history.

They broke into the top four in mid-February, and had looked a strong bet to stay there until the end of the season, however their current form and upcoming fixtures could present a problem.

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Pragmatic Getafe keep Champions League dream alive

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Getafe

Getafe remain on course for one the biggest La Liga success stories in recent seasons, with Jose Bordalas’ side firmly in pole position to finish fourth.

That would qualify them for the 2019-20 Champions League, for the first time in their 35 year history.

The side from South Madrid have remained out of the limelight for the majority of the season, only breaking into the Champions League spots in 2019, ahead of Alaves and Sevilla.

With 11 eleven league games to go in the La Liga season, Getafe have a four point cushion inside the top four in the Spanish top flight.

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La Liga’s top picks for fantasy football this weekend

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La Liga

All La Liga teams are in action this weekend so let’s take a look at the top fantasy La Liga picks for the upcoming games.

Starting on Friday evening, there are 20 La Liga fixtures to look forward to.

Goalkeeper – David Soria (Getafe) – 6.0 million

I’ve gone with Getafe’s David Soria for the goalkeeper spot. Getafe are at home to bottom team, Huesca, so a clean sheet is very much a possibility for Jose Bordalas’ side. Soria has 46 points this season.

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Goal shy Sevilla run the risk of missing out on the Champions League

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Sevilla agony

Sevilla are at real risk missing out on a Champions League spot as their struggles in front of goal in La Liga in 2019 continue.

Pablo Machin’s side had been the front runner to clinch fourth place, behind Spain’s Big Three, however they have lost ground in recent weeks – with in form Getafe overtaking them last weekend.

The team from South Madrid are now two points clear of Machin’s side in the race for fourth place, with the Andalusian club in need of a reaction in the coming weeks if they are to return to Champions League football, after missing out in 2018-19.

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Getafe set for shock European return

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Getafe

As La Liga enters it’s final stages of the 2018-19 season, the shake up for European qualification is beginning to take shape – with Getafe a surprise candidate to finish in the qualification spots.

The side from South Madrid have maintained their consistent form since December 2018, with just two La Liga defeats in their last 11 league games – against Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

Jose Bordalas’ side are currently in fifth place and in prime position to qualify for European football for the first time since 2011.

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