Weekend Schedule- 10/18

El Brody

It was Jorge Campos’ birthday this past week (10/15) and he is my Compadre de la Semana. Now on to the club games this weekend…

 

ALL TIMES ARE US CENTRAL

Friday

Rayo Vallecano v Granada -2:00PM – Javier Aquino will not feature in this game. Why?

Those yellows are the reasons why. Disappointing since he looked like Rayo’s best player once he got onto the pitch.

Saturday

Real Madrid v Levante- 9:00AM– As of Friday morning, Benzema was expected to miss the game due to running a fever. Ancelotti has ruled him out for the game and opened the door to another Chicharito start. There is a chance Isco will feature instead. The Mexican is coming off a solid international break where he had a nice goal and was solid for his country over 2 games.

  FC Porto v Sporting CP- 11:00AM– (Cup Game) The biggest rivalry in Portugal. Always a battle when these 2 clubs meet. I was hoping Porto would have been matched with a lesser squad so Reyes could feature. Porto has Champions League this week, the coach might still rotate players but will want to put out a competitive starting 11 against their biggest rival.  

PSV v AZ Alkmaar- 11:30AM– Guardado has been missing from the starting 11 for several weeks. Making cameos in the 2nd half of games since the last international break. Nagging injuries seem to be the culprit for the absences. With the recent 2 week break between games, El Principito might finally break back in to this first place side.

Tenerife v Osasuna- 1:00PM– Davila is in the midst of trying to help bring another team into the first division. I think Chelsea mismanaged him this past summer, he should be playing in La Liga, not the second division. His contract with Chelsea runs until after next season but I expect they will try to sell him this summer.

FC Twente v Ajax- 1:45PM– Tecatito’s squad currently sit 5th in the Eredivisie and will take on arguably the biggest club in the league. He has been a spark plug for Twente so far this season. His coach has praised him for overcoming errors in the past. He is a young player and needs to gain consistency in his play but it is nice to hear your coach back you.

Malaga v Cordoba- 3:00PM– Will Ochoa start or watch from the bench? If he does, its must see TV. If Ochoa is rotting on the bench, the questions will continue about his decision to sign there.

 

Sunday

 

Atletico Madrid v Espanyol- 5:00AM– Jimenez is unlikely to start for Cholo’s team. He will likely continue to be one of the first attackers he looks to off the bench. Cholo has always spoken highly of Raul and that bodes well for him in the future. He finally got the monkey off his back with his first goal, now he needs to build on it.

Hellas Verona v AC Milan- 8:00AM– Hellas will lean on Rafa to organize the backline against the (once) might AC Milan. Many rumors swirling around whether he will get the call next month for El Tri, it appears he might have made that decision already.  

Villarreal v Almeria- 2:00PM– The Dos Santos hermanos have played well and Villarreal is getting results. While Gio remains a focal point in their attack, Jona is not yet seen that vital to the team. He has played well as of late and look for his influence on the team to grow as he gets more minutes. As a side not, Piojo needs to call in Jona to get a closer look at him.

Monday

Real Sociedad v Getafe- 1:45PM– Judgement day is nearly upon us. Carlitos Vela will likely have to answer or decline to join the Mexican national team. Why is everyone on edge about his decision? Because he gets nominated for awards with Cristano Ronaldo and Diego Costa.