HNOS. DOS SANTOS

While the Dos Santos provided a nice moment as the brothers shared the field against Real Madrid, Raul Jimenez was El Compadre de la Semana. Let’s see the schedule this weekend..

SATURDAY, 10/4/14

Atletico Madrid v Valencia- 9:00AM – Raul Jimenez finally broke through and grabbed his first goal. And this time it counted. Mandzukic is back from injury and will make the battle for minutes  even more intense. He will likely be the first attacker off the bench for Cholo with a few starts sprinkled in.

Rayo Vallecano v Barcelona- 11:00AM – Similar to Guardado, a minor injury has limited Aquino’s minutes lately. He looked healthy in a cameo last weekend and should be himself penciled into the starting XI against the mighty Barcelona. Buena Suerte Aquino!

Hellas Verona v Cagliari- 11:00AM- Marquez was given a rest last weekend, a combination of trying to keep him fresh and healthy. He has been ever present for Hellas and will likely be commanding the backline this weekend.

Malaga v Granada- 3:00PM- Ochoa’s competition had a subpar game last weekend. Does this mean Memo will see the field? At this point, who knows

SUNDAY, 10/5/14

PSV v Excelsior- 5:30AM- A nagging injury has kept Guardado out of the last 2 games for PSV. They are still in first place and in the driver’s seat for the Eredivisie. This weekend might see his return to the field, not sure if he is 90 minutes fit.

AZ Alkmaar v FC Twente- 7:30AM-  Tecatito is slowly becoming an important cog for Twente. He needs to build on his early season success and be consistent. That has been his biggest knock in his career, too few flashes of brilliance mixed with subpar performances. I might pass on the PSV game and wake up for this.

Villarreal v Celta Vigo- 10:00AM- It seems the offense for Los Submarinos is at its best when Gio is creating opportunities for his teammates.

  That is Gio drawing pretty much every one on the opposing team towards him before creating another goal for Villarreal. They were definitely missing him while he recovered from injury.  Jona has been receiving rave reviews for his recent play. Villarreal are slowly morphing into the Dos Santos show with Jona being more than just a bit player. As long as he keeps seeing the field, I believe he is a lock for those November Mexico friendlies. He can spray the ball all over the field and would be the best passer has.

Real Sociedad v Espanyol- 12:00PM- Hector Moreno is still recovering and will not be able to help Espanyol stop his friend Carlos Vela. An optimistic return date is January for Hector. Carlitos is coming off his best performance this year for Sociedad. He lasted all 90 minutes in their tie against Valencia. He is hoping to fully put his injury riddled start behind him. Who knows, he might be even play himself into a national team call up…

Praying for a call from PIojo

FC Porto v Braga- 12:00PM- Diego Reyes keeps making baby steps towards cracking the first team rotation. Porto even used him as a Defensive Midfield in a big rivalry game. This shows his versatility and allows his coach to use him in different positions. I might be in the minority but I am glad he didn’t go out on loan.  I might even still think that come the end of the January transfer window. El Zorillo seems to be a lock in to start for club and country. It’s refreshing to be able to say that for a Mexican player. He will likely go his usual hard fought 90 minutes for Porto as they fight to reclaim the league title. 

Real Madrid v Athletic Bilbao- 2:00PM- Chicharito finally got his first start for Real Madrid in their last Champions League game. How did it go? It was a mixed bag of good moments and frustrating moments. That being said, Ancelloti still praised Chicharito’s total game. He will still be the go to striker off the bench Los Blancos. He likely will not start another game until Real Madrid starts their Copa del Rey campaign later this month. At least he can say he had La Liga’s goal of the month for September.