In short
Matchday 24 Preview - The Spanish Football Podcast
Episode Overview In this episode of *The Spanish Football Podcast*, hosts Phil Kitromilides and Sid Lowe provide a comprehensive preview of Matchday 24 in La Liga, highlighting key matches, team performances, and broader football narratives.
Hosts
- Phil Kitromilides
- Sid Lowe
Main Matches Discussed
- Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad
- Girona vs. Barcelona
- Elche vs. Osasuna
- Espanyol vs. Celta Vigo
- Getafe vs. Villarreal
- Sevilla vs. Alaves
- Rayo Vallecano vs. Atletico Madrid
- Levante vs. Valencia (Valencia Derby)
- Mallorca vs. Betis
Key Discussions
- Controversies and Club Management Issues
- Rayo Vallecano's Pitch Issues: Discussion surrounding the controversy of Rayo Vallecano's pitch condition that led to a match postponement.
- Protests Against Management: Fans are expressing their discontent with club management, indicating a significant sentiment among supporters for change.
- Team Form and Predictions
- Elche vs. Osasuna:
- Elche struggling at the bottom of the table, while Osasuna is performing well.
- Phil predicts a home win for Elche despite contrasting forms.
- Espanyol vs. Celta Vigo:
- Espanyol's poor form contrasted with Celta Vigo's strong away record.
- Sid leans towards a draw but recognizes Celta's better chances.
- Getafe vs. Villarreal:
- Both teams prefer not to have possession, leading to a prediction of a low-scoring match.
- Possible prediction: 1-0 to Villarreal.
- Sevilla vs. Alaves:
- Sevilla’s recent struggles and the pressure on their manager, with predictions leaning towards a draw.
- High-Stakes Matches
- Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad:
- Real Madrid's preparation and recent team dynamics discussed.
- Sid is skeptical about Madrid's form but predicts a home win.
- Rayo Vallecano vs. Atletico Madrid:
- Discussion about the implications of moving the match and its impact on both teams.
- Phil hints at an away win for Atletico but acknowledges their poor away record.
- Valencia vs. Levante (Valencia Derby):
- A crucial match for both teams battling relegation. Sid leans towards a home win for Levante based on recent form.
- Upcoming Highlights
- Girona vs. Barcelona:
- The Catalan derby is framed as a critical clash, particularly after Barcelona's heavy defeat to Atletico Madrid.
- Expectations for Girona's defensive strategy against Barcelona are discussed, with predictions of an away win for Barcelona.
Key Takeaways
- Form vs. Expectations: Several teams, such as Espanyol and Sevilla, are underperforming compared to earlier expectations, prompting discussions about managerial pressures.
- Fan Sentiment: There's a significant focus on fan reactions towards poor management and performance, especially at Rayo Vallecano and Valencia.
- Predictions and Insights: The hosts provide a mix of predictions for each match, with considerations of recent form, injuries, and tactical approaches.
Conclusion The episode encapsulates the vibrant atmosphere surrounding Matchday 24 in La Liga, with a mix of on-field predictions and off-field narratives affecting the clubs and their supporters. For more insights, listeners are encouraged to join their Patreon for extended content.
Additional Notes
- Parental Guidance: Sid's candid commentary led to a few colorful moments, which may not be suitable for all audiences.
- Patreon Offer: For more in-depth analysis and behind-the-scenes content, listeners can subscribe at patreon.com/tsfp.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOPreviewing La Liga Matchday 24
1:46 to 2:20
Hosts discuss the significance of the upcoming matches in La Liga.
“You're wearing your Oviedo jumper, I'm wearing my Raya Vallecano jumper.”
Key Matches and Predictions
2:20 to 2:58
Analysis and predictions for the weekend's key matches.
“But meantime, there are games to be played this weekend.”
Copa del Rey Insights
2:58 to 4:08
Discussion about the recent Copa del Rey semifinal and its implications.
“than the one we were going to be commentating for the world.”
Elche vs. Osasuna Match Preview
4:08 to 5:27
In-depth analysis of the Elche vs. Osasuna match and team performances.
“I was commentating it, Al was pitch side for ESPN, and Sid was writing a match report for the Guardian.”
Espanyol vs. Celta Vigo Analysis
5:27 to 7:10
Hosts evaluate the upcoming match and team forms for Espanyol and Celta Vigo.
“Well, one of the answers, one of the answers was, hang on, I wrote it down, was nine minutes long.”
Getafe vs. Villarreal Predictions
7:10 to 8:50
Discussion on the expected outcome of the Getafe vs. Villarreal match.
“Yeah, otherwise it's mental that I even sat through 39 minutes of press conferences.”
Sevilla vs. Alaves Preview
8:50 to 11:30
Analysis of Sevilla and Alaves, focusing on managerial pressures and match significance.
“Just for the record, because, you know, last weekend we had nine matches, not ten, because Raya Oviedo was cancelled.”
Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad Preview
11:30 to 13:20
Hosts preview the match between Real Madrid and Real Sociedad.
“So another manager playing for his future, I think.”
Real Madrid Dinner Discourse
14:02 to 19:20
Discussing the media frenzy around Real Madrid players dining together.
“And actually in this little Real Madrid section, You know, apologies to compañeros in the media, but I'm going to lay into a couple of them.”
The Importance of Finals
19:21 to 20:11
Debating whether Real Madrid’s upcoming games can be called finals.
“Spring is here and there's a whole new way to chai at Starbucks that's made perfect for you.”
Show all 14 chapters
Management Issues at Rayo Vallecano
20:12 to 23:29
Examining the management issues at Rayo Vallecano and the implications for the team.
“All right, you've gone for a home win there.”
Upcoming Matches and Predictions
23:30 to 28:00
Analyzing and predicting outcomes for upcoming matches including Atletico Madrid and Valencia.
“I think every Raya fan is willing to take that.”
Girona vs Barcelona Preview
28:04 to 29:16
An in-depth analysis of the upcoming match between Girona and Barcelona.
“I called it a diary, sorry, I meant the newsletter.”
Manager Insights and Predictions
29:16 to 30:45
Discussion on managerial strategies and predictions for the match.
“There's not many managers in the first division that genuinely talk to you about football and he is one of them.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Sid Lowe:When you want your spring break to feel like... And your kid's pool day to feel like... And your hotel bed to feel like... Ooh, and room service to feel like... Because at Hilton, hospitality feels like... Your cabana's ready. Would you like fresh towels? It matters where you stay. Book now at Hilton.com. Hilton. For this day. This episode is brought to you by Nespresso. Introducing Virtuo Up, the latest in a long line of innovation from Nespresso. It's innovation you can touch, sense, and taste in every single cup. With a three-second start, easy open lever, and dedicated brew over ice button, it's even easier to enjoy your coffee your way.
0:52Sid Lowe:Sip for yourself. Shop Virtuo Up exclusively at Nespresso.com. kayak gets my flight hotel and rental car right so i can tune out travel advice that's just
1:03Phil Kitromilides:plain wrong bro sky coin way better than points never fly during a scorpio full moon just tell the manager you'll sue instant room upgrade stop taking bad travel advice start comparing
1:17Sid Lowe:hundreds of sites with kayak and get your trip right kayak got that right
1:32Sid Lowe:Hello everyone and welcome to this week's preview podcast from the Spanish All Podcast. I'm Phil Kittramilidis. Sid Lowe is alongside me to look ahead to what's coming up in La Liga EA Sports, Match Day 24 this weekend. Hello Sid. Hello Philip. You're wearing your Oviedo jumper, I'm wearing my Raya Vallecano jumper. In honour of the game that never happened. in honour of the game that's going to happen on March 4th, is it?
1:58Phil Kitromilides:March 4th at 7 o 'clock at Vallecas at the moment. Because, of course, that's what La Liga has said unilaterally. Well, that's not quite fair, actually. They haven't said it unilaterally. The two clubs have had conversations about when the date would be. But Oviedo continue to insist that their idea is to continue to protest and to continue to push for the game to be forfeited by Riot.
2:19Sid Lowe:Let's see what happens there. But meantime, there are games to be played this weekend. and also more controversy surrounding Raio Vallecano and their pitch. Friday night kicks off in Elche at the Martinez Valero as inform Osasuna visits the Illicitanos. Then on Saturday, Espanyol trying to end their horrible run of form. They were the surprise package of the first half of the season, but they've started 2026 absolutely appallingly at their host Celta Vigo. Getafe against Villarreal is the match that Sid Lowe and myself will be commentating for the world on Saturday afternoon. It's not the game we were supposed to be
2:56Phil Kitromilides:commentating for the world. And it's slightly less good, in truth, than the one we were going to be commentating for the world.
3:01Sid Lowe:Bueno, solo y festo, eh? I don't know. It could be terrific.
3:04Phil Kitromilides:It could be a belter, yeah.
3:05Sid Lowe:It will not be a belter. Sevilla against Alaves is immediately after that. And then at the Bernabeu, Saturday night for the game against Royal Sociedad. Then on Sunday, Sydney is making his way up to Oviedo, I assume, for the home game against Atletic Club. Immediately after that is Ray Vallecano against Atletico Madrid, which is going to be played at the Estadio Municipal de Butarque, the home of Club Deportivo Leganés, because the pitch at Vallecas is still an absolute shambles. Levante against Valencia is the Valencia derby at the Ciudad de Valencia Stadium. It is an absolutely massive derby.
3:38Sid Lowe:If Carlos Corberan loses this, surely he's out as Valencia manager. Mallorca against Betis is the Sunday night game. And then Monday night football is Girona against Barcelona. a really fascinating-looking Catalan derby. Of course, this is the preview pod looking ahead to those games. It's coming off the back of a rather extraordinary Copa del Rey semifinal first leg at the Metropolitano yesterday. Sid, Al and I were all there to witness Atletico Madrid dismantle Barcelona 4-0. We did a TSFP diary on us three covering the game from three different perspectives. I was commentating it, Al was pitch side for ESPN, and Sid was writing a match report for the Guardian.
4:20Sid Lowe:So head over to patreon.com forward slash TSFP to listen to the TSFP diary this week. Hopefully it's an interesting insight into us covering that game, as we said, from three different angles. Patreon.com forward slash TSFP for all your Spanish footballing needs. Elche against Osasuna then, Sid. Let's kick off with a prediction. Two sides in contrasting form.
4:44Phil Kitromilides:Yeah, two sides in very contrasting form. so much so, and I admit that I have shamelessly ripped this out of Diario Ass this morning because I didn't know this statistic, that if you take the results from 2026 only, Elche are second bottom and Osasuna are in the Champions League place. So only Real Sociedad Barcelona and Atletico, no, Real Sociedad Barcelona and Real Madrid have been better than Osasuna in 2026. And the only team worse than Elche in 2026 is Espanyol, who of course you just mentioned a minute ago, who were the big revelation of the first half of the season and very poor in the second.
5:19Phil Kitromilides:Now, I think it's true that if you listen to Edith Sarabia, and I did listen to Edith Sarabia's press conference yesterday. Do you know how long his press conference was? 39 minutes. What?
5:30Sid Lowe:That is a record, isn't it?
5:32Phil Kitromilides:39 minutes. Well, one of the answers, one of the answers was, hang on, I wrote it down, was nine minutes long. He'd made a comment last week in which he'd said that, you know, know we're Elche and we we we play Real Sociedad and they trained at Real Sociedad's training ground at Filvieta and he said you know you see that and you realize there's a difference and you realize that there are some teams who are who are who have got bazookas and tanks and some of us are turning up with a with a catapult and trying to compete against them and we will do so and that didn't go down particularly well and so basically this nine-minute answer was him responding to that in which he essentially said look it feels a little bit like you lot are deliberately trying to misunderstand me everything I say is is a reality we're a recently promoted club and all the rest of it anyway it was a fascinating press conference and one of the many things he said was to talk about recent results and to talk about the way in which actually they sort of look a bit worse than they really have been you know in particular so you go I've got them here I went through them after he'd said them because I thought I wonder if he's actually right against Real Sociedad they lost 3-1 and they were the lead they were weaker than Real Sociedad and Real Sociedad with a better side but it was 2-1 and they lost it in the 89th minute against Levante it's 3-2 and they lose it in the 96th.
6:44Phil Kitromilides:Against Sevilla it's 2-2 and they're 2-0 up and they concede in the 75th and the 92nd. Against Valencia it's a Pepelu penalty in the 87th minute. Against Villarreal 3-1, all right that one's a bit different. And against Barcelona although they were beaten 3-1 and pretty well they played well in matches. So I think the results are probably worse than the performance level.
7:06Sid Lowe:I can only assume that you're commentating this game. Yeah, yeah.
7:09Phil Kitromilides:Otherwise, of course. Okay, thank God. No, no, no, no, no. Yeah, otherwise it's mental that I even sat through 39 minutes of press conferences. Well, indeed. Albeit Sarabia's press conferences are quite entertaining. So it's kind of quite good fun to listen to them. But yes. So yes, I'm commenting on this. And so I do think it's probably true that they're slightly better than their recent form suggests. But I also think it's true what Sarabia was trying to say, which is, look, of course our target has to be survival. And part of the problem maybe is that early in the season, we were so good that people started talking about European football and that created an expectation that wasn't real.
7:43Phil Kitromilides:Anyway, all of that said, I would also say that Elche, away from home, have been really poor, but at home it's still not terrible. So I'm going to go for a home win, despite that run of the different run of results from two teams.
7:57Sid Lowe:Wow. Okay. Home win there for Elche Osasuna. Afterwards then, first game on Saturday is Espanyol against Celta Vigo, as we said, Espanyol in atrocious form. Celta with a really, really strong away record. Five wins and four draws. Just two defeats on the road from their games. They've got the third highest number of points on the road this season in La Liga. Only Real Madrid and Barcelona have got more points away from home. So, away wins, Sid?
8:24Phil Kitromilides:I mean, it's the logical thing, isn't it? And actually, Celta, who were beaten last week by Osasuna, who we've just been talking about, were, I thought, really quite unlucky. They were clearly the better side in that game, but didn't win. That said, earlier in the season, it had been probably the other way around between those two teams. I think, I feel like a way win is the logical answer here. But I'm leaning towards a draw. I'm going to go for a draw and a not very interesting game.
8:49Sid Lowe:OK, yeah, I'm going to need a final answer from you, Sid. So final answer is draw there. Just for the record, because, you know, last weekend we had nine matches, not ten, because Raya Oviedo was cancelled. Did we mention that? But yeah, nine matches. And Sydney got six right. So six out of nine is pretty decent. Let's see if you can go even better than that this weekend. A Getafe against Villarreal is going to be 1-0 to Villarreal.
9:16Phil Kitromilides:Is it? Or is it going to be 1-0 to a Getafe? Oh, it's going to be 1-0 to someone. Yeah, I feel like it's not likely to be more than that. Do you know what? At the risk of upsetting Villarreal fans, And here's the thing. There are enormous differences between the way these two teams go about the game. But it is true that these teams share something, which is that neither of them particularly want the ball. And so I was kind of thinking about how do Villarreal go about this when they'd like to counter-attack. I don't actually know the answer to that.
9:52Sid Lowe:I mean, they're absolutely going to have the ball against Catafé, you know. I think they are.
9:56Phil Kitromilides:I think they are. And actually, obviously, they're quite a good team and they have the players to do that. And I suspect that that will be the pattern that plays out. But in terms of their creativity, I think it might be slightly problematic for them. But yeah, I lean towards a 1-0 victory to Villarreal.
10:14Sid Lowe:Yes, Villarreal are 15th in terms of average possession this season. And Getafe are bottom, unsurprisingly, in terms of how much they have the ball. in matches. Okay, Sevilla against Alaves is a big game for both sides and both managers. Chachap Caudet was under pressure, relieved a little bit by recent results, but it is very tight at the bottom. Sevilla last weekend, I did their game against Girona. I wasn't supposed to do their game, but I was drafted in because it was rescheduled. Their first half performance was so bad, so staggeringly bad. It got a little bit better in the second half, but not much.
10:53Sid Lowe:They're a bad team. They're not a good team. They're not a good team. The atmosphere is horrendous at the stadium and the fans, this is supposed to be one of the most passionate fan bases, a cauldron of a stadium and you could just tell it was flat in that stadium. You could tell that they didn't believe. The ultras keep singing the whole game but it wasn't intense. It was just so flat. They were whistling their own players as well. Carmona getting all sorts of abuse from his own fans. The atmosphere is terrible. The team is terrible. And if they lose this, I think Almeda is gone. So another manager playing for his future, I think.
11:36Phil Kitromilides:Yeah. Just a very quick point on that thing of the Ultras keep singing at Sevilla Games. One of the things that happens, it's not just Sevilla, but I think it's happening at the Sevilla Games, is do you sometimes not feel like the Ultras kind of sing kind of irrespective of the match. So there's no rise and fall with the flow. It's just there going, there, there doing a boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, all the way through. And so you have no sense of this being connected to the play or even encouraging the play. So it's not, it's supporting the team, obviously, because they're there and they're singing, they're trying to create an atmosphere.
12:09But it's not a kind of, right, to take the example of the game
12:12Phil Kitromilides:we were all at last night with Atletico Madrid, it doesn't feel like the roar is carrying the players in any meaningful way. or a response to the players in any meaningful way. It's just this kind of background white noise, isn't it?
12:23Sid Lowe:It was like that at Valencia as well, wasn't it, on Sunday against Real Madrid?
12:26Phil Kitromilides:Yeah, there was a bit of that. And at the very start, it felt, wow, this is a big occasion. And then it very quickly became like that. And Sevilla aren't a very good team. Almeida might well get sacked if they get beaten. And yet, at the same time, I feel like almost everybody recognises that it's not purely about him. It's just that you reach a point in the season you might think, well, you've got to try something to kind of provoke a reaction here. And I don't think for a minute that he's the man guilty of this, although he doesn't always help himself. I think there are some things he does well and some things he clearly doesn't.
13:00Phil Kitromilides:So what's the prediction on this one? I find this a really hard one to call. I don't particularly like either of these teams. I think given their limitations, I think Alaves are a better worked team. So we're going to talk about it from a managerial point of view. Yeah.
13:15Phil Kitromilides:Is it just, is the thing to do here just to cop out and just say, draw? I mean,
13:21Sid Lowe:it sounds like that would be the obvious thing.
13:24Phil Kitromilides:It does, doesn't it?
13:24Sid Lowe:Yeah.
13:26Phil Kitromilides:I'm leaning towards a, how can I lean towards a severe victory when they've only won two and 11? I'm going to go for, yeah, draw.
Read the full transcript
13:35Sid Lowe:Draw. Okay. And then Real Madrid against Real Sociedad. Of course, Real Madrid have had all week to prepare for this match, Sid. Real Sociedad were in action. The Copa del Rey on Wednesday, a big performance from them in Bilbao, winning 1-0 against Athletic Club. Quite a big performance from some of the Real Madrid players. I think it was on Tuesday night, was it? Or Monday night where they all went out for a cena de conjura.
13:59Phil Kitromilides:I loved how much was made of this. I loved how big this was. My favourite one. And actually in this little Real Madrid section, You know, apologies to compañeros in the media, but I'm going to lay into a couple of them. I love the start of one of the one of the late night radio shows. And I think you can probably guess which one in which they said they, you know, they had a reporter outside the restaurant where Rounders players were having dinner. I mean, in fairness to them, Vinicius put it on social media. So suddenly everyone thinks, well, we've got to turn up. You know, no one knew anything about it.
14:31Phil Kitromilides:We've got to turn up. And I realised, by the way, the hypocrisy here of me talking about this dinner. as a way of saying, look at these morons talking about the dinner. But anyway, I really loved it because it was a bit at the start of the show. It said, well, you know, they've just gone for dinner. No dinimas historia. That's it. That's all there is to it. There's no big deal. And then proceeded to spend the entire show giving us live updates.
14:52Sid Lowe:Live updates on who had left the dinner.
14:55Phil Kitromilides:Yeah, because they weren't inside. They couldn't give us live updates. Oh, he's gone for the wine. Oh, my God, he's having dessert. It's a creme brulee. anyway it did make me laugh a lot the last one out was Asensio I believe at 2.50 in the morning and getting into his car and driving off yes he subsequently missed training with fiebre
15:20Sid Lowe:yeah with a fever yeah I mean you know he's okay today yeah but Kylian Mbappe might not be
15:28Phil Kitromilides:more important things Kylian Mbappe actually a very briefing on the dinner it did feel a little bit public. It felt a little bit like they were trying to express the idea that they're all in together, as much as they actually were, if you sort of mean. It felt a little bit, what would you call in English, Paripe? It was a bit of a show, wasn't it? It felt like a little bit of a show. Anyway, that's by the fight. Mbappé might be out with a knee injury. Still not being confirmed. And here comes the other media thing that I was going to have a go at. Are you ready for this? Headline in Diario Astaday, four finals for Arbaloa.
16:02Phil Kitromilides:Right now, apart from the fact that I, you know, I am unnecessarily occupied by the fact that everyone keeps using finals and it gets to my tits. Right. I detest it. I detest it. So do I. Same here. And we shouldn't worry about it that much because we just, you know, we should just recognize it's just one of those cliches that exists in Spain. Right. But I'm going to take them on their own premise here. right I'm sorry these two league games that Real Madrid have coming up are no meaningful way a final the way that these Muppets use final they are just not the two Champions League games maybe but even then they're not because they are quite literally what are we caught uh last 16 or whatever round we are in the Champions League playoff round whatever you want to call that I don't know what we call this round and it's true that for Arbolora if they were to get knocked out of the Champions that would feel pretty bad.
16:54Phil Kitromilides:But the two league games, when they're only one point behind Barcelona, absolutely aren't finals in any meaningful way. Not even in the massively overblown, exaggerated way that these morons use it. So up yours, final.
17:08Sid Lowe:Yes, Matchday 24 game at home to Real Sociedad is actually not a final. It's just...
17:13Phil Kitromilides:No, and not just that, but it's four finals. So they're talking about Real Madrid's next game, which I must admit off the top of my head, I can't remember what it was, but it definitely wasn't a big one. their next game is away at Osasuna in what way is that a final
17:26Sid Lowe:Osasuna I was going to say that if Real Madrid win they'll go top and Barcelona away at Girona on Monday night which is not an easy game
17:34Phil Kitromilides:it's also not a final because if you win it you go oh yeah but you're top so there's your trophy yeah in this Barcelona go and win anyway enough what do we think will happen in this I genuinely don't know despite Real Sociedad's incredible performances under Matarazzo. And I believe it's 10 games now, isn't it, without defeat in all competitions? Is it nine, is it? Okay, it's nine. And they play really, really well against Athletic in midweek. Or is it 10? I think it might be 10. I think it might be eight plus two. All right, we'll figure it out.
18:10Sid Lowe:Yeah.
18:10Phil Kitromilides:Anyway, the point is they've been fantastic, but I do think the midweek game matters. I do think Real Madrid at home, albeit at home, they haven't been that great this season. And I don't think they've played well at any point. This is a little bit like the way I felt about it last week with them going away to Mestalla, albeit, of course, Real Madrid are a far, far better team than Valencia. There's a bit of me that thinks I don't expect Real Madrid to play well, but I think I probably do expect them to win. So I'm going to go for a home win, but not with a huge amount of faith.
18:41Sid Lowe:It's nine matches unbeaten. Nine matches.
18:44Phil Kitromilides:Seven in the league and two in the cup. Is that right?
18:47Sid Lowe:Presumably, yes.
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20:12Sid Lowe:All right, you've gone for a home win there. I said without too much conviction but we'll see what happens Real Madrid against Real Sociedad. Are you going to be at that one?
20:22Phil Kitromilides:I am, yes, yes. You're working? Yes. So after me and you finish with Getafe Villarreal, I will be hot-footing it to the Bernabeu.
20:30Sid Lowe:Beautiful stuff. And then you'll be hot-footing it to Asturias. You're not going to sleep a huge amount. No, I'm not going to sleep very much. Leave quite early to get up. I will sleep on the train.
20:41Phil Kitromilides:I'm not driving. So I will say I'm going up to our studios.
20:45Sid Lowe:Oviedo against Athletic Club. A way win. A way win. Rival against Atletico Madrid.
20:53Phil Kitromilides:Well, this game is not taking place on the day it was due to take place only six days ago. It is not taking place in the city it was due to take place in only one day ago. I would just like to stand and give a round of applause to all the people involved in the management of this game. Congratulations. Fucking great job, everybody. Well played. Anyway, that little moment out of the way. And funny, isn't it? That how a week on they can't risk playing at Vallecas because the state of the pitch. And yet until 10 o 'clock in the morning last Saturday for a two o 'clock kickoff, that was exactly what they were supposedly going to do.
21:32Phil Kitromilides:Apologies if we keep going on about this. I think this is just extraordinary. I still think it's extraordinary. And I'm going to take out the Real Oviedo element here and say that I really, really hope that this clarifies yet again, although everybody knows now, and the clarification doesn't really help, just how bad the management of the club is at Raya Vallecano, how extraordinary the job the players and the coaching staff do, and quite a lot of the employees at the club as well, how brilliant their fans are considering all this shit and how I very much hope that there's no one there of Utaki on Sunday which might well be the case because I think it carries with it a sort of symbolic weight here because of course what Preston would like to do is leave Vallecas entirely and maybe maybe this game being entirely empty would underline that you can't do that
22:25Sid Lowe:I've just been in Vallecas this morning and I was outside the stadium and there is fresh graffiti on the side of the stadium. And it says, Raista, no retires tu entrada. Dejemos vacío Butarque. Presa, inhabilitación. So, Raio fan, don't get a ticket. Let's leave Butarque empty and let's try and get Martin Presser out. Basically, I've got a season ticket. I'm not going to that game. I think I've decided. emotionally. Part of me thinks, Raya really bloody need some points from the game. We're in the relegation. That is one of the really sad things about this. This is bigger than that. If Raya go down, so be it.
23:17Sid Lowe:But you have to try and make a point. You have to try and make some kind of point. It cannot continue like this. The club cannot run like this anymore. It's reached breaking points. If it takes Raya going down to make that point and for something to change. I think every Raya fan is willing to take that. Yeah. Because it's bigger than that.
23:38Phil Kitromilides:And as for this game, well, obviously we've just come from watching Atletico Madrid play an extraordinary first 45 minutes against Barcelona. I don't want to be a smart-ass, but I think fairly recently we said in a podcast that at some point it feels like someone who's going to catch Barcelona and score a bucket load of goals against them. I think we then said, actually a bit like Sevilla and Chelsea you already have done, but this was the performance from Athletic and Madrid last night, which fits with something that Simeone said last week, which was to say against teams that play deep against us and close off, we actually are not finding solutions.
24:11Phil Kitromilides:But when we're allowed to run, it's a different matter. I don't know how to judge what this game will be like in purely footballing terms. I don't know how much of a difference changing stadiums will make and changing playing surface will make and playing surface dimensions will make. I find this quite a hard one to foresee, except to say that obviously Atletico Madrid, in theory at least, despite their poor away form, are favourites. I think this might feel a little bit like the pandemic games, you know, I think there's a chance that the stadium might be really empty.
24:44Sid Lowe:I'm going to go for an away win, I think. Three wins from 11 on the road for Atletico Madrid this season.
24:50Phil Kitromilides:Yeah, which is why I'm nervous about going for an away win. I feel that this is a slightly different type of away game. away win, but not with a huge amount of confidence
25:01Sid Lowe:Levante, Valencia the Valencia derby
25:03Phil Kitromilides:and it's massive as you said earlier, 17th against 19th it's bigger than it should be although actually in truth it's not very much bigger than we expected because Valencia have been a poor team for a long time Valencia have never finished below Levante there's a possibility this season they finish below Levante and yet both of them go down I find this quite difficult to call I think it's a home win though and I'm not I must admit I'm one of those that's not completely convinced by this little turnaround from Levante and since the change of manager obviously they conceded four last week and they weren't very good away at Atletico finished 4-2 which actually flatters them a bit that 0-0 draw at home against Atletico Madrid is obviously a really good result they beat Elche 3-2 they lost at the Bernabeu didn't they and they drew with Espanyol and it all started with that 3-0 win away at Sevilla.
25:54Phil Kitromilides:So it's definitely something more dynamic, more enthusiastic, better organised about them, a kind of a mental state that's better. They can win this game and still not climb out of the relegation zone. That said, if they were to win both games, because they've got a game in hand in midweek against Villarreal on Wednesday night, if they win both of those, they do climb out in theory, because they climb to 24 points. But of course, lots of other teams around them could win points this weekend. And actually, Rayo, of course, and Real Oviedo now have a game in hand too. Now, Real Oviedo aren't really a threat to them unless they don't win either of these games.
26:27Phil Kitromilides:But in this scenario of winning them both, I think Levante have half a chance of survival. I must admit, I still think they probably won't survive. But I think I probably like them more than Valencia for this game.
26:39Sid Lowe:Yeah.
26:39Phil Kitromilides:Yeah, I'm going home win. I'm going home win.
26:42Sid Lowe:Valencia got loads of injuries and suspensions as well. They don't have a right back. and yeah, I'm with you.
26:51Phil Kitromilides:It was very like them, wasn't it? The right back thing with Thierry Correa coming back and almost immediately getting injured again. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but it feels like over the last three or four years, he has missed way over 50 or 60 % of his games.
27:05Sid Lowe:Mallorca against Betis, Sunday night game. Betis, who won away from home last week at the Metropolitano. First team to win away at the Metropolitano this season against a Mallorca side just out of the relegation zone?
27:21Phil Kitromilides:Well, I'm going to do Mallorca a little bit like you wrote about this in the diary on Monday about the way that we've been responding to Osasuna. It's like, oh, bloody hell, they've won again. Because when you're a fan of a team down the bottom, as we are, you sort of look around for teams to lose. You want everyone to lose. And I'm very sorry to those teams because there's nothing against them, but you kind of need them to. And I just sort of feel like every time I think, oh, well, Mallorca could be pulled into it, they find a way of not quite being pulled into it or just about stepping out, which is not to say they're out, out, because they're absolutely not.
27:49Phil Kitromilides:I'm going to go for a draw in this one.
27:54Sid Lowe:Bet it's more draw on the road than anybody this season. So that makes sense. I mean, it was the newsletter that I was writing, Sid, not the diary, but that's okay.
28:04Phil Kitromilides:I called it a diary, sorry, I meant the newsletter.
28:06Sid Lowe:It is a newsletter which is free and delivered to all patrons. Well, I say free, it's for patrons, but it is a part of the membership package at patreon.com forward slash gsfp for all patrons from€4.75 a month. So not free, but well worth it. You get lots of other content as well. And the Monday night game is Girona against Barcelona. Sydney, intriguing clash. I'm commentating this one. I commentated the first game this season, which Barcelona won at Montjuic 2-1. I think it was an injury time goal that did it. Girona had four one-on-ones in the first half, which they couldn't score. They were very, very fortunate to win this game, Barcelona, coming off the back of this absolute dismantling which took place against Atletico Madrid on Thursday night.
28:58Sid Lowe:Girona, it was a really interesting interview with Michel on the radio. I don't know if you heard it. Yeah, he was really good.
29:06Phil Kitromilides:He's always good, actually. He's one of the best at being introspective. at taking responsibility himself, at describing the processes that he uses and doing it honestly. There's not many managers in the first division that genuinely talk to you about football and he is one of them.
29:24Sid Lowe:They're going to try and have the ball. That's how you defend against Barcelona.
29:27Phil Kitromilides:That phrase he used, wasn't it? How do you stop Lamin-Yemal? You create a void. You don't let the ball get to him. You don't let the ball into that space. Now, one way of looking at it is to look at what Atletico did to Lamin-Yemal last night, which was to have Ruggieri on him and not let him play and have Llorente there to help Ruggieri out. And it was partly about stopping the ball and getting to Lumi Imar, but it wasn't just that. It was also about hitting him every time he got the ball and being quick to close him down. But yes, I think that will be part of the approach. And the other approach, I think, despite wanting the ball, I think they will.
29:57Phil Kitromilides:And he mentioned this as well, didn't he? Look for the space behind Barcelona after... And obviously, you know, that's nothing revolutionary. Everyone's talking about it. In fact, at times, I think we talk about it too much, but then you get a game like last night and say, well, How can we not talk about it? Because it is such an obvious and clear approach to playing Barcelona.
30:14Sid Lowe:We are recording on Friday morning. This game taking place on Monday evening. We'll see whether or not Rashford or Rafinha can be involved in this game. But Pedri isn't going to make it. And he is obviously a big, big miss. Give me a prediction, Sydney.
30:33Phil Kitromilides:I'm going to believe Hansi Flick. after the Atletico Madrid game he said this could be a really great lesson for us if it comes at the right time sometimes these are lessons for us I'm going to trust that this is a lesson and I'm going to say away win
30:48Sid Lowe:Nice A lesson for Barcelona That's it, that's what's coming up this weekend Enjoy the football amigos We will be back on Monday to discuss everything that's happened apart from the Girona Barca game which will take place on Monday evening Patreon.com forward slash TSFP for all your Spanish footballing needs. Loads of content there. Q &A podcast, bonus podcast, newsletter, diary, WhatsApp group, Discord community from just over a euro a week. It is good value if you want to get involved. All right, then we'll leave it there. Adios. Cheerio.
32:03Phil Kitromilides:We'll see you next time. something hearty, satisfying, and built for life on the go.
32:07Sid Lowe:From craveable sauces to satisfying textures, they're designed to keep you going without slowing you down. So put that fork down.
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32:20Sid Lowe:Available at participating locations only.
32:33Phil Kitromilides:fun. Let's be having you. I love the fact that he's chosen that moment to go, do you know what? Now I'm going to do it. The England pod. If he plays regular minutes this season of Manchester City, he will re-emerge as one of the best players that we've got. All on Europe's biggest sport podcast network. Find your next favourite sport podcast. Search Sports Social Podcast Network and listen wherever you get your podcasts.
32:58Sid Lowe:Sports Social Podcast Network.
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From the publisher
Phil Kitromilides & Sid Lowe look ahead to Matchday 24 in LALIGA including Real Madrid v Real Sociedad and Girona v Barcelona.
Parental guidance: Sid gets very sweary at one point!
For lots more, join us at patreon.com/tsfp.
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