TSN is your home for La Liga with Canada attackers Tani Oluwaseyi and Tajon Buchanan and the rest of Villarreal headed to Madrid to take on Getafe on Saturday. Later, Real Madrid hosts red-hot Real Sociedad at the Bernabeu.
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Getafe vs. Villarreal, Saturday at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT on TSN+
Villarreal got a major monkey off of their back this past Monday night with a 4-1 thrashing of Espanyol at El Madrigal. The Yellow Submarine got goals from Georges Mikautadze, assisted by Brampton, Ont.’s Tajon Buchanan, Nicolas Pepe and Alberto Moleiro and an own goal from Jose Salinas. The win was Villarreal’s first in six matches across all competitions as the team continues their fight for a top-four place and a return to the Champions League.
“We played a great match, being solid and competitive,” Marcelino said at his prematch availability on Friday. “Villarreal’s league season has been extraordinary and difficult to match. What this squad is doing has enormous merit. We’re approaching the final third of the competition. What matters isn’t what other teams do, but the opponent we face and what we do ourselves.”
Up next for Marcelino’s side is a trip on Saturday to the Madrid area for a date with 11th-place Getafe. The gaffer says Getafe’s midtable standing belies their quality and the difficulty they will present to their visitors.
“They’re a team that gives very little away,” Marcelino said. “They haven’t picked up many points, but their results have been extremely tight. They play direct football that makes you uncomfortable, with a very defined style that puts opponents under serious pressure.”
Like Villarreal, Getafe is also coming off of a big victory. Jose Bordalas’s squad defeated Alavés last Sunday, 2-0. The team was paced by goals from Luis Vazquez and Mauro Arambarri from the spot. The win was Getafe’s first in the league since a 1-0 win over Elche on Nov. 28, ending an eight-game winless run in league play.
Saturday’s game will be a big one for Marcelino. It will mark his 200th match in charge of Villarreal and the 500th overall of his managerial career.
“That’s an incredible number,” the 60-year-old former Athletic Club, Marseille and Valencia manager said. “The first thing that comes to mind is that I must be getting very old. My coaching staff and I are proud of the journey. When I started coaching young lads on muddy pitches, I would have said it was impossible. I’ve worked with two members of my staff for more than 20 years. And I’ve had extraordinary squads.”
Fourth in the table, Villarreal still owns a game in hand against the three teams above them Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico. They trail Barca and Real by 12 and 11 points respectively. They are level on points with Atleti, but possess an inferior goal difference.
The Yellow Submarine won the reverse fixture, 2-0, back in early December with Buchanan finding the back of the net in the victory.
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Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad, Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. PT on TSN+
On December 14 after a loss at home to Girona that left them 15th in the table, Real Sociedad fired Sergio Francisco. To replace him, they did something no other team had done in the history of La Liga: hired an American manager.
Former Stuttgart and Hoffenheim manager Pellegrino Matarazzo of Wayne, NJ was hired to replace Francisco on Dec. 20. Since then, Erreala has not lost a game. Sociedad is undefeated in their past 11 games across all competitions, including a league win over leaders Barca and a first-leg victory of Athletic Club earlier this week in their Copa del Rey semi-finals tie. Matarazzo loved what he saw from his team against Athletic Club in the 1-0 win.
“It’s important to play with fire and aggression when you’re against the ball, but you need a certain calm composure, serenidad, when you have possession in order to create, to be fluid in your movements and we had it today,” Matarazzo said. “We had cajones. I don’t know if we can say that on camera. I don’t know, but I’ll just say it. We played very brave today and that’s what you need.”
Matarazzo’s team will need that kind of bravery again on Saturday when they travel to the Bernabeu for a date with title-chasing Real Madrid. Los Blancos have won five straight league matches, including a 2-0 victory over Valencia last time out. Alvaro Carreras and Kylian Mbappé scored in the win.
Even with his team’s hot form, manager Alvaro Arbeloa is expecting a battle.
“We know the rhythm Real Sociedad has and how well they are performing with the new coach, who is unbeaten having played against Barcelona and Atletico,” Arbeloa said. “We know them and understand the difficulty of tomorrow’s match. We will have to give our best if we want to take the three points.”
A World Cup and Euro winner with Spain, Arbeloa has now been on the job for a month since the sacking of Xabi Alonso. The team has won five of seven matches under Arbeloa, with the two defeats coming in Copa del Rey and Champions League play. Asked to give his take on his first 30 days as manager, Arbeloa wasn’t interested.
“I’m not here to make assessments,” Arbeloa said on Friday. “I’ve already seen that the before and after hasn’t lasted me even a month, but I’m here very happy, very calm, eating a lot just in case, and with a lot of energy to prepare for tomorrow’s match and everything that’s ahead. I feel privileged to be in this seat. It’s a tremendous fortune to be at Real Madrid, wherever it may be. Obviously, being the coach of the best team in the world is a privilege and a fortune that I’m going to enjoy until the last day.”
In September’s reverse fixture, Los Blancos managed to overcome a 32nd-minute red card to Dean Huijsen to claim a 2-1 win. Mbappé and Arda Güler scored for Madrid, while Mikel Oyarzabal’s penalty was the lone marker for Sociedad.
While Arbeloa’s side is in a title race, Erreala has designs on a European place. Currently eighth on 31 points, they trail Espanyol by three points for a Europa Conference League spot. Prior to this season, Sociedad had a run of five straight seasons in European competition, escaping the group stage in all five years.
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More La Liga action on TSN
– Espanyol vs. Celta, Saturday at 7:45 a.m. ET/4:45 a.m. PT on TSN+
– Sevilla vs. Alaves, Saturday at 12:15 p.m. ET/9:15 a.m. PT on TSN+
– Oviedo vs. Athletic Club, Sunday at 7:45 a.m. ET/4:45 a.m. PT on TSN+
– Rayo Vallecano vs. Atletico, Sunday at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT om TSN+
– Mallorca vs. Real Betis, Sunday at 2:45 p.m. ET/11:45 a.m. PT on TSN+
– Girona vs. Barcelona, Monday at 2:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. PT on TSN5/TSN+
