La Liga Lowdown

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LaLiga Matchday 3 Preview: Already a must-win? Aug 24, 2022

Show notes

The LaLiga action keeps coming thick and fast with Matchday 3 already upon us. Join Thom Harris (@ThomHarris_) and Román De Arquer (@Aeroslavee) as they look ahead to ten more tantalising matches across the weekend.

Starting on Friday night, can Girona quickly back up their Monday night win without another positive result when Celta visit Catalunya? Then there is a sizzler in Seville as two of the sides with a 100% record face off. Can Osasuna cause a surprise at Betis?

Onto Saturday, we get a first look at how Real Sociedad will shape up without Alexander Isak, who is Premier League bound. The boys discuss this bombshell transfer and how Imanol will adjust his attack. Rayo look to continue their fine start with their first match in front of their own fans against Mallorca, before an Andalusian derby at Power Horse Stadium - is this for Sevilla the earliest must-win game in history?

Sunday also promises plenty, with Getafe hosting Villarreal, Barcelona hosting Real Valladolid and Espanyol getting a visit from the champions. Tough tests for a couple of coaches already feeling a bit of pressure against raised expectations.

The round concludes on Monday with basement boys Cádiz hosting Athletic before potentially the game of the weekend at Mestalla: Valencia vs Atleti. Can Diego Simeone's side respond from their home defeat to Villarreal? Antoine Griezmann could be important, but will Simeone be allowed to play him for any significant length of time?

Keep up to date with all our content @LaLigaLowdown and subscribe to our newsletter at laligalowdown.substack.com.

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LaLiga Matchday 2 Recap: Finally, Unai Aug 23, 2022

Show notes

The second round of action is now complete and we reconvened to dissect all the action, from a Super Sunday that lived up to the billing to a Sevilla side that definitely did not. With only four sides on maximum points and only two without a point, there was plenty of intrigue across the matchday.

Join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08), Román De Arquer (@Aeroslavee) and Thom Harris (@ThomHarris_) as they discuss 4-1 wins for Real Madrid and Barcelona alike, as well as that significant triumph for Villarreal at the Metropolitano.

Part Two brings delights such as Osasuna's resurgent home form, the stark contrast between the two Seville giants, and a manic Monday at Montilivi, as well as the moments of the weekend.

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LaLiga Matchday 2 Preview: The season's first Super Sunday Aug 18, 2022

Show notes

Join Sam Leveridge (@samleveridge) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) to preview the action in matchday two of LaLiga's 2022/23 campaign, including a super Sunday of fixtures.

Barcelona travel to Real Sociedad while Atlético Madrid welcome Villarreal. Paco also tells us about how Mestalla has gone up in flames this week ahead of Gennaro Gattuso's trip to face Ernesto Valverde's Athletic Club at San Mamés.

We also discuss the need for a win for Sevilla against Valladolid, Betis' optimism against Mallorca, and how the time is right for Espanyol, Osasuna and Getafe to push for the top half against Rayo Vallecano, Cádiz and Girona respectively. Elsewhere, Almería will also be hoping to get their first points on the board against Elche.

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LaLiga Matchday 1 Recap: It's here and it's perfect Aug 15, 2022

Show notes

La Liga returned this weekend and it was every bit as fun as you had imagined so join hosts Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) and Thom Harris (@ThomHarris_) as they debrief all the action, with the actual football contradicting the transfer narratives.

Barcelona were supposed to destroy everything in their path but nobody had reckoned with quite such a mighty Rayo Vallecano. What went wrong for Barcelona and what went right for Rayo, before we get into two managerial debuts. Diego Martinez's Espanyol and Gennaro Gattuso's Valencia had differing fortunes but there were green shoots to hang onto. Further up the predicted table, the race for the Champions League spot is arguably the tightest in La Liga, hence why Thom is so concerned about a haggard old Sevilla.

In part two, Real Madrid looked tireless as knocked repeatedly on the door - find out why just a 2-1 victory over Almeria was so ominous. Atlético Madrid and Real Betis brought the entertainment value on Monday night, as both reminded us that they do actually have very good teams, even if they haven't signed many players. The show closes with Thom picking out his moment of the week and a commentator requesting that they be warned if you're going to do something like that.

For more content and coverage of La Liga, follow @LaLigaLowdown on Twitter.

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LaLiga Matchday 1 Preview: Licking our lips Aug 10, 2022

Show notes

As the new season dawns, join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) for a full preview of the first round of matches. From Pamplona on Friday night to Seville on Monday, there are ten tantalising fixtures to look forward to.

Will reigning champions Real Madrid back up their Super Cup triumph with a winning start to their title defence? Can Barcelona get all their signings registered in time? How will the new coaches fare in their first outings on their new benches? What about the promoted sides?

All this and plenty more was on the agenda, including Ruairidh's assessment of the turbulent summer at Camp Nou.

Check out our Twitter feed (@LaLigaLowdown), which features predictions for the season from our squad, and follow us for coverage of the opening weekend.

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LaLiga 22/23 Season Preview Aug 07, 2022

Show notes

The La Liga Lowdown squad are back after the summer break, fit and firing after pre-season training. Join Matt Clark (MattClark_08), Sam Leveridge (@samleveridge) and Thom Harris (@ThomHarris_) for a comprehensive preview of the upcoming season, which promises to be another fascinating one.

From Laporta's levers to Sevilla's sales, Madrid minus Mbappé to Atleti's quiet revolution, the top end of the table is the starting point. The pod asks whether there will be a closer title race this time around, and who could mount a realistic challenge for the top four (don't miss Sam's explosive pre-season prediction)!

In part two, there is discussion of the remaining European hopefuls, from clubs we expect more from to those who might surprise a few. Lastly, attention turns to the battle at the bottom, with a look at the positive signs for the promoted sides, and the reasons for concern elsewhere.

With the 22/23 season less than a week away, LLL are back!

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LaLiga Season Recap 2021-22 May 29, 2022

Show notes

Join us for the final time this season to reflect on a season packed with storylines, sentiment and special scenes.

Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) are on hand to reflect on the 21/22 season.

We start by congratulating the European champions and saluting their successful season.

We evaluate the season for all the clubs, from the top to the bottom, and offer up our opinions on overachievers, underachievers and everything else in between.

Sam Leveridge (@samleveridge) is also present to reflect on the season for Atleti and sends us his winners and losers from the campaign.

Complete with memorable montages, this is the ideal way to see out the season.

Thanks to everyone for tuning in throughout this season.

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LaLiga Matchday 38 Recap: Granada pay the penalty May 23, 2022

Show notes

They think it's all over... It is now! LaLiga came to a dramatic conclusion as the relegation battle took centre stage on Matchday 38. Join hosts Matt Clark (@MattClark08) and Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) as they pick through the debris.

There's no other place to start than the shock relegation of Granada. Just a season after making it to the Europa League quarter-finals against Manchester United, Granada finish 18th and descend to Segunda. That contrasts to the firefighting job done at Cádiz by Sergio González and Javier Aguirre in Mallorca. We get the thoughts of Alex Fitzpatrick (@MallorcaAlex100) on Mallorca's survival.

In the second half of the show we hear the gritty detail from Beñat Gutiérrez (@beinatguti) on the goings on at Athletic Club, including the possible departure of Marcelino. There are also closing notes on Unai Emery and Xavi Hernández as we wrap up the any other business section of the Matchday.

Finally, we dig into the MVP section for the last time in the 2021/22 season and pick our moments of the week.

Follow @LaLigaLowdown on Twitter for all the Spanish football coverage you need and want - also keep an eye out for our end of season review podcast in the coming days.

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LaLiga Matchday 37 Recap: Son Moix Pit May 16, 2022

Show notes

The penultimate round meant concurrent matches and multigoal madness.

Join hosts Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) and Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) to make sense of the chaos.

Alavés had relegation confirmed after losing to fellow descenders Levante. Cádiz got a point against the champions but it felt pyrrhic. Mallorca were the big winners of the round, grabbing all three points in stoppage time.

At the top end, more European places were settled too. Sevilla left it late to get the point they needed. Alan Feehely (@azulfeehely) of Football España discusses the work of the two Seville clubs and what the future holds.

After the break, we turn to Louis Scattergood (@BroLeao) for a review of Villarreal's direct duel with Real Sociedad for a Europa League spot. The Basque side were triumphant, meaning Villarreal can only reach the Conference League at best.

We evaluate what's left to play for before picking our MVPs and moments of the week (or day in this case).

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LaLiga Matchday 36 Recap: Benzema is second, Levante are Segunda May 12, 2022

Show notes

Another midweek Matchday is in the books and for Levante, the final game of the round did spell the end for them, as their relegation was confirmed in a 6-0 thrashing at Real Madrid. Vini Jr scored his first hat-trick, Luka Modrić had a treble of his own, and Karim Benzema equaled Raúl as the club's second-highest goalscorer of all time. That is where hosts Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Sam Leveridge (@samleveridge) begin, and they ponder which clubs will join Los Granotas in Segunda next season.

Part one is rounded off with a look at 'Efecto Karanka' as Granada won again to ease their relegation fears. Heath Chesters (@HeathGCF) gives us the lowdown on the Andalusian side's ascent out of danger.

In the second half we salute Atleti's qualification for the Champions League and assess their season as a whole with Jeremy Beren (@JBBeren) from Into the Calderón. We then shift our focus to the remaining runners and riders in the European race. Sevilla are close to sealing 4th, but Betis are on their tails. As for the Europa League, Real Sociedad and Villarreal both enjoyed convincing wins ahead of their direct duel at the weekend.

We end with our MVP nominees and our moments of the week, and with so much on the line at this stage of the season, the pickings are plentiful.

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