Sporting Gijón 0-1 Sevilla

Sevilla are back in 3rd place after Valencia's defeat last night and their win here. Frédéric Kanouté scored another early goal after the midweek goal against Rangers. Kanouté's 9th minute strike sinking Sporting Gijón. Sporting nonetheless still having a good season to date.

Atlético Madrid 1-2 Villarreal

One had to win. These two have had overall disappointing starts to the season but it appears Villarreal are looking onwards and upwards as they recorded a fine win away to Atlético Madrid.
Portuguese star Simao put Madrid ahead on 37 minutes a lead that was cancelled out four minutes into the 2nd half through David Fuster.
Former Real Valladolid star Joseba Llorente scored the winner in added time to break Atlético hearts as they suffered yet another defeat.

Osasuna 0-1 Real Mallorca

Real Mallorca can't lose at the moment and they continued their fine season with a narrow 1-0 success away to Osasuna.
Gonzálo Castro got the only goal of the game on 61 minutes as the islanders head back with a fine victory and a place in the five. Osasuna though are in 11th.

Racing Santander 3-2 Xerez

Racing recorded a vital win at home to fellow strugglers Xerez. But it didn;t start well for the northern club as they fell behind to a Mario Bermejo goal after just 3 minutes.
Racing levelled after 25 minutes of play when Mehdi Lacen pounced and the hosts were in front four minutes into the 2nd half as Manuel Arana made an instant impact.
Antonito levelled the scores for Xerez on 69 minutes before Racing found the winner on 82 minutes through Alex Geijo.

Almería 1-1 Deportivo

Almería reponded to last weekend's brave showing against Real Madrid by holding Deportivo to a 1-1 draw.
The Andalusia side have been struggling for goals this year but Kalu Uche is finding his own shooting boots and got another goal here on 59 minutes to give the hosts the lead.
Deportivo are playing well this year and were level within 15 minutes thanks to Pablo Alvárez.

Getafe 2-1 Tenerife

Getafe's run continued as they ended up victorious at home to Islanders Tenerife. Albín gave the home side the lead on 38 minutes as the visitors looked to up the tempo. Getafe hit Tenrife with a blow on 68 minutes when Albín capped off a good game with a 2nd goal.
Tenerife's Juanlu pulled a goal back on 81 minutes but it wasn't enough to save a point.

Real Valladolid 1-1 Málaga

Málaga earned another point this time away to Valladolid. It was the Andalusians who struck first through Duda on 34 minutes to send them in at the interval in front.
The hosts though are though to beat at home and were level on 69 minutes thanks to Nivaldo. The point doesn't suit well for either side.

Valencia 2-3 Real Madrid

The game of the weekend ended in a thrilling 3-2 win for Real Madrid, the first time this season that Valencia have lost at home.
It was goalless at half-time but that was changed just nine minutes into the 2nd half when Gonzalo Higuaín headed Real in front.
Six minutes later David Villa levelled with a header of his own but Real Madrid came back to take the lead when Higuaín slotted past César Sánchez on 65 minutes. Los Che didn't give up and were level again when Joaquín shot past Iker Casillas on 80 minutes.
But Real Madrid stole the game as Ezequiel Garay headed past Sánchez for the winner with seven minutes remaining.

Barcelona 1-0 Espanyol

Barcelona did enough to see off Espanyol at the Camp Nou. It was espanyol who won here last season and it looked like they might be comming away with something until Zlatan Ibrahimovic slotted home a 39th minute penalty.
Espanyol might not have conceded a lot night tonight but the defense needs improving.

Real Zaragoza 1-2 Athletic Bilbao

Real Zaragoza suffered another defeat as they went down 2-1 to Athletic Bilbao. It was the visitors who struck first through on loan Liverpool man Mikel San José on 61 minutes before Bilbao doubled their lead on 81 minutes through Susaeta.
Carlos Diogo pulled one back in added time but it was too little for the hosts.

European Round Up:

Spanish clubs all ended the Group stage this week with three getting through and one securing Europa League football.

Real Madrid:
Real Madrid were away to Marseille in their final group game and knew a draw would be enough to progress. Marseille meanwhile needed to win by three goals to go through. A remarkable Cristiano Ronaldo free-kick set Real on their way. Lucho González levelled before Raúl Albiol put Real back in front.
Lucho González missed a penalty before Ronaldo got his 2nd of the game to finish off Marseille.

Barcelona:
Barcelona travelled east to Dynamo Kiyv and got the result they came for. It was Dynamo Kiyv who struck first with Artem Milevskiy heading one a Shevchenko free kick. Xavi levelled for Barcelona before the break. Both sides had freezing conditions to attend to and Lionel Messi scored the winner as Barcelona progress.

Atlético Madrid:
Atlético secured a Europa League place thanks to the away goal in Cyprus two weeks ago but were mauled by a far superior Porto side. The Portuguese champions ended up 3-0 winners with Hulk getting a fantastic goal as Atlético ended a disasterous Champions League campaign. Bruno Alves and Falcao got the other goals for the visitors.

Sevilla:
Sevilla ended the group stage by beating Rangers thanks to a Kanouté penalty. Rangers were desperatly poor in the group stage and were already out prior to kick-off. Sevilla top the group.

La Liga table 7th December 2009

1	Barcelona	14	36
2	Real Madrid	13	31
3	Valencia	13	28
4	Sevilla	13	27
5	Deportivo	13	25
6	Real Mallorca	13	24
7	Sporting Gijón	13	20
8	Athletic Bilbao	13	20
9	Getafe	13	18
10	Osasuna	13	16
11	Villarreal	13	15
12	Tenerife	13	14
13	Atlético Madrid	13	13
14	Espanyol	13	13
15	Real Valladolid	13	12
16	Almería	13	12
17	Real Zaragoza	13	12
18	Racing Santander	13	10
19	Málaga	13	8
20	Xerez	14	7

Athletic Bilbao 1-2 Valencia

Valencia made the trip north to the terrific atmosphere of San Mames looking to bounce back from last week's disappointing 1-1 draw against Mallorca.
It was the hosts who struck first when 16 year-old Iker Munain found the net again on 58 minutes.
Valencia hitman David Villa levelled for Los Che on 61 minutes as Valencia set about getting the result they came for. Bilbao had Koikili sent-off for a 2nd yellow on 74 minutes and Valencia made them pay nine minutes later through Jérémy Mathieu. Mathieu's goal the winner as Valencia secure the points.

Villarreal 3-2 Getafe

A good game at El Madrigal as Villarreal bounced back from last week's set-back. Getafe were in good form heading into this game with Roberto Soldado grabbing a hat-trick recently.
It was Getafe who struck first through León in the 3rd minute. That lead was cancelled out 14 minutes later when Joan Capdevilla struck. Getafe re-took the lead on 52 minute when Roberto Soldado converted a penalty that saw Rubén Gracía sent-off as a result.
Santí Cazorla struck back on 67 minutes as Villarreal went level again. Getafe were determined not to lose and they went behind when Joan Capdevilla capped a good night with his 2nd goal on 87 minutes. Angel was sent-off in added time for hosts but Getafe couldn't force a last gasp goal.

Real Mallorca 4-1 Real Zaragoza

Real Mallorca's remarkable season continued as they ran out easy 4-1 winners over Real Zaragoza.
Aritz Aduriz opened the scoring on 38 minutes as their afternoon was to get even better. Into the 2nd half Aduriz got his 2nd on 68 minutes before sub Mario Suárez made it 3-0 on 75 minutes. Mallorca have enjoyed a great season so far and made Zaragoza's afternoon alot worse when Alhassane Keita made it 4-0.
Zaragoza did at least have something to celebrate when Herrara Ander pulled one back with four minutes left.

Málaga 1-1 Osasuna

Malaga appear to have changed their ways. In recent weeks they have stayed unbeaten while getting some impressive results. This was another big point against an Osasuna side that expected all three points from their visit south. It started well for the Pamplona side when Masoud Shojaei put them in front on 47 minutes.
With time running out Malaga were level. With just seven minutes left when Antonio Apono made it 1-1. The draw a good result for Malaga.

Espanyol 0-4 Racing Santander

Espanyol suffered a 2nd 4-0 defeat in a row when Racing Santander turned on the style. Amazingly it was 0-0 at half-time. The visitors took a deserved lead on 49 minutes through Henrique. Racing went 2-0 in front on 52 minutes thanks to Sergio Canales before Mohammed Tchité converted a 72nd minute penalty to put Racing 3-0 up.
Canales then got his 2nd goal of the night four minutes after Thcité's penalty which sent the home crowd out in disappointment.

Tenerife 2-1 Sporting Gijón

Tenerife made home advantage count as they defeated Sporting Gijón. It was the visitors from the mainland who took a 4th minute lead thanks to Diego Castro's strike.
It stayed like that until ten minutes into the 2nd period when Ricardo León levelled before Tenerife were in front. Key man Nino with the winner on 67 minutes as Tenerife send Sporting back empty handed.

Deportivo 1-3 Barcelona

Barcelona mde the trip worthwhile after a 3-1 win. Lionel Messi opened the scoring on 27 minutes before Deportivo were level on 38 through Adrián's goal.
Lionel Messi got his 2nd on 80 minutes before Zlatan Ibrahimovic made it three in three on 88 minutes.
A good win for Barcelona as they remain top, Deportivo need to bounce back from this set-back.

Real Madrid 4-2 Almería

Almería put up a good fight against the stars of Real Madrid but in the end Real were too strong. Beaten in the clásico, Real Madrid were determined to get back to winning ways but had to fight for this victory last night. Defender Sergio Ramos opened the scoring on 31 minutes which had been comming for Almería. The 2nd half started with Almería putting a bit of pressure on Real. The game was level on 58 minutes when Fernando Soriano scored on 58 minutes.
Kalu Uche gave the visitors a shock lead on 62 minutes before Real came back when Gonzalo Higuaín levelled on 73 minutes. Two more goals from Real Madrid followed thanks to Karim Bemema (82) and Cristiano Ronaldo (84). Ronaldo was sent-off four minutes later.

Xerez 0-2 Atlético Madrid

Atlético Madrid capped off a good week with a 2-0 success at Xerez last night. The Madrid side were 4-0 victors last week and wanted to build on that with a win here. Xerez, bottom of the league and beaten in midweek by Barcelona were going to put everything into getting points.
Diego Forlán gave the visitors the lead on 29 minutes before star man Sergio Aguero made it 2-0 on 65 minutes. Xerez had a chance to get back into the game when Alvaro Domínguez was sent-off for Atlético late on.

Sevilla 1-1 Real Valladolid

Sevilla again lost ground on the big two as they were held by Real Valladolid. Sevilla had been expected to get the better of the strugglers at home.
Sevilla gave themselves a mountain to climb when allowing Manucho to put the visitors ahead on 33 minutes. But things started to go Sevilla's way when Borja was sent-off on 39 minutes before Luís Fabiano levelled from the spot five minutes later. A disappointing result for Sevilla.

Barcelona's busy month

Barcelona face a busy month in December. The Club World Cup in the United Arb Emirates is a competition that if Barcelona win will cap off a fantastic 2009. They also face some league games before hand with Deportivo and Espanyol next while also playing a must win game against Dynamo Kiyv in their last Champions League group game next Wednesday.
2nd December 2009: Xerez 0-2 Barcelona (La Liga)
5th December 2009: Deportivo v Barcelona (La Liga)
9th December 2009: Dynamo Kiyv v Barcelona (Champions League)
12th December 2009: Barcelona v Espanyol (La Liga)
16th December 2009: Club World Cup Semi-Final
19th December 2009: Final or 3rd Place play-off

Barcelona will play a total of six matches in just 17 days. Their title rivals Real Madrid in contrast will play four games in the month of December.

La Liga Preview 5th December

Four games tonight as the Liga faces a key weekend at the top of the table. Real Madrid v Almería and Deportivo v Barcelona.

Sevilla v Real Valladolid:
3rd placed Sevilla play host to a Valladolid side that should be beaten here. But Sevilla had to come from behind to get a point last week at home to Málaga so Valladolid have every chance here.

Xerez v Atlético Madrid:
Wednesday's defeat left Xerez rooted to the bottom and face another big test here at home to an Atlético side that look to have turned a good corner. The visitors will be looking to build on last Sunday's impressive 4-0 success over Espanyol.

Real Madrid v Almería:
Real Madrid look too strong for the Liga strugglers tonight. Almería have scored just twelve goals to date. Real Madrid are also unbeaten at home this season and expect another one tonight. Ronaldo should start while Almería will depend on Kalu Uche and Daniel Piatti.

Deportivo v Barcelona:
Barcelona face a potentially tricky game away in La Coruna, as they take on Deportivo. Barcelona face a busy month with the World Club Cup comming up while also facing tricky La Liga fixtures. The hosts will be up for this game and aimming for victory that will increase their chances of European football next season.

Xerez 0-2 Barcelona

Bottom against top didn't produce any surprises as Barcelona built on last Sunday's victory in the clásico.
Thierry Henry opened the scoring for the champions with a header on 46 minutes before Zlatan Ibrahimovic made the game safe at 2-0 in the 3rd minute of added time with a fine finish. Xerez remain bottom and play Racing Santander next. Barcelona stay top and face a trip to Deportivo next.

La Liga Preview 2nd December

Just one game tonight in La Liga and it involves Barcelona.

Xerez v Barcelona:
Bottom against Top in a match that should go one way and that it a convincing victory for the visitors. Current La Liga and European champions Barcelona face a Xerez side that will give it their all. Xerez are argubly the weakest side in La Liga this season and need a miracle to get anything out of this game tonight.
The game is being played tonight due to Barcelona's participation in the Club world cup later this month.

La Liga Table December 1st

1	Barcelona	12	30
2	Real Madrid	12	28
3	Sevilla	12	26
4	Valencia	12	25
5	Deportivo	12	25
6	Real Mallorca	12	21
7	Sporting Gijón	12	20
8	Athletic Bilbao	12	20
9	Getafe	12	18
10	Osasuna	12	15
11	Espanyol	12	13
12	Villarreal	12	12
13	Almería	12	12
14	Real Zaragoza	12	12
15	Real Valladolid	12	11
16	Tenerife	12	11
17	Atlético Madrid	12	10
18	Málaga	12	7
19	Racing Santander	12	7
20	Xerez	12	7