Tuesday March 25th ....

League: Elche - Athletic Bilbao

Almeria came back twice last night to win 4-3 against Real Sociedad. There are three things about it: he lifted the team out of the relegation zone and within a point of Elche, he extended Atletico's lead from four to eight in a superb performance and showed Elche what can be achieved when used properly . full commitment.

Bilbao don't necessarily need to win this game, Sevilla's next challenge will be Real Madrid tomorrow and Atlético will be looking to salvage something for this weekend's trip to Atlético. Elche must take something from the game as they have three trips to Villarreal, Valencia and Atletico Madrid in the next four! They're in the middle of an autumn scrap, they'll have to fight for every patch of grass, and while it might look tough on paper, it's at least easier than the next three games.

You know I'm an Atlético fan and follow their belief in clean football, they've done us very well over the last three seasons, last week at Villarreal with the last goal (note below) but you can't make it win every game or always play with the same intensity is a philosophy that brought us a lot of money in Brazil last season (and will do it again this summer), the need to "connect the fight" and the very rare midweek rounds . Spain probably shouldn't bet on Bilbao when they have a bigger game at home, especially against an opponent desperate to stay in the top division.

The home manager knows what is at stake tonight and asked the crowd for 90+ minutes of full support and asked his players to leave the pitch "with no regrets" if they want to play top division football in 2014-15. In this case, the news about the team is not important for me, what is important is the heart, desire and motivation, the match will be played in Elçe this season. 1.5 pieces Elche +0.5 balls 2.0 Asia / Ibramarket Lines.

Elche conceded just three goals at home in the first half, while Atlético scored 11 of their 18 away goals between the 21st and 50th minutes, so there's a good chance the hosts can go ahead (or sooner). the last third offers a good trading opportunity at this rate if you want to go that route. Participating in the first half is also an option..............the rest is up to you!

Athletics : Iraizas, Thackeray, Laporte, Eric Moran, San Jose, Benat, Ituraspe, De Marcos, Iago Herrerin, Susaeta, Iraola, Mikel Rico, Munyain, Aduriz, Ander Herrera, Sabarit, Eciza, Balenciaga.

Good luck.

League: Villarreal-Athletic Bilbao (Written on March 17)

I'm sure Athletic will beat you tonight, giving Real Sociedad a six-point lead in the Champions League race and ending Villa's top four hopes.

He has been an Athletic favorite since we made him rich in 2011-12 and some readers stopped counting their Manchester United wins two years ago last week at Old Trafford. They were a breath of fresh air in Europe that season and we followed them pretty much all the way, winning an insane 7.50 in the PL. They were absolutely fearless that year, as was their equally brilliant and stunning coach, Marcelo Bielsa, after losing to United everyone knows how good they are, but six months ago I wrote...

Marcelo Biels' new coach is real and has taken time to make his mark, but the benefits are already starting to show and we expect Bilbao to be very strong in the coming months . Bielsa is very strict, he personally checks the size of the pitch before all away games and has been known to hold a four hour press conference! He loves a high pressure game, puts a lot of pressure on defenders, looks quite tough at times but makes very subtle changes throughout the game, sometimes leaving the top five. . 18-year-old Iker Munyain has been in excellent form over the past two seasons and has had a huge impact in the last two games, creating plenty of chances in the previous three games. With Ander Herrera back from injury in the summer and Eciza in the center of defence, the manager has a better chance tonight. this is a young growing group with great potential .

Two weeks into the new season I write... “Atletico Bilbao seemed to have a good season, they didn't do much in the summer, but the transfer of Beniat Echebarria from Betis looks quality and Mikel Rico and Quique Solo. Marcelo Bielsa's completely different coach takes time (or everything?) to adjust to Ernesto Valverde, but he spent eight years here as a player and coach and understands how a very unique club works. If he gets off to a good start next month (two wins and a loss against Real), he'll be fighting for the top 4-6 .

The manager was immediately criticized after a series of changes, but he has since put together a better squad and is now in control of 4th place, buoyed by Barcelona's defeat in their last league game.

A top 4 finish is very likely, remember last season I finished 12th and I'd also like to suggest that newly promoted Villarreal will have a great season on their debut day... Villarreal , the club that looks stronger, has spent enough money. your money. they are still the top club in Europe in terms of competition and are unlikely to see a year off. It's debatable whether the former glory of the 8-3-7-5-2-5-7-4 of the previous eight autumn seasons can be recaptured, but I'm looking forward to a mid-season finish. this season. very little. They finished last season well, in ninth place at the end of January and seven points off automatic promotion, going 13-6-1 in their last 20 games to pip Almeria into second place. Bruno Soriano (36-4-4 last season) was a midfielder for the Spanish national team during the men's and boys' clubs and the Champions League, and among others, attacking midfielder Kani (37-3-5) has remained loyal. That loyalty has paid off (on both sides) and Villa now finds himself well-equipped for a first-class life. They have added real quality with the signing of another defensive midfielder in Tomas Pina (36-0-1 in La Liga Mallorca), he and Soriano would make a good pairing, and talented international striker Giovanni dos Santos (29 -6). -6 Mallorca) and Javier Aquino (late entry at the end of the window). They lost Javi Vent to Brentford (!), but this week Gabriel Paulisto signed a centre-back from Vitoria-Gasteiz (14-1-0) and spent €17-20m on transfers alone, with others remaining very tough. grab the chains of their bags. In comparison, when they added players, the other two promoted clubs spent just 50,000 between them on transfer fees!

Ikechukwu Uche (32-14-4), Jonathan Pereira (20-7-4), Jeremy Perbet (18-11-3) remain and the Mexican duo are expected to have as much attacking potential as any other player. . Great if they can start, a very strong season is on offer, even top six is ​​unlikely . Pereira, Perbet, Aquino were signed in January and made a big and immediate impact. The group spent the money in other ways, chartering a plane to Almeria this morning to prepare for Valencia and staying in town for the evening .

Villarreal could have finished 5th tonight with three points, which would have ended my selling project, so you should read the preview and not just focus on the points.

In short, again today, in stark contrast to Roma's performance, I'm looking for late action here, with the home side scoring 10 of their 16 goals in the last 30 minutes and 6 in the last ten minutes. their worst form. . home defense. the ligand. In the last ten minutes, Bilbao played away 5-1 (goals scored), only Real scored more, and after the break Real and Barcelona were stronger than Atlético. It's a good chance for the visitors to get going again late on, especially as Villa will have to bid for maximum points. Chapter 1 Bilbao the best story of Asia about 60 minutes we are 11 against 11 and not before.