SOCCER FOOTBALL 24H

Valladolid no pushovers in the capital Real Madrid v Real Valladolid Saturday, 15:15 Live on Betfair Live Video So long,  Julen Lopetegui ; we barely knew ye. Yes, Real Madrid parted company with their manager on Monday, bringing to an end  one of the great five-month career trajectories in football history . From pain with Spain to his slow-motion march towards the Berbabéu trapdoor, Lopetegui has seen all his dreams go up in smoke in double-quick time. Still, at least Madrid were respectful and classy in their goodbye statement. Oh no, wait. With their move for Antonio Conte on ice for now - Sergio Ramos will be delighted - Madrid will be led by  Santiago Solari  this weekend. And while a home game against newly-promoted Real Valladolid looks like the ideal clean slate on paper,  Los Merengues would do well not to underestimate their visitors . The White and Violets were tipped for an instant return to Segunda by many - this column included - after...

Barcelona v Real Madrid Sunday, 15:15 Live on Eleven Sports 1 and Betfair Live Video How will Barça cope without Messi? No Lionel Messi, no problem: that was the message sent by Barcelona in midweek. With their talisman watching from the stands, arm in a sling, the Blaugrana found a way past Internazionale to maintain their 100% start in the Champions League. And while it was hardly a performance for the ages, there was enough there - from Arthur, from Rafinha - to suggest that  there is life beyond You Know Who . Now, though, comes the real acid test: a Clásico without Messi. There is good reason for Barça to be wary about the prospect: the Argentine has only missed two games against Real Madrid since his first taste of this fixture, and Barcelona haven't won either (D1 L1), while their form this term - prior to the Inter game at least - has been tightly bound with his presence on the field. Even when Messi is left on the bench, his team-mates know he can come on and sa...

Levante on the rise Levante v Leganés Saturday, 17:30 Live on Betfair Live Video Before you ask, no, we're not backing Levante this weekend solely on the basis of their demolition job on Real Madrid last weekend. But that was  a decent demonstration of what Paco López's charges can do  on their day, and with three successive wins now in the bank, there's every chance they'll continue their upward surge against a turgid Leganés side. The Cucumber Growers, you'll recall, had their own red-letter day a few weeks ago, beating Barcelona. But they remain in the relegation zone heading into Jornada 10, and their record away from home does not make for pretty reading:  they've taken just four points from the last 60 available on the road , the last win coming against Málaga over a year ago. Granted, they held Valencia to a draw at the Mestalla last weekend. But Los Che have been struggling in the final third, and the same cannot be said of Levante, who have s...

Under-par Madrid too short Real Madrid v Levante Saturday, 12:00 Live on Eleven Sport 1 and Betfair Live Video It doesn't take much to set the crisis bells ringing in the capital, but on this occasion you'd have to say that  a bit of doom-mongering is probably justified . It's now four games without a win for Real Madrid - three of them defeats - and while you could just about argue that Sevilla and Atlético Madrid are top-rate opponents, the last two results have come against the combined forces of CSKA Moscow and Alavés. It's not ideal. Also not ideal: Madrid's attacking output.  Julen Lopetegui's men haven't even troubled the scorers since 22 September , when Marco Asensio scored the winner against Espanyol. The 409 minutes since have been a pretty convincing argument for the notion that Cristiano Ronaldo is irreplaceable after all, with Karim Benzema's early-season form now a distant memory and Gareth Bale again held back by fitness concern...