La Liga Review

Tottenham Issue Kameni Ultimatum

Spanish Football Transfer Rumours & Player Profile

La Liga Review understands that Tottenham Hotspur have issued an ultimatum to Espanyol’s Cameroonian goalkeeper Carlos Kameni. The premiership club's interest in the player has been widely reported, however sources close to Espanyol are claiming that Spurs are not willing to wait until the summer for a decision from the player and have told his agent that they require a definitive answer in the next few days...

Tottenham Target Kameni Attracts Valencia Interest

La Liga Transfer Rumours

According to reports in the Madrid sports paper AS, Spurs face competition from Valencia in their bid to sign Carlos Kameni from Espanyol…

Is McGeady Espanyol Bound?

Spanish Football Transfer Gossip

La Liga Review doubts Scottish press reports that the Republic of Ireland and Celtic Winger Aiden McGeady is a target for Spanish side Espanyol …

Real Ease The Pressure On Schuster

Result: Real Madrid 2 Espanyol 1

Real Madrid came from behind to beat Espanyol on Saturday evening with a win that gives Los Merengues a provisional 8 point advantage over Barcelona in the race for the La Liga title. Espanyol silenced the Bernabeu crowd when Valdo gave the visitors the lead with a goal from Valdo. However, the hosts bounced back with strikes from Gonzalo Higuain and Raul to ease the pressure on under fire Bernd Schuster...

Real Madrid - Espanyol Preview

Match Preview and Team News

Real Madrid boss Bernd Schuster is under intense media pressure ahead of Saturday's La Liga clash with Espanyol at the Bernabeu...

Espanyol - Valencia Preview

La Liga Review looks ahead to Saturday's remaining fixture.

Espanyol, with just one win in their last eight games - losing the other seven - host an improving Valencia under Ronald Koeman. The home side have almost undone all of their good work in the first half of the season and now find themselves outside of the top four and just four points above today's opposition...

Espanyol through to final

Ernesto Valverde has finally been able to lay the ghost of Leverkusen to rest after seeing his Espanyol side defeat Werder Bremen and secure a place in the final against Sevilla on the 16th May.

The coach had been a part of the Espanyol side who threw away a three goal lead against Bayer Leverkusen in the 1988 UEFA cup final and subsequently lost on penalties. There was a genuine fear that history was being repeated when Hugo Almeida gave Bremen the lead early on in the second leg and threatened Espanyol’s three goal advantage from the first. However, Miroslav Klose’s foolish sending off midway through the first half, followed by Corominas’ early second half strike, meant that Espanyol could start to look forward to a trip to Glasgow. Jesús María Lacruz sealed the win for the Barcelona side who finished 5-1 winners on aggregate.

After the match, Valverde said “Of course, we are more than happy tonight. Our team made it and it's not every day you get to a European final.”

The Espanyol coach is aware of the importance of the competition to the Barcelona side who are enjoying their moment in the European spotlight and who so often live in the shadows of their more illustrious neighbors Barcelona.

“We have now reached a second UEFA Cup final 19 years after our first, and my players will be very motivated. Getting there is a great achievement, especially for a side like ours” added Valverde, who is wary of the threat that his opponents in the final pose his side –“ Sevilla are the holders and are having a great season. They're still in with a chance of winning the Primera División and the Copa del Rey as well as the UEFA Cup, but they won't be giving anything away to us”

Ferrán Corominas, scorer of the first crucial away goal for Espanyol is determined to enjoy the moment however and told "The coach has refused to use the word Glasgow for the past week, but secretly we've all been talking about it," club president Daniel Sánchez Llibre joked, as Ernesto Valverde vaulted a barrier to embrace him. "Now we have a final against Sevilla to look forward to."

Espanyol - Uefa cup team news

Espanyol play their first ever match on Israeli soil against Maccabi Haifa this evening. Valverdes team are going well in the UEFA cup this season and alongside Tottenham Hotspur are the only two sides unbeaten in the competition.

Valverde will be glad to see that the competition’s top scorer , Walter Pandiani , is able to start for Espanyol this evening and David Garcia faces a late test. Ferran Corominas has also impressed in Europe for the Perico’s and his four goals have seen the homegrown talent catch the eye of a number of observers in the tournament.

Jonatas has gone missing, quite literally, in Brazil , but there are rumours that Ivan De La Pena could make his return to the side.

Probable Espanyol line up : Iraizoz, Chica, Jarque, Lacruz, David García, Moisés Hurtado, Costa, Rufete, Coro, Moha y Pandiani.

Tamudo on the offensive

Espanyol stars attempt to show a united front ahead of vital weekend clash at Villarreal.

It’s not easy for Espanyol being the second team in the city, particularly when your neighbours and rivals are the current league and European champions.

Spanish Supercup fallout

RCD Espanyol 0 - FC Barcelona 1

When it seemed that we could start talking about the football once again, today’s headlines are focused upon a controversy that could see last nights result overturned. Espanyol are claiming that Barcelona made an illegal team selection in their decision to play Xavi and Puyol in the first leg of the Spanish Supercup.

Espanyol are considering an appeal based upon the FiFA regulation that stipulates any player withdrawn from his national team’s squad as a result of injury may not play for his club side in the five days following the international fixture. Xavi and Puyol were both withdrawn from the Spanish squad that played Iceland on Tuesday after Barcelona submitted medical certification claiming that the players were injured.

Espanyol are expected to announce later today what action they intend to take.

The two sides are separated by Ludovic Giuly’s 43rd minute goal ahead of Sunday’s return leg at the Camp Nou. Giuly, omitted from the French world cup squad, finished clinically after receiving an excellent pass from Ronaldinho.

Supercup preview

It would be far too hackneyed to say that once more the season is upon us and it feels like the last has only just finished; so I won’t.

Let’s just focus on a proper game of football with a result that will actually mean something. It’s a welcome relief after the tedium of the groundhog day of transfer gossip surrounding Real Madrid and the embarrassing electoral circuses in which Spain’s two biggest clubs are currently mired.

The Spanish Supercup is Spain’s equivalent to the English Community shield that pits the league champions, Barcelona, against the winners of the Copa del Rey, Espanyol.
It is a contest that, had it been played at the end of last season, would have had only one possible outcome; a clear victory for Barcelona.

However, the fist leg tonight should be a slightly more difficult contest to predict. Ernesto Valverde makes his home debut as new Espanyol coach and is hoping that he can get the team off to a winning start in what he has already termed “Espanyol’s best chance of winning anything this season”