La Liga (Spanish League) Prediction Thread 2023/24

[Oluwa-btc]

Real Madrid have incredible talents on their side this season and I think these players are capable of filling in for Toni Kroos, Modric and already departed Casemiro for Real madrid. I think if Madrid is signing another midfielder in January it is to boost the depth in the midfield position and they also need to get a striker fill in for injured Benzema.

Of course, Real Madrid needs to focus on the team's need for a new midfielder and a new striker that really fits the team's needs. Ancelotti knows what his team needs but sometimes he is a little hard on him and gambles selfishly saying Real Madrid don't need a new striker because they had a good replacement on the bench when Benzema was injured.

To be honest I really want to see if Ancelotti actually goes shopping in January, but if he does then midfield is one of the areas to improve. Modric and Kross are actually still good, but they will get weaker due his age.

Real Madrid already has a perfect replacement for Casemiro in the club already I think Camavinga is quality enough to replace him. Any doubts on him though ?
For the both roles you pointed at, they're very valid and mandatory for Real Madrid, I said some months back, about the signature of Jude Bellingham from Borrussia Dortmund, he'll fill in well for Luka Modric at Real Madrid, a well technical, sound and brilliant player as Jude Bellingham deserves to play for Real Madrid.

For the role of a striker, Karim Benzema hasn't been strong like he was last season, Injuries affected him with some game's and also got him missing the FIFA World Cup. That role needs a new option, preparing for a declining Karim Benzema.

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[JeromeTash]

Now it only remains to look at Madrid I think because if he is given as many opportunities as he was at the start of last season it could still be maintained for Asensio but if there are no guarantees like that then it is difficult to see Asensio in the Madrid squad because he still has the desire to improve. especially since he is still very young and still growing.
But as a Madrid fan it would be a shame if he left now because he is still very good, especially on the wing.

He's unlucky given the fact that Real Madrid right now has so many promising wingers, both on the left and right. Take an example of the right wing, There's Rodrygo, Lucas Vásquez and Federico Valverde who seems to be in very good form currently coming from that side.

I think the case of Asensio will be similar to that of Isco where he will eventually decide to leave.

[Minecache]

Real Madrid management does not believe in emotions. They believe in efficiency. Ronaldo is undoubtedly a legend in Madrid. But now it is true that Ronaldo is not in good form, he is not playing well. Why would Real Madrid management waste money on a team of players with high wages like Ronaldo at the moment? Where we can easily see that the Madrid management is now focused on building a youth-oriented team. In such circumstances, the possibility of adding the 37-year-old Ronaldo to the squad seems very unlikely to me. Madrid wants to build a squad that can play together for a long time. And so I don't think we will see Ronaldo in the Madrid squad, most likely we will see Ronaldo with Bayern Munich.

You might turn out to be right about Bayern Munich. But I still have doubts about it.

Because Bayern Munich have started to improve their performance a lot in the recent times. They have started to play like the times they had Lewandowski in their lineup. Their productivity level has reached an amazing level again. We are watching the same old Bayern Munich so they might not be eager to rush things about signing a striker in the near future. If they had problems in the Champions League then I would still think like they would sign a striker in January. But they finished the group stage very well.

However there is still a possibility of course as they have only Choupo-Moting playing as a natural striker. They have preferred Mane there as well but he is injured for now as well. Maybe they might consider a 6-month deal with Ronaldo but let's see.

I think this is not going to be a bad deal. Bringing in Ronaldo and playing him as the main striker can be very helpful for Bayern Munich.
And if Cristiano Ronaldo is performing well they can always extend his contract. I would love to see that happen honestly.

snip

I assume Ronaldo would be ready to take a significant pay cut. Because he is ready to sign for a team playing in the Champions League and leave Manchester United immediately. However we still don't know anything about what Real Madrid think about this. Maybe they really don't think of making a signing like you said.
About Bayern Munich, I don't know. Maybe they won't rush for signing a centre-forward in January while they are doing well. Choupo-Moting is doing quite nice there and they might want to wait for the end of the season to make a signing.

Ronaldo will have to agree to a pay cut. Otherwise, he is basically going to be unemployed.
At this point, it is better for him to take less money compared to being unemployed. I am sure that Cristiano Ronaldo loves his legacy more than money.
And I think for his legacy he will take a pay cut and continue playing.

[Velvet78]

Despite the punishment Lewandowski has got in the league, I still expect Barcelona to move on strongly. As long as their attackers stay strong in the absence of Lewandowski they should still be able to continue winning by keeping their dominance. They need to keep their point losses at the minimum level to stay one step ahead of Real Madrid.

They need to keep this level at least until next El Clasico in the league. Barcelona have an incomplete job with Real Madrid in Camp Nou. Winning that game will be crucial for Barcelona to get one step closer to the title for sure.

[nurilham]

Despite the punishment Lewandowski has got in the league, I still expect Barcelona to move on strongly. As long as their attackers stay strong in the absence of Lewandowski they should still be able to continue winning by keeping their dominance. They need to keep their point losses at the minimum level to stay one step ahead of Real Madrid.

I think Barcelona still can make goals without Lewandowski. Depay seems already fit, he played in the world cup group stage several days ago (when Netherlands was against Senegal). So, he can play again for Barcelona and is available to replace Lewandowski's position as a center-forward (striker). Barcelona also has good wingers, they can score goals without Lewandowski. We don't need to feel worried about Barcelona opportunity to win because there are many good attackers in Barcelona squad now. They are very possible to continue their winning and stay in the first position in La Liga.

[Maidak]

Bad news for Barcelona, Lewandowski got a ban from playing in 3 League games. This is because Lewandowski got a red card and was considered disrespectful to the referee. If counted then Lewandowski will miss games against Espanyol, Atletico Madrid and Getafe. Of course they will have a hard time. Currently Lewandowski's statistics are very good, 19 games with 18 goals and 4 assists. But I heard Lewandowski will appeal because he thinks it is not insulting to the referee.

This is indeed very unfortunate, especially when looking at other things, there are slanted reports about him who deliberately wanted to get a red card so that he could rest more because he was preparing for the match in the world cup.
A significant loss, especially in this case, their position is still not safe in the standings because it is still closely followed by Madrid.

It would be unreasonable to get a red card because you want to rest for world cup preparations. It would be far better to pretend that you are injured than to get such suspension. Lewandowski understands his importance in the team and would not make such mistake. But if it investigations proved that he was disrespectful to the referee then he deserves this punishment.

Missing him for three matches would be a big challenge to the Barcelona team because he is their goal machine. The team needs to be careful because Real Madrid would take advantage of any slip. It would be a big boast to the team if they can prove that he is innocent.   

He can be a little disrespectful to the referee while explaining that he did not deserve a red card for a foul. But the story of him trying to get a red card, so he can take a rest because of the World Cup does not make any sense. lol

I absolutely agree with @Die_empty that it will be much more understandable if he acted like he was injured and tried to get some rest in that way. If Barcelona actually does end up, missing him for three matches back to back, it is going to be bad news for them and they might also lose some points which eventually will make Real Madrid the leader again.

[Rockstarguy]

Bad news for Barcelona, Lewandowski got a ban from playing in 3 League games. This is because Lewandowski got a red card and was considered disrespectful to the referee. If counted then Lewandowski will miss games against Espanyol, Atletico Madrid and Getafe. Of course they will have a hard time. Currently Lewandowski's statistics are very good, 19 games with 18 goals and 4 assists. But I heard Lewandowski will appeal because he thinks it is not insulting to the referee.

Lewandowski is the scoring machine for Barcelona,  this ban should take effect it is really going to affect  Barcelona because I don't think if their is anyone that can play the role of Lewandowski in Barcelona. If making an appeal can settle everything then it will be a good one for Barcelona. If Lewandowski ban still stands it can be a reason for Barcelona to lose point and their chances of winning laliga will reduce. Barcelona can't afford to miss Lewandowski in any match.

[Ayers]

Barcelona midfield is so bright that I can see Spain winning world cup in Qatar or on the next one for sure. Rodri and Gavi are most likely the best incoming duo of all time in Spain team and also big contenders for Barcelona history if they keep playing like this....and they are still very very young with 19 and 18 years old. Crazy!

Also , I hope Spain will go deep in Qatar and prove that LaLiga is still a very strong league that deserve that 2nd spot.

I don’t think Spain is going to play very well in the World Cup, to be honest. They have not made the best selection for this World Cup in my opinion. And I don’t think I have to explain that because if you just look at the players, the players they kicked out of the World Cup and the players that they have selected, you will be quite surprised. Spain is very good in the midfield area, I have no doubt about that. But the team is not balanced in my opinion.

[TopT3ns]

I don’t think Spain is going to play very well in the World Cup, to be honest. They have not made the best selection for this World Cup in my opinion. And I don’t think I have to explain that because if you just look at the players, the players they kicked out of the World Cup and the players that they have selected, you will be quite surprised. Spain is very good in the midfield area, I have no doubt about that. But the team is not balanced in my opinion.

If in this World Cup match, Spain should not be underestimated because in 2010 they managed to win and made Spain the 2010 World Cup champion. You can see that in this match against Costa Rica they managed to win until seven goals were scored. This shows that Spain I'm ready for this World Cup.

[rozak]

Barcelona midfield is so bright that I can see Spain winning world cup in Qatar or on the next one for sure. Rodri and Gavi are most likely the best incoming duo of all time in Spain team and also big contenders for Barcelona history if they keep playing like this....and they are still very very young with 19 and 18 years old. Crazy!

Also , I hope Spain will go deep in Qatar and prove that LaLiga is still a very strong league that deserve that 2nd spot.

I don’t think Spain is going to play very well in the World Cup, to be honest. They have not made the best selection for this World Cup in my opinion. And I don’t think I have to explain that because if you just look at the players, the players they kicked out of the World Cup and the players that they have selected, you will be quite surprised. Spain is very good in the midfield area, I have no doubt about that. But the team is not balanced in my opinion.

Spain does have an outstanding midfielder. they control the midfield and their game can frustrate opposition players when they can't get the ball forward. it was a Spanish victory.
I don't favor Spain performing better in the next phase, they have an unbalanced squad. we will see when they face a stronger team.

[Rengga Jati]

Real Madrid already has a perfect replacement for Casemiro in the club already I think Camavinga is quality enough to replace him. Any doubts on him though ?

Yeah, indeed. So far, Camavinga could lay really well, he may not be as best as Casemiro. But, this is only a matter of time, if he could have more times to play, the experience will tell. And I am sure that he will learn much from every match he is playing. This may not be easy to be compared with Casemiro, but I also believe that Camavinga has his own attack to contribute his best for the club.

For the role of a striker, Karim Benzema hasn't been strong like he was last season, Injuries affected him with some game's and also got him missing the FIFA World Cup. That role needs a new option, preparing for a declining Karim Benzema.

Exactly.
Real Madrid really needs a striker to replace Benzema if he misses the match because of the injury. Because, they can't rely on Benzema for this season, moreover they will play against strong opponents in the UCL later. Not only that, but they also have to catch up with them in La Liga. Benzema performance is very constrained after the injury. His absence at the World Cup yesterday also shows that he is still not fully fit.

[Sebas.tian]

Barcelona midfield is so bright that I can see Spain winning world cup in Qatar or on the next one for sure. Rodri and Gavi are most likely the best incoming duo of all time in Spain team and also big contenders for Barcelona history if they keep playing like this....and they are still very very young with 19 and 18 years old. Crazy!

Also , I hope Spain will go deep in Qatar and prove that LaLiga is still a very strong league that deserve that 2nd spot.

What Spain players displayed in this FIFA world cup competition that made them to defeated their opponent 7-0, showed that there is a hope of winning this world cup title, if they can maintain this system. I think, there will be massive improvement in Barcelona after the FIFA world cup, because some of their players that joined their countries to played this FIFA world cup are truly representing their club well that is giving their fans joy. I believe, Spain will definitely win their next match because their coach look like someone that have something reasonable to offer to their team.

[X-ray]

I don’t think Spain is going to play very well in the World Cup, to be honest. They have not made the best selection for this World Cup in my opinion. And I don’t think I have to explain that because if you just look at the players, the players they kicked out of the World Cup and the players that they have selected, you will be quite surprised. Spain is very good in the midfield area, I have no doubt about that. But the team is not balanced in my opinion.

If in this World Cup match, Spain should not be underestimated because in 2010 they managed to win and made Spain the 2010 World Cup champion. You can see that in this match against Costa Rica they managed to win until seven goals were scored. This shows that Spain I'm ready for this World Cup.

Spain has been getting so many great players from the various leagues. It was also winning easily against costa rica and spain has managed to scored 7 goals against costa rica. it seems like spain may potentially to win the current world cup. I will not satisfied with the first win by spain.
The spain team must at least win all of games in the group to make sure if it can become the most favorite team for now. I think that span has more than 70% probability to win this world cup.
The result against costa rica makes me feel optimism about the next matches that will be faced by spain. A few players were also coming from another league like premier league.

[Fakhrulenclix]

Exactly.
Real Madrid really needs a striker to replace Benzema if he misses the match because of the injury. Because, they can't rely on Benzema for this season, moreover they will play against strong opponents in the UCL later. Not only that, but they also have to catch up with them in La Liga. Benzema performance is very constrained after the injury. His absence at the World Cup yesterday also shows that he is still not fully fit.

for several seasons, Real Madrid has always relied on Benzema, even last year there was no coating that was comparable in quality to him, but all of their young players were able to cover it.
Discussions about Real Madrid needing a substitute for Benzema always appear every season or when the transfer market opens but Real Madrid don't do that, they still rely on very talented young players who are in the Real Madrid squad this season and it has proven effective.

Real Madrid doesn't need to prove anything, with the current squad they proved last season they were able to win the UCL and La Liga.
and at the moment they are not left behind in La Liga, only 2 points adrift and the journey is still very long.

What Spain players displayed in this FIFA world cup competition that made them to defeated their opponent 7-0, showed that there is a hope of winning this world cup title, if they can maintain this system. I think, there will be massive improvement in Barcelona after the FIFA world cup, because some of their players that joined their countries to played this FIFA world cup are truly representing their club well that is giving their fans joy. I believe, Spain will definitely win their next match because their coach look like someone that have something reasonable to offer to their team.

of course there is a difference for players when playing for the club and also the national team both in terms of coach tactics and also the material of the players in the squad.
the changes that occurred were not only felt by Barcelona because it was not only the Barcelona players who contributed greatly to the big victory that Spain got and of course these changes will occur several possibilities between negative and positive for all players, positive they have better confidence after world cup and negatively they will get injured.

it is still too early to say that Spain will go further, they have only played 1 match and that cannot be used as any reference.
this is the world cup, all the teams will direct everything here and if you look at the player material from all over I am a little pessimistic about Spain.

[Davian144]

What Spain players displayed in this FIFA world cup competition that made them to defeated their opponent 7-0, showed that there is a hope of winning this world cup title, if they can maintain this system. I think, there will be massive improvement in Barcelona after the FIFA world cup, because some of their players that joined their countries to played this FIFA world cup are truly representing their club well that is giving their fans joy. I believe, Spain will definitely win their next match because their coach look like someone that have something reasonable to offer to their team.

It is still too early to make a conclusion that the Spanish national team will win again in the next match. Because a victory with a very large number of scores shows that Spain has met a very weak opponent so it should not be used as an early conclusion for Spain because there are still more matches that have not been passed by Spain in the world cup, although Spain will certainly be counted heavily in the world cup this time as a candidate for the title.

[dataispower]

Despite the punishment Lewandowski has got in the league, I still expect Barcelona to move on strongly. As long as their attackers stay strong in the absence of Lewandowski they should still be able to continue winning by keeping their dominance. They need to keep their point losses at the minimum level to stay one step ahead of Real Madrid.

They need to keep this level at least until next El Clasico in the league. Barcelona have an incomplete job with Real Madrid in Camp Nou. Winning that game will be crucial for Barcelona to get one step closer to the title for sure.

All that matters for Barcelona is to win the league at the end of the season. Real Madrid in every way looks better even on the pitch but the mentality of those player's matters alot especially with how they return back from the world Cup. Barcelona has to show results else the job of Xavi won't make sense. Over Lewandoski and his appeal, he should serve the three match ban if it is found that the act portrayed by Lewandoski was disrespectful. The appeal against the three match ban should be ignored.

[babo]

Despite the punishment Lewandowski has got in the league, I still expect Barcelona to move on strongly. As long as their attackers stay strong in the absence of Lewandowski they should still be able to continue winning by keeping their dominance. They need to keep their point losses at the minimum level to stay one step ahead of Real Madrid.

They need to keep this level at least until next El Clasico in the league. Barcelona have an incomplete job with Real Madrid in Camp Nou. Winning that game will be crucial for Barcelona to get one step closer to the title for sure.

All that matters for Barcelona is to win the league at the end of the season. Real Madrid in every way looks better even on the pitch but the mentality of those player's matters alot especially with how they return back from the world Cup. Barcelona has to show results else the job of Xavi won't make sense. Over Lewandoski and his appeal, he should serve the three match ban if it is found that the act portrayed by Lewandoski was disrespectful. The appeal against the three match ban should be ignored.

Yes exactly, you said something absolutely true.
In these contexts what matters is the mentality and on the coach's side the planning. Last year Real Madrid (with Ancelotti) managed everything in a simply masterful way.
And he took it all.

[Razmirraz]

Spain does have an outstanding midfielder. they control the midfield and their game can frustrate opposition players when they can't get the ball forward. it was a Spanish victory.
I don't favor Spain performing better in the next phase, they have an unbalanced squad. we will see when they face a stronger team.

One of the strengths that Spain has is in their midfield, I see Luis Enrique installing three of the midfielders that Barcelona have at the same time. Busquets, Pedri and Gavi controlled Spain's game, they also played very well especially Gavi who managed to score one goal. Gavi was also named Man of the match for his charming appearance.
Barcelona players played very well with the Spanish national team, there were 5 Barcelona players who were included in the main Spanish squad. On the one hand, Barcelona is happy because their players are performing well with Spain, while on the other hand, Barcelona is worried that their players are injured because they are Xavi mainstay players in his squad.

[herurist]

Now it only remains to look at Madrid I think because if he is given as many opportunities as he was at the start of last season it could still be maintained for Asensio but if there are no guarantees like that then it is difficult to see Asensio in the Madrid squad because he still has the desire to improve. especially since he is still very young and still growing.
But as a Madrid fan it would be a shame if he left now because he is still very good, especially on the wing.

I feel like he could leave and real would be fine, people should not overestimate him because real is much bigger than him. Just like they got rid of Bale, they could get rid of Asensio and real would be fine about it. Let’s realize that Real Madrid is a bigger club than any player, they can get rid of ANY player in their roster today, and could replace him with someone a lot better, or even if not, at least replace them with someone that is equally good.

Asensio is not even their best player, he is a bench player that helps when they need him, so if he doesn't sign, then they could easily get some 20 year old kid that could replace him and even get better overtime as well.

I know Madrid is a big club and there are a lot of good talents there but on the other hand now Asensio is quite a promising player and we can't deny that especially when he was always trusted last season to play on the wing.
The problem is when he is currently on the bench because of his not-so-good form when Ancelotti forced him to be in a central position at the start of the season because at that time Benzema was not around.
Definitely Valverde on the wing and admittedly he is a versatile player but I'm still pretty sure when he is moved in the starting position on the wing he can still do well just like last season.

[rahmad2nd]

All that matters for Barcelona is to win the league at the end of the season. Real Madrid in every way looks better even on the pitch but the mentality of those player's matters alot especially with how they return back from the world Cup. Barcelona has to show results else the job of Xavi won't make sense. Over Lewandoski and his appeal, he should serve the three match ban if it is found that the act portrayed by Lewandoski was disrespectful. The appeal against the three match ban should be ignored.

That's for sure, Xavi is targeting the league trophy this season, even Xavi is also targeting the Europa League. however, it looks like it will be the coach's biggest challenge. the reason is, if he is unable to get a single title this season, his career with Barcelona will end in dismissal. regarding Lewandowski, if the appeal is not granted. that way, Barcelona will have problems without a center forward.

Xavi must find the right formula and strategy to face Espanyol, Atletico Madrid, Real Betis, a match that was not easy for Barcelona in the absence of Lewandowski. if Barcelona slips, automatically Madrid will return to the top of the La Liga standings.  Until now, Madrid remains the favorite to win the La Liga trophy. they are the only most established team in La Liga.