Game of the week

Real Madrid vs Granada

Comment: 0 January 2nd, 2012 by: admin
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Primera Division leaders Real Madrid find themselves with a slight concern, as rivals and runners-up Barcelona trailing by merely 3 points.

This fact makes Real’s next match against Granada a must-win in order for them to hold on to the top spot that they have successfully maintained for most of the season.  The match also presents them with their first La Liga home match since the humiliating loss to Barcelona last December.

For Real Madrid this faceoff is not just a way to maintain their lead, but also a chance for them to redeem themselves in front of their supporters (and avoid 2 consecutive home defeats).

Granada hobble with 3 losses and only 2 wins in their last 5 away games.  But for this mid-table team, the opportunity to defeat Real Madrid comes as something too promising to pass up.

One may argue that the visitors are outclassed from the start.  But one can assume that Granada will be attempting to take down Real Madrid, and perhaps gain themselves a bit of notoriety as the squad that caused the biggest upset in the Primera Division.

Granada won’t explode
By Wayne DeVille

Real Madrid know fully well that Barcelona are hot on their heels in the battle for La Liga supremacy.

So from hereon in the league, the Los Blancos want nothing but the 3 points no more, no less. And they would do that next at all cost against Granada.

Never mind if they were walloped by the Catalans the last time they clashed but Jose Mourinho’s men have rebounded brilliantly with that 5-1 thrashing of Ponferradina. Although that was a Copa del Rey fixture, Madrid were able to add more confidence to their arsenal.

Granada both dropped their last two away games and they looked headed to get a third beating as visitors unless they explode in a big way at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

Against the visitors from Andalusia, I don’t see any reason why Real Madrid would let the 3 slip away from their grasp. You have to believe that at the end of the match they would still be ahead of Barca.

Real to reign
by Jamie McClough

Real Madrid do not need the threat of impending doom (or being overtaken by Barcelona) to beat Granada.  Jose Mourinho’s men are just too good for a team that presents a threat level hovering between minimal and mediocre.

With this in mind, the fact that their biggest rivals are 3 points away is enough to secure Real Madrid’s victory against Granada even before kickoff.  After months of staying just beyond Barca’s reach, Real are not about to go down in the hands of a lesser squad.

Pride and motivation aside, the numbers also point in favour of Real Madrid, who in 5 home games lost only to Barcelona – an outcome that is in no way surprising.  A Granada win in this match will require either a total Real Madrid collapse, or an unexpected rally of force and power from the visitors.

Or divine intervention.

I go for the third one.

Madrid to display total dominance
By Noah Thatcher

When battling teams are on the top of the board, the match is always considered to be a classic. When top-flight competition faces mid-tier teams, it can easily be a match people can consider missing.

This is not the case at the moment, as Real Madrid host Granada with the threat of being dethroned in the La Liga in the hands of second-ranked Barcelona. This makes their match against the 13th seeded team compelling. If they lose this match, they can find themselves in a deadlock with their rivals.

In their last 5 matches (with 2 games in the Primera Division) Madrid have only fallen once, in the hands of Barcelona in their El Clasico match – a fact that exhibits their deadly form and near-unbeatable stature.

On the other side of the pitch, visiting Granada have split their last 4 matches, losing to Getafe and Real Sociedad while winning against Levante and their second match-up with Real Sociedad.

One thing to consider is that the Spanish football giants have a more hectic schedule as they battle Malaga in the Copa del Rey competition on the 3rd before facing Granada.

Granada on the other hand have had a lot of time to prepare as their last match was back in the 21st of December.  Unfortunately, their preparations will most likely be all for nothing.

Predicting that Real Madrid will take this is pretty easy; the difficult thing is imagining how they do it.

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