The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commercially known as LaLiga 2 and stylized as LaLiga SmartBank for sponsorship reasons is the men's second professional association football division of the Spanish football league system. Administrated by the Liga de Fútbol Profesional, it is contested by 22 teams, with the top two teams plus the winner of a play-off promoted to LaLiga and replaced by the three lowest-placed teams in that division.
Manchester United and Liverpool are reportedly keeping a close eye on Youssef En-Nesyri 's contract situation at Sevilla ahead of the summer transfer window. The 23-year-old is enjoying the best goalscoring campaign of his career, finding the net 17 times in the Champions League and La Liga combined.
Almeria may have a star in the making on their books. A stunning freekick from Brazilian Alyson has gone viral on social media. During a Juvenil Division de Honor match on Saturday against Granada, the youngster launched a stunning strike that left the goalkeeper rooted to the spot. The goal was so impressive that it led some to compare Alyson with his compatriot, Hulk, famed for his powerful shooting.
Real Madrid are reportedly considering a summer move for Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Rafa Mir. The 23-year-old has been contracted to Wolves since 2018 but has only made four first-team appearances for the English club, spending time out on loan with Las Palmas, Nottingham Forest and Huesca. The Spaniard has impressed during his time with Huesca, scoring nine times in 18 Segunda Division outings last term, while he has netted six La Liga goals in 22 appearances this season.
Sevilla will be looking to make it seven straight wins in all competitions when they continue their La Liga campaign at home to Getafe on Saturday night. Julen Lopetegui 's side booked their spot in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey with a 1-0 victory over Almeria on Tuesday, while Getafe will enter the clash off the back of a goalless draw with Alaves in the league.
Levante welcome Villarreal to the Estadi Ciutat de Valencia on Wednesday in Copa del Rey quarter-final action as the sides battle for a place in the final four of the competition. Both teams will face their toughest test to date in this cup campaign, after Levante progressed by beating Real Valladolid, while Wednesday's visitors beat Segunda Division side Girona.
Almeria vs Sevilla predictions for Tuesday night's Copa Del Rey quarter-final clash. Sevilla are tipped to end Almeria's fine cup run when the sides square off at Estadio de los Juegos Mediterraneos. Read on for our free Copa Del Rey predictions and betting tips. Reason For Almeria vs Sevilla Predictions 20 places separate these sides in the Spanish football pyramid, with Sevilla sitting third in La Liga and Almeria placed third in Segunda.
Sevilla will be looking to book their spot in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey when they take on second-tier side Almeria at Estadio de los Juegos Mediterraneos on Tuesday night. The La Liga outfit overcame Valencia in the round of 16 to advance to this stage, while Almeria beat Osasuna on penalties to ensure that they would be present in the final eight of the competition.
Real Sociedad will travel to Castellon this weekend for their blockbuster La Liga clash with Villarreal at the Estadio de la Ceramica. With both sides still in the race for a Champions League spot this season, this encounter could go a long way in deciding who will be competing against Europe's top outfits next term.
Lionel Messi scored on his comeback as Barcelona came from behind to beat Rayo Vallecano in the Copa del Rey. Fran Garcia stunned the Spanish giants when he opened the scoring for Rayo Vallecano shortly after the hour mark. But on his return from a two-match ban following the first red card of his Barcelona career, Messi converted Antoine Griezmann 's pass to haul the visitors level six minutes later.
2019 Copa del Rey champions Valencia travel to Sevilla on Wednesday evening in the round of 16 as the sides do battle for a place in the final eight of the competition. The two sides have a combined 13 Copa del Rey trophies and both could see this year as a great opportunity to add another domestic cup to their trophy cabinet after the shock exit of Real Madrid in the last round, and the potential weakness of Barcelona.
Struggling La Liga side Osasuna travel to Segunda Division outfit Almeria in Copa del Rey action on Wednesday night as they do battle for a quarter-final spot. Almeria recorded an eye-catching victory last time out in Copa del Rey action, thrashing top-flight Alaves 5-0, and they will be hoping to claim another La Liga scalp and secure their place in the final eight of the competition.
Barcelona will be aiming to book their spot in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals when they travel to Segunda Division side Rayo Vallecano for Wednesday's fourth-round encounter. Ronald Koeman 's side needed extra time to ovecome third-tier outfit Cornella in the third round, but they eventually got the job done thanks to goals from Ousmane Dembele and Martin Braithwaite in a 2-0 win.
Barcelona will endeavour to advance to the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey when they travel to Segunda Division side Rayo Vallecano for Wednesday's fourth-round battle. Ronald Koeman 's men overcame Cornella in the third round to set up a tie with Vallecano, who have already beaten Teruel, Haro Deportivo and Elche in this season's tournament.
T he president and four players of a Brazilian football club have died after the plane carrying them crashed on its way to Goiania. Palmas Futbol e Regatas of the Brazilian fourth tier have been hit by tragedy ahead of their match against Vila Nova in the Copa Verde. Palmas confirmed in a club statement that president Lucas Meira, pilot Wagner and players Lucas Praxedes, Guilherme Noe, Ranule and Marcus Molinari did not survive the plane crash.
Villarreal will be bidding to reach the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey for the second year in succession when they face Segunda Division side Girona on Tuesday night. The Yellow Submarine will enter the match off the back of a goalless draw with Huesca in La Liga on Saturday, while Girona recorded a 1-0 victory over Espanyol in the Segunda Division on the same day.
G oalkeepers entrusted with the task of taking attacking set pieces are rare, but down the years there have been a number of exponents of this craft. Some more flamboyant than others and we take a look at them here, following Marko Dmitrovic's induction into this club with his penalty against Atletico Madrid on Thursday night.
Villarreal will be aiming to extend their winning run across all competitions to five matches when they host an inconsistent Granada outfit in La Liga on Wednesday evening. The Yellow Submarine scraped a 1-0 win over Tenerife in their Copa del Rey clash at the weekend, and Granada also advanced to the next round with a 2-1 win at Malaga.
Real Betis will be aiming to stretch their winning run across all competitions to four matches when they play host to Celta Vigo in La Liga on Wednesday evening. In contrast, the visiting party are out to end a three-game winless run after being thrashed 4-0 by Villarreal in their most recent outing.
High-flying Sevilla will travel to Vitoria-Gasteiz this week for their La Liga clash with Alaves at the Estadio Mendizorroza. Julen Lopetegui 's Sevilla side, who are currently sixth in the league, will approach this encounter knowing that a win could propel them into fourth place, the golden ticket for Las Palanganas this season.
La Liga heavyweights Villarreal will escape the mainland's spell of cold weather this weekend when they fly out to the Canary Islands for their Copa del Rey matchup against Segunda Division side Tenerife. However, Villarreal boss Unai Emery would do well to be cautious of the home side's ice-cold form in the cup so far this season, with the Canary Islanders winning both their fixtures pretty easily.
Current Copa del Rey holders Valencia travel to the capital this weekend for their last-32 clash with Segunda Division strugglers Alcorcon at the Estadio Municipal de Santo Domingo. A complete mismatch on paper, Los Che look far the better side coming into this tie. However, this is not an ordinary campaign by Valencia's standards and this tie could very well be another stumbling block for the La Liga outfit.
Real Betis face a tough test this Sunday when they travel to Asturias for their Copa del Rey clash against Segunda Division promotion hopefuls Sporting Gijon. Manuel Pellegrini has never won the cup with any of the sides he has managed during his numerous La Liga appointments and may see this year as the perfect opportunity to do so.
Eibar will travel to the capital this weekend for their Copa del Rey clash with third-tier side Navalcarnero. Jose Luis Mendilibar 's Eibar will certainly fancy themselves going into this tie, although it might be wise to be wary of Navalcarnero, who made a name for themselves in the second round when they beat Las Palmas 1-0.
Sevilla will be looking to book their spot in the last-16 stage of the Copa del Rey when they travel to second-tier side Leganes on Saturday night. Julen Lopetegui 's side have beaten Ciudad de Lucena and Linares Deportivo to advance to this stage of the competition, while Leganes have overcome Ourense CF and Socuellamos to reach the round of 32.
Cadiz will make the long trip to Catalonia this weekend for their Copa del Rey clash with Segunda Division side Girona. Alvaro Cervera 's team - who appeared to get their La Liga campaign back on track when they decisively dispatched Alaves last weekend - face tough opposition in the form of Girona on Saturday but will be confident of a win nonetheless.
Segunda Division promotion hopefuls Almeria will entertain La Liga strugglers Alaves on Saturday in a Copa del Rey clash that could see sparks fly. Almeria are currently in excellent form, having won six of their last seven matches in all competitions. Alaves, on the other hand, come into this tie on the back of a dismal league run that has seen them win just once in six outings.
Jorge Almiron 's embattled Elche side will travel to the capital this weekend for their Copa del Rey clash against second division Rayo Vallecano at the Estadio de Vallecas. While this might look like a bit of a mismatch on paper, Rayo are no strangers to La Liga football and are currently fifth in the Segunda Division.
Real Valladolid will be aiming to advance to the last-16 stage of the Copa del Rey when they travel to third-tier side Pena Deportiva on Saturday morning. The visitors will enter the contest off the back of a 1-0 home defeat to Valencia in their last La Liga match, while Deportiva drew 1-1 with Atzeneta in Segunda Division B last weekend.