Silva lining

Guillem Balague says there's not much to cheer at Valencia - except the return of their two star strikers.

Guillem gives his view on this week's live La Liga games

Our Spanish football expert Guillem Balague looks ahead to another weekend of live La Liga action on Sky Sports. If you've got a question for Guillem, send it in here. Valladolid v Barcelona
Malaga v Real Madrid
Valencia v Getafe
Sporting Gijon v Racing Santander

Valladolid v Barcelona
7.00pm, Saturday, Sky Sports 1

Before anybody jumps to quick conclusions because Barcelona beat Valladolid 6-0 - I'll point out that Valladolid have beaten Real Madrid, Sevilla and Villarreal so it is a team that is very difficult if it gets its tactics right. I think they got their tactics wrong against Barcelona in the first leg by trying to defend high up the pitch and Barcelona took advantage of their sharpness, but this game comes after the international break and I think Barcelona could drop points here. Valladolid have got, in the goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo (although he is injured), somebody tracked by Manchester United and Barcelona. In Jonathon Sesma and Pedro Lopez they have players who are very direct, very quick, very small and very pacey. I wonder if they can surprise Barcelona on the counter attack. They have got a very hard-working midfield and Barcelona will have to work very hard to actually beat them.

Malaga v Real Madrid
9.00pm, Saturday, Sky Sports 1

Malaga do not belong, as they showed against Barcelona, to this kind of level and what they are doing is a minor miracle. They will be happy to just give Real Madrid a little bit of a game but Real are favourites to win here. Again, it will be hard because the likes of Klass-Jan Huntelaar, who scored with Holland, and Arjen Robben have been playing for their national teams, but Real have had Raul rested, of course, and Guti as well. Juande Ramos, though, has lost faith in Guti. He left him out of the squad all together in the last game and that's a sign of a manager who thinks the player is problematic. Guti complained about his double substitution against Atletico Madrid and he had a mystery injury against Athletic Blilbao and didn't train in the week ahead of the internationals. All in all he is not good enough to be part of the Real Madrid squad. He is a man who needs an arm around his shoulder, but Juande is not willing to do that.

Valencia v Getafe
7.00pm, Sunday, Sky Sports 1

The situation is still the same at Valencia. Although they managed to get a victory last weekend this is still a team with problems all around the pitch and off the pitch as well. They have still not been paid as they should have at the beginning of February. They are supposed to get paid at the beginning of February and the beginning of June, but those first payments haven't been paid so they are struggling and the club is really thinking of going bankrupt - which would mean they wouldn't get paid at all. That situation is affecting everybody, there is definitely tension. The only good news is the return from injury of David Silva and David Villa - who both took part in the Spain games this week - and they will be back at the weekend for Valencia.

Sporting Gijon v Racing Santander
8.00pm, Sunday, Sky Sports 1

Sporting are a team who don't draw games, they just win or lose and Racing are a mature team that are finally getting the balance right between the good defence they've got and are now also scoring with Nikola Zigic. I will also mention Roberto Canella, the Sporting left-back who is being followed by Real Madrid. I think he had an agreement to go there under Ramon Calderon but not now, of course. They've also got Jose Angel, an 18-year old left-back. They are happy to let Canella go because Angel is an even better left-back - he can play the ball and can score as well. He scored against Real Madrid from a set piece and he is being followed by English clubs.

Guillem answers your questions...

Got a question for Guillem? Then send it in to here or use the feedback form below. TAMUDO TO GO?
Hi Guillem, I was over at your other favourite team, Espanyol's game v Mallorca on Sunday evening. Great game and the supporters of the club are second to none with generating the atmosphere and with their new stadium upcoming it should be a treat. My question, watching the Espanyol side, one player caught my eye and he is a bit of legend for Espanyol, Raul Tamudo. Do you think he would ever leave Espanyol at this stage of his career because he clearly has a great footballing brain and would be a good asset?
Alan B
GUILLEM REPLIES: Tamudo has been trying for a while to go somewhere else. First of all he has convinced himself that he should move from Espanyol and to try to look for another challenge but when push comes to shove he has always stayed. I think both Espanyol and Tamudo need new challenges: Espanyol need new strikers and Tamudo needs a new club, so it will be a good summer, even if we go down, for him to look for an alternative club. I think he was close to signing for Valencia and Villarreal and also I think he would like the idea of coming to England, but I just wonder if it has come too late in his career. TIME TO LEARN
Guillem, In your reply to "English Invasion", you make the point twice that money is the reason for English dominance in Europe. Do you then believe that Liverpool is a richer club than Real Madrid? I admit as a Liverpool fan that I have used money as an argument to explain our shortcomings in the league. However, would you not agree a more likely explanation is the length of time managers are given to form their teams a more reasonable explanation for La Liga's inability to create European challengers in more recent seasons?
Stephen Jones
GUILLEM REPLIES: When I said the English dominance in Europe is down to money I don't mean English clubs are richest I mean they are able to pay more wages than most top clubs in Europe and bigger transfers as well. Their finances are healthier than most clubs in the world, but it is not just that. I said before that it is the fact they have got some of the best managers in the world, the fact they've finally found a balance between the pace of the Premiership and the tactical cleverness of the European game and that's a combination that is very, very difficult to beat. In the past five or six years they have also been getting some of the best players in the world, which makes them very strong. Yes, and also because managers are given more time than in other places, that helps too. But in the past that wasn't a problem for Real Madrid or Barcelona being successful in Europe, so it is a mixture of everything, not just the length of time managers are getting. THE NEXT KINGS OF SPAIN
Dear Guillem. Your reviews are brilliant. What players do you highly rate that people might not notice? Also who do you think is the best player in Spain, excluding the top teams? I'd like to ask also I've heard that Atletico Madrid have a great young goalkeeper in David de Gea and midfielder Ignacio Camacho, I was just wondering how good they are?
Danny Mullan
GUILLEM REPLIES: Thanks Danny. David de Gea is very well considered. I've seen him in a couple of games but am still to be convinced, but he is promising and everybody who sees him closer rates him highly. Barcelona are after him - they want a young goalkeeper to challenge Victor Valdes and David de Gea and Sergio Asenjo are the two they are looking for. Camacho has already played a lot with the first team and he is a hard worker. I don't think he will be international quality but he is a hard worker and typical guy you need at Atletico Madrid - somebody who knows what Atletico is about. I will just mention one player away from the top sides: Adrian Colunga. He has scored eight or nine with Recreativo and reminds me a lot of David Villa. He could go for about €8million and I think Valencia are close to signing him. He runs like Villa, likes to play on his own up front, is very clever and has the same physique as Villa. He may not get to Villa's level but he is that kind of player and I think Valencia would do really well to replace Villa with him. If you've got a question for Guillem, send it in here or use the feedback form below...