My last quiniela involved one of the biggest rivalries in world sport, Boca Juniors versus River Plate.  I took a couple of weeks off but now I am returning during the weekend of perhaps the only other rivalry that rivals Boca v. River – Real Madrid against Barcelona.  El Clásico. 

This meeting is steeped in history and politics.  The two sides are the biggest in Spain and two of the biggest in the world.  Barcelona is arguably the best in the world right now – the won every competition they participated in in 2009 and are in splendid form, coming off a 4-1 thrashing of Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League thanks to a world class 4-goal performance from wunderkid Leo Messi.  Real Madrid, on the other hand, are the world’s richest sports team but have only one trophy to play for this year.  They have been knocked out of the Copa del Rey and Champions League despite spending oodles of money last summer to acquire the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká, Xabi Alonso, and others.  Los merengues are leading Barcelona in La Liga by one point so the league championship is riding on this match.  Needless to say, Real Madrid has it all to play for this Saturday while Barcelona still has other trophies to play for.

This rivalry is best summed up in a story dating back to the early years of the Franco regime.  Real Madrid has traditionally been associated with the idea of a unified, central Spanish state while Barcelona is the epitome of Catalan nationalism and, in boarder terms, Spanish regional autonomy.  It is said the Franco himself was very much a fan of Real Madrid.  The Copa del Rey was renamed the Copa del Generalisimo after the Spanish Civil War in honor of the military dictator Francisco Franco. In 1943, Real Madrid and Barcelona met in the semi-finals of the newly renamed cup tournament.  Barça won the first leg at home 3-0 and were in the driver’s seat.  However, an interesting thing happened before the return match in Madrid.  The head of state security supposedly entered the Barcelona dressing room before the match and told the Catalans that the only reason they were even being allowed to play this match was because Franco was generous enough to allow them to remain in the country.  Remember that this is only a few years after the end of the civil war.  Barcelona lost the match 11-1, a record loss that still stands to this day.

Morbo. Look it up in a Spanish dictionary. It doesn’t translate well but this match has tons of morbo. If that story and word doesn’t put this match in to perspective, I don’t know what does.  On to the picks . . .

Jornada 27 – 6/11
Season – 80/147 (54%)
*It should be noted that I do not pick results for mid-week La Liga or Argentine matches

HOME WIN = 1; AWAY WIN = 2; DRAW = X

Málaga v Sevilla – 1
Tenerife v Valladolid – X
Villarreal v Sporting Gijon – 1
Xerez v Getafe – X
Real Madrid v Barcelona – 2
Athletic Bilbao v Almeria – 1
Deportivo La Coruña v Racing Santander – 1
Osasuna v Real Zaragoza – 2
Espanyol v Atlético Madrid – X
Mallorca v Valencia – 1
Argentina – Independiente v San Lorenzo – 1

Photograph: Josep Lago/AFP/Getty Images

4 out of 10 – what a great introduction to my first Quiniela post.  At least I bested ESPN’s professional!  To be honest, last week was a crazy one in La Liga.  Sevilla and Valencia both dropped points at home and other teams put in quiniela-busting performances.  Only one person in Spain correctly guessed the traditional quiniela of 10 La Liga matches and the pre-selected 5 Segunda matches.  I got the big one right thanks to the big Swede above – Barcelona registered a 1-0 win over Real Madrid in the much anticipated Clásico.

Barcelona has another tough test this week, traveling to Galicia to face Deportivo La Coruña.  Other key matches include a Real Madrid legend returning to the Bernabéu and Athletic Bilbao hosting Valencia.

Sevilla (3rd) v. Real Valladolid (15th)

Pick: 1

Sevilla busted many a quiniela last week when they slumped to a disappointing draw at home against relegation-threatened Málaga.  Granted, it was an Andalusian derby but many pundits were arguing that Sevilla were playing the best soccer in Spain at the time.  Los rojiblancos are at home again and should pick up the full points this week against Valladolid.

Xerez (20th) v. Atlético Madrid (17th)

Pick: 2

Relegation six-pointer.  It’s odd to say that for a match involving Atlético Madrid but such has been the start to their season.  They grabbed an emphatic and much needed 4-0 win last week against Espanyol.  This could be tricky trip down south but Xerez has trouble scoring goals and I cannot see them outscoring Atlético despite the latter’s shaky back line.

Real Madrid (2nd) v. Almería (13th)

Pick: 1

Real Madrid played well during the first half last week in El Clásico but did not have the clinical finishing necessary and could not win the ball from Barça in the second half.  Full points should be expected this week as they host a squad managed by a former Real great, Mexican Hugo Sánchez.

Deportivo La Coruña (5th) v. Barcelona (1st)

Pick: X

Barcelona is coming off the high of beating Real Madrid and a busy fixture schedule.  They’ve played Athletic Bilbao, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and Xerez in the past two weeks.  The trip to the Riazor is a tall task for los blaugranes.  Deportivo does not score nor concede many goals so I see a draw here.

Mallorca (6th) v. Real Zaragoza (14th)

Pick: 1

This is a tough pick despite Mallorca’s perfect record at home this season.  They are bound to lose at home at some point this season – can Zaragoza be the first to win or at least draw?  I cannot pick against a side that has scored 16 and conceded only 2 at home.  Mallorca will continue to impress on a small budget.

Tenerife (16th) v. Sporting Gijón (7th)

Pick: 1

Sporting is another surprise squad this season, just one point behind Mallorca in the table.  They grind out results and have learned from a rough season last year.  I wrote last week about the blueprint for newly-promoted clubs:  win at home and draw away.  Tenerife did exactly that last week against Real Valladolid in spectacular fashion, clawing their way back to 3-3 draw after being down 3-0 after fifty minutes.  They’ll take that momentum and surprise one of La Liga’s surprise teams.

Espanyol (11th) v. Racing Santander (19th)

Pick: 1

Could you pay anyone to watch this match?  Espanyol has not scored in eight of their 12 La Liga matches this year.  Racing has just been plain awful despite the good play of prospect Sergio Canales.  A loss could see Espanyol slip down the table and never come back.  It’s a must-win for Barcelona’s other club at home and they will come out attacking and intent on a win.

Málaga (18th) v. Osasuna (10th)

Pick: X

Málaga must be kicking themselves after not parking the bus in front of goal when the went up 2-0 away to Sevilla last week.  They missed a golden opportunity to pick up full points away from home that would have been critical in their fight to stay up.  Osasuna has been getting by beating lesser teams and drawing against better teams occasionally.  They should beat Málaga but a mediocre team doesn’t live up to expectations.

Villarreal (12th) v. Getafe (9th)

Pick: 1

Villarreal:  good at home, poor away.  The Yellow Submarine have been getting better after a horrible start and this home fixture comes at the right time.  Getafe have had a good season so far but Villarreal are better now that new signing Nilmar has started to find the back of the net.

Athletic Bilbao (8th) v. Valencia (4th)

Pick: 2

Bilbao’s power and Valencia’s finesse creates one of the most intriguing matches of the week.  Valencia are Spain’s best traveling team while Bilbao have been average at home – perhaps the pressure of playing in front of the Basque faithful is too much?  Valencia missed a chance last week to draw closer to the top two, giving up a late goal to Mallorca.  Bilbao put four goals up in another match I picked wrong last week.  Here’s hoping Los Ché don’t let me down again.

If your a Facebook friend of mine you might have noticed that I regularly play two games on the social networking site, Premier League Picks and La Liga Picks.  Even though I spent almost two months in Spain earlier this year I was completely unaware of the quiniela, a Spanish national betting competition, that is very similar to Facebook’s La Liga Picks.  Participants guess the winners of the ten Primera División fútbol matches and five other matches from the Segunda División (Facebook’s version only offers the first division).

ESPNSoccernet’s Eduardo Alvarez introduced me to the Spanish tradition two weeks ago even though I had been playing the game in another form for months.  The idea is to correctly guess the outcome of the weekend’s selection of games, choosing ’1′ for a home win, ’2′ for an away win, and ‘X’ for a draw.  Cash prizes in Spain are possible for strong performances and two people even won over €600,000 in 2006!  With my blog’s new focus on Spain and Latin America, I am going to publish my quiniela picks every week but my picks will only cover the Primera División.

Sporting Gijón (7th) v. Villarreal (11th)

Pick: X (draw)

These two teams had completely different seasons last year and the trend continues this season.  Sporting narrowly avoided relegation last year while Villarreal narrowly missed out on fourth place.  This year, however, Villarreal went winless in their first seven matches while Sporting surprisingly find themselves in the top half of the table.  The Asturias club has turned their home ground into a fortress, not losing a match yet this season at home and only conceding two goals.  The Yellow Submarine have pulled themselves out of the relegation zone and are pushing once again for a European spot.  I don’t see much goals here and I predict it’ll be a dour affair.

Valencia (4th) v. Mallorca (6th)

Pick: 1 (home win)

There’s a big two in Spanish football (Barcelona and Real Madrid) but Valencia fans would argue Los Che are part of a big four along with the aforementioned clubs and Sevilla.  Mallorca, on the other hand, is looking to upset the party and crack the Champions League places (top four at the end of the season).  The club from the Balearic Islands have been in superb home form but this weekend they have to travel to the Mestalla, where they’ve won only once once in 22 matches.  Valencia might rather play away as they have five road wins compared to two at home.  The venue should not matter as red hot Valencia will pick up all three points.

Sevilla (3rd) v. Málaga (20th)

Pick: 1

The atmosphere in the Rámon Sánchez Pizjuán will be great for this Andalusian derby despite the gulf between the two clubs in the standings.   Sevilla is one of the best clubs in the world at the moment while Málaga are winless in their last 12 after opening the season with a win.  This is the easiest pick in the quiniela this week.

Racing Santander (17th) v. Deportivo La Coruña (5th) 

Pick: 2 (away win)

Juan Carlos Mandiá was the first coaching casualty of the La Liga season after Santander’s poor start.  New manager Miguel Ángel Portugal has taken the reigns of the Verdiblancos for a second stint and it doesn’t get any easier this week after losing away to Real Madrid in his first match in charge last week.  Deportivo has been one of the most consistent teams in Spain over the last decade and a half, finishing outside the top half of the table only twice since the 1992-93 season.  The Galician club won their first league title in 1999-2000 and have made some noise in European competitions.  They’ve continued their solid play this year and should pick up a precious away win due to Racing’s porous home defense (12 goals conceded in five home games).

Real Zaragoza (14th) v. Osasuna (12th)

Pick: 1

Zaragoza have won three, drawn one, and lost one at home; Osasuna have done the opposite, winning one, drawing one, and losing three.  Zaragoza have conceded the second-most goals in La Liga but most of those have come away from La Romareda.  These teams are evenly matched and the advantage of playing at home will benefit Zaragoza.

Real Valladolid (15th) v. Tenerife (16th)

Pick: 1

The blueprint for newly-promoted clubs to avoid relegation is to gain maximum points at home and draw away.  Tenerife has got it half-right, winning half their home matches but their away form has been atrocious:  five losses in five matches, one goal scored, and 15 conceded.  Valladolid would be smart to play an attacking style in what could be a relegation six-pointer.

Getafe (9th) v. Xerez (19th)

Pick: 1

Noticing a theme?  Home sides should dominate La Liga this week and this matchup is no different.  Xerez’s attack is so awful (3 goals in 11 league matches) that fans have put pen to paper and demanded the general manager be sacked.  Getafe’s win will put pressure on the teams above them in the table to keep pace.

Almería (13th) v. Athletic Bilbao (8th)

Pick: X

Perfect recipe for a draw:  Almería have scored five and conceded five at home while Athletic have done the same on the road.

Atlético Madrid (18th) v. Espanyol (10th)

Pick: 1

It’s a Barcelona-Madrid weekend but this match takes second fiddle to the last match in my quiniela. Atlético’s much publicized stumbling start to the season has resulted in the sacking of Abel Resino and speculation over the future of star striker Kün Aguero.  The Argentine said this week he has no plans of leaving in January and wants to help Los Colchoneros regain their form and push for a European place.  Atlético should have drawn to Deportivo last round but an unjust penalty given in the waning seconds of the match saw their poor away form continue.  I don’t see Espanyol getting any points in the Calderón.

Barcelona (2nd) v. Real Madrid (1st)

Pick: 1

El Clásico.  Two of the biggest clubs in the world resume perhaps the biggest rivalry in world sport.  Real Madrid spent an enormous amount of money this summer to bring in the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká, and others.  Barcelona won the treble last year (La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Champions League) and slaughtered Real 6-2 in Madrid last season.  Both teams score boatloads of goals and this match will be no different despite the possibility that Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic might miss the match due to injuries.  The lead-up to the match has been immense and I suspect the tension will be too much and the quality of the match will disappoint.  However, there is a bit of uncertainty within Real Madrid despite being in first place and Ronaldo’s first Clásico will not go well.

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Brad Scriber, an editorial researcher for National Geographic magazine, showed off his iPod playlist from a recent trip to Barcelona.  Scriber says that he likes his travel soundtracks to include “a few puns, allusions, or inside jokes.”  Well, the joke is on Brad.  The Decemberists, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, and Paul McCartney?  Toad and the Wet Sprocket?  Not exactly the first music that comes to mind regarding the Catalan capital.

It seems all Scriber did, and he admits as much, is type words related words into iTunes, such as Barcelona and Spain.  Its a lazy way to make a mix tape, which Brad claims to be intimately familiar with as a child of the ’80s.  The only natives on his list are a Swedish group who’ve adopted the city as its home.  It is akin to listening to Jimmy Buffett’s “Jamaica Mistaica” instead of Bob Marley and The Wailer’s “Trenchtown Rock” while hiking in the Blue Mountains.

Rather than purchasing pedestrian indie rock from iTunes or Rhapsody, Scriber would’ve been better suited to research actual Catalan music to enrich his trip to Barcelona.  Furthermore, rock catalá could have satisfied his musical tastes, turned him on to another genre, and supported local artists.  There’s an ingenious concept – supporting the local economy where you are traveling.

Scriber even rubbed salt in the wound, promoting an artist on the Nat Geo Music label who is a native of Madrid, Barcelona’s eternal rival.  That shouldn’t go over too well with Barça and the blaugranes.

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Brave New Traveler has an article that will please every traveler’s mother, profiling cocaine bars in Bolivia.  I was shocked to read the author state “drug bars could be the thing Bolivia needs to jump-start tourism.”

Yes, just what Bolivia needs right now.  It’s almost a reverse of Bush’s “better to fight them over there than here at home.”  American and European demand for cocaine has a brutal legacy in South America.  The last thing the continent needs are inconsiderate backpackers flooding the country to get high.  There is so much more Bolivia has to offer tourists it is a shame Brave New Traveler went so far as to suggest drug tourism could be beneficial to the nation’s economy.  The sad part is there seemed to be no remorse for implicitly promoting such tourism.  The author chastises “tactless tourists” who might blow the cover on the Route 36 drug bars rather than give warnings on the negative effects of drug use, tourism, and trafficking.

If you want to know how a local would react to gringos arriving in their town looking for the “blow bar,” read the comment from a Colombian in the article’s comments section.