Granada CF, returning to first division football after a two-year absence, are solidly in second place in the 2019-20 La Liga table. They are the latest team to impress in this up and down beginning to Spanish Football’s domestic season.
Beginning the new season with a come-from-behind 4-4 away draw to Villarreal, Granada followed with their only loss, a 0-1 home defeat to Sevilla on August 23rd. But since then, they have won away to Espanyol 0-3, then 0-2 while visiting Celta Vigo, then 2-0 at home over defending champions Barcelona before drawing 1-1 at Valladolid.
On Saturday, at home, they defeated Leganes 1-0. Next Saturday, Granada will meet league-leading Real Madrid away to determine the week’s bragging rights in domestic play.
Only Villarreal and Barcelona have scored more goals than Granada, and only Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao have allowed less goals against. For a team returning to first division play after two years in second division, Los Nazaries are having a lot of success this early part of the season.
On offense, they have been very balanced. Antonio Puertas, with three goals, leads Granada’s scoring, followed by Carlos Fernandez and Ramon Azeez at two, and six others at a goal each.
Also this past Saturday, Barcelona won 2-0 away to Getafe, Atleti and Real drew in the Madrid derby, Valencia defeated hosts Athletic Bilabo 1-0, Real Valladolid defeated their hosts, Espanyol 2-0, Eibar and Alaves won at home by the same score against Celta Vigo and Mallorca respectively, while Levante and Osasuna drew 1-1 and Sevilla outlasted visiting Real Sociedad 3-2. Villarreal had begun the round’s play with a 5-1 home beating of Real Betis.
At week’s end, Real Madrid with 15 points leads Granada and Atletico Madrid at 14 points each and Barcelona and Real Sociedad at 13 each. The top scorer is Villarreal’s Gerard Moreno with six, followed by Real Betis’ Loren Moron and Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema with five each.
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