Have at it, Villarreal fans. Bilbao-Villarreal A will be on GolTV in the U.S., and plenty of streams should be available. Looks like some possibilities for Recreativo Huelva-Villarreal B as well. Keep your eyes peeled on myp2p and rojadirecta.

Here’s the Villarreal B squad:

Goalkeepers: Juan Carlos and Vicente Flor.
Defenders: Carlos Tomás, Joan Oriol, Kiko, Mateo Musacchio, Costa, Mario, and Catalá.
Midfielders: Gerard Bordas, Jefferson Montero, Natxo Insa, Cristóbal, Matilla, and David Lázaro.
Forwards: Robert Flores, Marco Ruben, and Joan Tomás.

No Marcos Gullon and Hernan Perez, who are with Spain and Paraguay, respectively, at the U-20 World Cup in Egypt. Defender Edu and third goalkeeper Brasca were not called into the squad by B team coach Garrido. Looks like the veteran Edu may be on his way out.

Endavant! I’ll be commenting periodically during the game, so please take over this thread.

0-0 in Bilbao, lineups: Two changes in our expected starting 11- Marcano in for Gonzalo, serving as Godin’s partner in central defense. I look forward to seeing how he does. And Joseba Llorente is in for Nilmar, but I expected that playing against the Basques. The match is underway!

o-0 in Huelva, 6′: Great chance on a breakaway for Montero, but the touch got away from him. Good to see us opening up Recre early on.

1-0 in Bilbao, 11′: Great start for Athletic and a deserved lead. Spanish international Fernando Llorente with an easy headed goal. Toquero also causing us problems. Marcano and perhaps Diego Lopez were at fault.

1-0 in Bilbao, 17′: What could be worse than trailing early and being outplayed? Ibagaza comes off with a muscle pull. On comes Fuster in his place. Formation is now a bit imbalanced, and San Mames is a tough place to start your career. Good luck, kid.

2-0 in Bilbao, 40′: A double for Fernando Llorente. Poor goalkeeping by Diego Lopez. I say it’s time for a rest and mental refocusing. Possible penalty shout for Cani denied a few minutes earlier. Not looking good, but plenty of time left.

2-0 in Bilbao, halftime: I’m glad that I can watch the B team, heh. Very disjointed Villarreal A: midfield in disarray, central defense can’t control Llorente or Toquero, and Diego Lopez is off his game a bit. Can Nilmar save the day with some Brazilian magic? Athletic is vulnerable in the back, so some extended pressure could do the trick. But that’s a long way from happening.

0-0 in Huelva, halftime: Villarreal B have looked the better side throughout the first half against Recre. Montero and Matilla have been very dangerous, but the side lacks a killer instinct. Hopefully Ruben can provide that. Recre have created some opportunities, but Musacchio has been very solid in the back.

2-1 in Bilbao, 49′: Stand up and be counted, Joseba Llorente! We still can’t control Fernando, but our Llorente makes a great pass to Cani for an easy goal. Please let us not give up a third immediately, and we have a chance.

2-1 in Bilbao, 53′: Nilmar on for the goalscorer Cani. Let’s hope Cani didn’t take a knock. Brazilian magic on the way?

3-1 in Bilbao, 59′: Yep, I saw that coming. Javi Martinez off a corner. He beat Eguren to a header (let’s go back to the practice field), and Diego Lopez again looked out of place. But Diego Lopez does have 6 saves, so it’s clearly not all his fault. And we had a good chance a minute later, but Iraizoz made a nice save.

1-0 in Huelva, 66′: And the resistance ends. Nice initial save by Juan Carlos, but he has no chance on the rebound. Carmona with an easy tap-in. Let’s see what kind of response the team produces. Maybe Robert Flores on?

75′ updates: In Bilbao, Pires on for Rossi. Very surprising, but Rossi had a poor game. In Huelva, Robert Flores on for Cristobal. Can either team make a recovery?

2-1 in Huelva, 85′: Marco Ruben scores off a corner! That’s his fourth in four games; what a run of goals. Great ball from Matilla. Unfortunately, Alvaro Anton comes right back and restores Recre’s advantage. A young team with some lessons to learn.

3-2 in Bilbao, 85′: Golazo by Santi Cazorla! His second of the year, this one from a free kick a few yards outside the box. The game still has life.

3-2 in Bilbao, fulltime: Poor, poor showing from the A team. Every single player is to blame. Clear problems in the midfield and central defense, but the attackers also did nothing for most of the match. Nilmar was a huge disappointment; I barely saw him on the ball. We now are in 17th place in the league and welcome high-flying Real Madrid on Wednesday…talk about a judgment game for Valverde.

2-1 in Huelva, fulltime: Decent showing from the B team without a key player in Marcos Gullon. Tough to lose after scoring late, but it’s a young team. Marco Ruben continues his wonderful form, so we don’t need a clean sheet to win every match. Fellow mid-table side Albacete should be an easier task at home on Saturday.

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 20th, 2009 at 11:01 and is filed under La Liga, Match Recaps, Match Thread, Villarreal B. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.