Barcelona will be looking for a bounce back in La Liga after a shocking loss to Alavés last weekend at the Camp Nou. They’ll be facing another newly promoted side in Leganes this weekend.
On the outskirts of Madrid, Spain, there lies a club that has lived in the shadows of the cities La Liga giants (Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid). This club has endured a lot of heartache and fans remember how the end of the 2004 season. They were relegated to Segunda División B at the end of that season and spent 10 very long seasons there. As hard as that was, it almost got worse in 2012 barely escaping relegation to the Tercera División.
Club Deportivo Leganés, or simply known as Leganés, are in their 88th season of professional football. There is barely any history in this club as they only have two trophies in those 88 seasons. Those came from the lower tiers of Spanish football. The previous 87 seasons were filled with many Spanish players getting released at the same time. These players would get replaced with Argentinian players and the project ultimately failed.
While that was another infamous moment in the history of the club, they’ve rebounded quite nicely. Leganés captain, Martin Mantovani, came to Madrid to play for Atlético, but ultimately got rejected. He had no money and had to sleep in the streets of Madrid hoping to get another chance. Leganés gave him his chance and he’s now the captain of the current squad. After 87 seasons of heartbreak, they reached the top flight of Spanish football by finishing 2nd in the Segunda División table this past season.
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Although its been a tough start, Leganés have 4 points out of 9 to start their season. Their first La Liga victory ever came against Celta Vigo, 1-0. However, the game that sits well with most of the clubs fans is the goalless draw they got against Atlético Madrid. Many fans had the choice to root for Atlético or stay with their team. For them, it was an easy choice to choose the Pipeneros (cucumber growers). With their result last weekend, they sent a message to their neighbors saying that they won’t back down from the biggest challenges.
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Speaking of big challenges, the Estadio Municipal de Butarque will host its biggest event ever. Barcelona comes to town after a bad loss to Alavés last weekend looking for a big response. It will take Leganés best defensive efforts to contain Messi, Suárez, and Neymar. No matter what the result is this weekend, Leganés is still one of the greatest stories in La Liga history. The Pepineros and their manager, Asier Garitano, are sure to be ready for the task at hand this weekend.
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