The Basque takeover

Yesterday saw Osasuna make their return to La Liga after a two year absence with a play-off victory over Catalan club Girona. Kenan Kodro's early second half strike made it 3-1 on aggregate and Osasuna held on to secure an unlikely promotion.

The Pamplona club's promotion also sets up a Basque invasion on La Liga next season. The 2016-17 La Liga season will feature five Basque clubs next season. Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad and Eibar remained in the league while Alavés won the Segunda división a few weeks back and now Osasuna's play-off victory.

Next season will be the first La Liga season since 1931-32 that the Basque region will have five clubs competing. On that occasion the clubs representing the region were Arenas de Getxo, Alavés, Athletic Bilbao, Donostia which is what Real Sociedad were called as in this era as all clubs had dropped the Real from their names and finally Unión club Irún.
Both Arenas de Getxo and Real Unión these days find themselves in the 3rd tier, Segunda B.

The previous season, 1930-31 is the only other season in which five Basque clubs have taken part in La Liga. So next season will be the third season in the eighty-six seasons of La Liga this will have happened.

As a consequence of this rather incredible feat, the Segunda División next season will be a Basque free zone as Athletic Bilbao's B team, Bilbao Athletic ended last season in bottom place and went down the the Segunda B with no other Basque side managing to get promoted from the Segunda B in their place.

The challenge now is can all five clubs stay up. You would have to assume that both Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad would be pretty ok of any relegation fears but the other three will be in for a testing season. So here's hoping that all five will extend this incredible feat.

Best part of the season is upon us

This day next week the draw for the first qualifying round of the Europa League will take place. This is the best part of the season for me personally as a Cork City fan. The whole wondering where we will be going to for a trip is exciting and daunting at the same time. In recent weeks, City have in excellent form. Eight wins on the bounce, with just one loss all season with the best defense in the country, things are looking good on Leeside. A massive victory over pace setters Dundalk before the break has only added to that optimism that this could be third year lucky in our quest to become champions. However domestic assignments have been temporarily shelved as the mid-season break is now in full swing.

Last year was the club's first European campaign since 2008 and the draw pitted us against KR Reykjavík, historically the big fish of Icelandic football. A 1-1 first leg draw at home was followed by the most bittersweet game I have been at with City. A perfect start going 1-0 up early in Reykjavík and KR going down to ten men on the stroke of half-time had us dreaming of getting through and facing Rosenborg in the following round. Unfortunately we quiet simply threw it away. KR leveled the game in the second half and went on to win the game in extra-time. One poxy goal for City and that tie was over.

This year I'm cautiously optimistic. That being said the list of potential teams we can get is a bit scary quality wise. Of the forty-six sides we could get, there is the likes of Maccabi Tel-Aviv, champions league group stage participants last autumn, FC Midtjylland, had a decent run in Europe last season, HJK Helsinki, Finnish powerhouse with at least on paper a very good team and Omonia Nicosia, who are now managed by John Carver, self proclaimed best manager in the Premier league last season with Newcastle. Other sides that might be too strong for us would be Dinamo Minsk, Qəbələ and Brøndby.

The sides that are very much in the want file by many of us fans are the Scottish duo of Hearts and Aberdeen. Close affordable trips, who will bring a sizable away crowd and who knows maybe progress. Linfield from Belfast would be a decent clash, although personally speaking I would prefer to get off the island for our European trip. Luxembourg's Differdange is high on my wish list. Offers a good chance of progress, affordable trip and Luxembourg generally is nice in late June/July (although at the moment not quiet as nice as usual).
I am also one for an adventure trip so would have no qualms about going to the likes of Israel, Azerbaijan, Georgia or Kazakhstan. So eagerly looking forward to finally finding out where City will be doing battle in Europe this year!.