This team can qualify for a major tournament

That's right, because Espanyol are in fifth place in a UEFA Cup spot, and only two points behind Valencia for a Champions League place. Word is the FA is desperately trying to find British citizenship for Tamudo and Riera...

This Sunday at 16.00 UK time, Espanyol will travel to Pamplona in Navarre and play Osasuna. Former Espanyol striker Walter Pandiani will face his teammates for the first time since he moved from Espanyol at the end of last season.

Ernesto Valverde said: "He is a great striker. He's always been a professional when he's played and when he's trained. He'll play with extra motivation against us. He still has many friends here and he'll get together with us before the game."

For Valverde, Pandiani adapts well to the style of the Navarrese. "He works well for them, since Osasuna play on the flanks and cross the ball into the box. He's a great header of the ball."

El Mundo Deportivo link

Meanwhile, the issue of buying another striker has come up. Over the past week, Valverde presented a report to the club's board of directors on certain young strikers from Brazil and Argentina. The club has been openly looking to buy a young goal scorer for several months now. The talent search will intensify soon, although the club may have to resort to a loan from one of their shareholders to finance the purchase, as money has been tight for a couple of years now.

However, the club says it has no immediate plans to buy a striker, as there is no emergency. But striker Jonathan (Soriano)'s future at the club is in doubt, as he's not had enough playing time and any new striker would likely lead to his departure. When asked about Jonathan, Valverde simply replied, "He will have more opportunities."

El Mundo Deportivo link

The new stadium is dominating Espanyol's headlines at the moment. The club believe the new ground will catapult them upward to a stronger financial position and into a consistent top six club. To raise more funds, the club are looking to sell the ground's name to a sponsor, which could raise up to 4.5 million euros per year. Operating the new stadium could provide Espanyol with an extra 10 million euros per year in revenue, a quarter of the club's overall budget.

“This is a world-wide project”, said executive director Pedro Tomás, “and a pioneer at Spanish and even European level in many aspects”. Cornella-El Prat would be the first ground in Spain to be sponsored from its inception. The board meeting last night was attended by Jose Luis Astiazarán, president of Liga de Professional Fútbol, who declared he was “impressed” by the Espanyol project. Astiazarán said that “several clubs are already looking to emulate Espanyol in building new stadiums”.

Sport link

Unfortunately this game is not on either British or American television, so the best way to follow it is through text commentary.

Oh, and lastly, there's some match next weekend, but I can't remember what..a derbi? Hmm..