A more normal week this weekend, with 30 goals scored in the ten league matches, including four penalties. The early season is already taking its toll on keepers, with Leo Franco still not fit at Mallorca, Kike out for a couple of weeks and being replaced by Herrera at Alavés, and Cañizares cracking a rib after clashing with Frank De Boer's knee in the first half of Valencia's game at Barcelona. The Spanish international goalie is expected to be out for a month or so, and Palop once again gets a chance to prove himself after almost a year of inactivity as understudy to the great man. Only four clean sheets this week, including Herrera and his opposite number Casillas, who paradoxically is doing better since he had a couple of B team youngsters in his back four.

Both Canary Island sides kept their goals against column to zero, with Nacho González moving up our table after keeping out the Espanyol three man forward line, and Julio Iglesias holding on to his place in Tenerife's starting line up as an unchanged side won their second game in a row. Elsewhere Cavallero and Etxeberria returned to their sides, the former after international duty with Argentina and the latter after Rayo had lost their last games. Several second choice keepers were given a chance in the Spanish cup midweek, with the most notable performance from Valladolid's Bizzarri, who scored the winning goal in the penalty shoot out at Orense. (15.10.01)