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Sevilla vs Real Madrid Report
Real Madrid got back to their best on Saturday night, putting their defeat in El Clasico behind. 10-man Los Blancos forced 10-man Sevilla to a 6-2 defeat.
Following his impotent display against Barcelona at the Bernabeu, Cristiano Ronaldo became the center of attraction ahead of the Sevilla encounter. But the Portuguese number 7 responded to his critics with an energetic performance throughout.Ronaldo broke the deadlock inside the 10th minute after combining well with assist maker Di Maria. Varas was left with absolutely no chance. A couple of minutes later, Manu went extremely close to leveling the score for Sevilla.
Casillas, however, had the last word. The Spaniard’s acrobatic save denied the hosts from getting a goal. Javi Varas suffered punishment for a second time in the game as Callejon continued his great form by netting a 37th minute strike.
AC Milan vs Arsenal matchup highlights thrilling Champions League Last 16 draw
The fixtures for the Round of 16 of the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League draw have been revealed. In the highlight of the matchups, Milan and Arsenal will clash against each other in a two-legged tie.
Bayern Munich perhaps got the easiest draw. The German giants will face Switzerland’s Basel. Bayern’s German neighbors, Leverkusen, will have a much tougher task in the form of Pep Guardiola’s invincible Barcelona. Jose Mourinho and his hungry team will need to face the cold weather of Russia. Real Madrid got paired with powerhouse CSKA Moscow.
Zenit and Benfica will vie against each other for quarter-finals tickets. It could be a close affair between the Russians and the Portuguese in this Europa League-like tie.
Champions League Last 16: Barca, Arsenal, Milan, Real Madrid light up draw
The Champions League’s Last 16 will see two teams from Germany, Spain, Russia, England, France and Italy competing. Benfica, APOEL and Basel are the sole representatives of their respective country.
Barcelona are poised to get a comfortable draw. The Catalans overcame the challenge posed by AC Milan in Group H. After qualifying at the head of this section, Barca can expect to be paired with an unseeded team relatively inferior to them in size.APOEL are the odd contenders among the seeded teams. Arsenal did quite well and the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League season could be their time to shine. However, avoiding AC Milan is one of the Gunners’ dreams.
Interestingly, Benfica enter Friday’s UEFA Champions League Last 16 draw as seeded. This is the Eagles’ reward for dominating over favorites Manchester United in Group C.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s credibility under fire after Clasico fiasco. How great is CR7?
In-form Cristiano Ronaldo produced a terrible performance against Barcelona last Saturday. He got tipped as the flop of the match by the majority of football fans, including Madridistas.
The Portuguese superstar was jeered and whistled for missing a number of glorious chances to put Real Madrid on the right path during the game. No reason could excuse Ronaldo’s failure as his fitness and his goal scoring form ahead of El Clasico were in very good condition. Eventually, avid supporters of the Spanish giants joined the voices of proud Barca fans who confidently underlined the following: Cristiano Ronaldo cannot rise to the occasion – and particularly against Barcelona – when it matters most.
Sevilla vs Real Madrid Preview
The Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan will be used by two wounded clubs – Sevilla and Real Madrid – on Saturday night.
Real Madrid’s many records related to their long winning streak collapsed all at once under the supremacy of Barcelona last weekend. It’s back to zero for Los Blancos but the situation is not critical. The fight to regain the top spot in La Liga is well in their hands, since newly-appointed league leaders Barca have played one game more.“There is no inferiority. They have the same amount of points as us, and on Saturday, they can have one or three points fewer,” Mourinho reminded in an encounter with the press last weekend.
Jose Mourinho might not ask for a flurry of goals from his team. Even a 1-0 win would suffice Los Blancos; their sole intention right now is to prove to the world that what happened in El Clasico stays in the past.
A Look Ahead to the Champions League Draw on Friday
The most ‘even’ Champions League draw will be taking place on the 16th of December.
Italy is the nation with most sides in the round of 16. Germany, Spain, Russia, England and France each are represented by two sides in the competition. Cyprus, Switzerland and Portugal are each represented by one team. All these teams have made their passages through tough groups with perhaps the exception of Barcelona and AC Milan. These two sides were drawn with Plzen and Bate, two relative novices at this level, in the group stage.Nonetheless, Barca and Milan must be given credit for qualifying as the novices have risen this season. Whereas experienced competitors such as Manchester United, Villarreal, Porto and Valencia have gone out, the likes of Apoel Nicosia and FC Basel have progressed into the knockout stages.
Ponferradina vs Real Madrid Preview
Enough of El Clasico talks. La Liga is on hold. On Tuesday night, all Real Madrid would want to do is to start their defense of the Spanish Copa del Rey on a positive note.
The fiasco of Alcorcon is well in the past now, but the prospect of a major upset perhaps exists through minnows Ponferradina. They definitely cannot match Real Madrid on paper even with the crucial omission of Iker Casillas from Mourinho’s roster. However, the wounded team spirit of Los Blancos could give room for Ponferradina to make a giant killing. Don’t rule out the likes of Brazilian player Yuri. He is Ponferradina’s star man this season. Pundits are expecting Real Madrid to be emotionally affected following what happened last weekend.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona Report
Real Madrid 1-3 Barcelona, and this is how El Clasico ends… Jose Mourinho has once again failed to dominate Pep Guardiola’s men, but the match was far from being dull.
What else could we expect from El Clasico anyway? Only video highlights can best describe the heat of the match, in which both teams aimed for a famous victory.Unexpectedly, it did not take too long for the scoreboard’s indication at the Santiago Bernabeu to change. A goal from Karim Benzema after only 21 seconds immediately put Real Madrid in front, subsequent to a costly mistake from Victor Valdes.
With the match going on at a lightening pace, Barcelona never looked too likely to net an equalizer. Conversely, it was Madrid who appeared to be perfectly on track as they fought to inflict even more pain on their visitors.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Players to watch and El Clasico comparisons
2011’s last Real Madrid vs Barcelona match kicks off on Saturday evening in Spain, and Casillas, Valdes, Marcelo, Dani Alves, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi cannot be ignored.
Yes, both Real Madrid and Barcelona have their strengths and weaknesses. Thus, when it comes to naming the true favourites, it is largely a matter of management.
Certainly, trying to determine who has the best players only raises issues of personal taste. It is not wrong however to assess both teams’ positives and weight their advantages along with their expectations. This puts into question the form and aim of each key player in El Clasico.
All 22 active players on the field after the referee’s opening whistle will surely be ready to put on a good show for a million reasons. But then, each player will be having his challenges; and one could identify these challenges as the results of both teams’ close standards - which eventually increases the excitement ahead of El Clasico in the Spanish capital.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona and the 12 best quotes – El Clasico’s hype in words
During the past few days especially, players, coaches and football followers have been sharing opinions ahead of Saturday night’s Real Madrid vs Barcelona fixture at the Bernabeu.
Sevilla and Valencia’s away games against Levante and Real Betis respectively will open La Liga’s weekend of action. However, it’s El Clasico that will put Matchday 15 on fire. Real Madrid vs Barcelona will kick-off at 22:00 CET, 21:00 GMT and 16:00 EST.
The match is sure to keep the public awake until the early hours of Sunday, at least. Two very different football philosophies will collide in the Spanish capital in a celebration of pure rivalry.
Barcelona have a great record in El Clasico and Pep Guardiola is yet to taste defeat against Los Blancos in La Liga. The Santiago Bernabeu is the ground where the Catalans recorded an emphatic 6-2 victory a couple of years ago. Barca faithful want the club to continue its dominance over Real Madrid.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona Preview
Millions of spectators across the globe will watch Real Madrid vs Barcelona come Saturday, December 10, 2011. The greatness of El Clasico would want to be felt everywhere.
Thankfully for the public, this titanic clash is coming at a right time. Both Real Madrid and Barcelona are fresh from a series of successive victories in all competitions. There have been no major injury report so far. El Clasico’s top stars like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Xavi Hernandez are all fit. Carlos Puyol is even expected to take part in the match after racing against time to be fit enough. The biggest name who may not be given a big role this weekend is David Villa. The striker is seriously struggling to find consistency.
At Real Madrid, the issue is different. The attackers are all in good form. Higuain, Callejon and Benzema have a multitude of goals between them in all competitions this season. Now Jose Mourinho is facing a headache over his starting XI selection.
In-form Real Madrid refusing to get involve in El Clasico’s hype – Kaka
There will be no bigger fixture on December 10 than Real Madrid vs Barcelona. This traditional clash, commonly called El Clasico, is getting people from every corner of the world excited.
But Los Blancos, who will be in action on Saturday, do not want to be absorbed by the increasingly catchy atmosphere surrounding the match. According to Kaka, Real Madrid cannot just rely on their current good form to feel safe ahead of their encounter with Barcelona.“The team is already very good, but I think that we can still get better and develop further,” Kaka told AS.
“We’re on the right track and we have to continue our good work.
“We are thinking about El Clasico, but we don’t really talk about it. It will obviously be a special game, but it’s not the right time to talk about the game.
El Clasico won’t be a final verdict – Xavi ahead of Real Madrid vs Barcelona
Real Madrid could emphasize their advantage at the summit of the Spanish Primera Division’s table. Xavi, however, isn’t concerned by this prospect.
Barcelona have played a game more than Real Madrid due to their FIFA World Club Cup schedule. Eventually, they will be level on points with Los Blancos should they claim victory at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday. Meanwhile, Real Madrid would restore their 6-point lead with a win and eventually stand the chance of opening a 9-point gap at the top of La Liga standings. Still, 2011 FIFA Ballon d’Or nominee Xavi insists that the Catalans’ title hopes wouldn’t end even with defeat against Real Madrid.
“If we did not win, there would still be many points. There will be no [final] verdict,” Xavi reportedly told AS. Acknowledging Los Blancos’ current hot form, the key player pursued:
Champions League: What Day 6 means to the doomed, the safe and the unsecured
There are seven more places at stake in the UEFA Champions League. Which teams will qualify from the group stages of the competition to reach the Last 16?
The doomed teams
Group A’s Villarreal, Group C’s Otelul Galati, Group D’s Dinamo Zagreb, Group E’s Genk and Group G’s Shakhtar Donetsk will have absolutely nothing to defend but their pride on Matchday 6 of the UEFA Champions League. The dream of reaching the Round of 16 and the option of playing in the UEFA Europa League are two things which do not exist anymore for those teams.
However, their involvement in Tuesday and Wednesday’s Champions League night could torment the remaining contenders. In Group A, for example, Villarreal could favor Manchester City by spoiling Napoli’s golden chance of progressing.
GolTV to broadcast “El Clasico” showdown between La Liga superpowers Real Madrid and Barcelona on December 10
MIAMI – GolTV, the exclusive 24/7 bilingual TV network and online community for real soccer fans, will broadcast live coverage of one the world’s most-watched soccer matches, Spain’s bi-annual El Clásico between La Liga’s Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona.
The match will be broadcast from Madrid’s legendary Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, December 10 at 4 p.m. EST with full pre- and post-game coverage from GolTV beginning at 3 p.m. EST. “With millions of soccer fans tuning in, El Clásico is one of the best and longest rivalries in the sport featuring top international soccer superstars,” said Rodrigo Lombello, COO at GolTV. “GolTV will give obsessive soccer fans extensive pre- and post- game coverage with expert commentary and the latest news on each team and its players.”
Additionally, real soccer fans can not only connect with others just like them and chat about El Clásico on GolTV’s official Facebook page, but they can also learn about GolTV’s official “Watch and Win” contest to air during the match, with the grand prize winner receiving a trip for two to either Las Vegas or Miami Beach.
Arsenal’s Wenger: Barcelona and Real Madrid are Europe’s “two super favorites”
Barcelona and Real Madrid share very different philosophies but both have transformed into Europe’s hottest teams, according to Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger.
The Frenchman shared his opinion about this season’s prospective UEFA Champions League winners. Speaking to Arsenal’s official website, Wenger declared:“At the moment I would say in Europe there are two super favorites – Barcelona and Real Madrid. Behind them, everyone else can hope to win it and we will try to win.
“At the moment we are not one of the favorites but one advantage we have is that we have finished top of our group.
“From now it becomes a cup competition. The Champions League becomes different when you go in the last 16, it is more open.
Sporting Gijón vs Real Madrid Report
Real Madrid successfully passed their tricky test away to Sporting Gijon tonight. Angel Di Maria, Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo provided the goals.
Real Madrid started slowly at the dislike of the home crowd. Cristiano Ronaldo, however, found his foot early in the game despite receiving a knock in the initial stages. The Portuguese winger eventually inspired Los Blancos’ attacks down the flanks with the help of Marcelo and Di Maria. It’s no wonder if these three players ended up settling the score line.
The referee experienced a busy night, especially in the first half, as Eguren, Callejon, David Barral, Trejo and Mate Bilic all entered into the book.
Two minutes after the half-hour mark, Higuain banged in a fierce shot which got ruled out for offside.
Sporting Gijón vs Real Madrid Preview
Real Madrid will enter El Molinon on Saturday night as La Liga leaders. Could Sporting Gijon cause an upset to Mourinho’s in-form Blancos?
Sporting Gijon will have home advantage but it remains to be seen how well they’ll use it. They’ve already lost 13 points at El Molinon in 7 matches. Recently in La Liga, they suffered a thumping 4-0 defeat away to Levante. However, their last home encounter turned out positively thanks to a 2-1 victory over Getafe.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, will need to be careful about their fitness. Jose Mourinho definitely wants to have his stars all fit for El Clasico on December 10.
La Liga title race: Real Madrid cautious and focused ahead of El Clasico
Barcelona are certainly too good for Real Madrid to feel safe at the top of La Liga standings…
Xabi Alonso, who won’t feature against Sporting Gijon this Saturday due to suspension, refuses to get carried away by the excitement surrounding El Clasico. The former Liverpool midfielder told Realmadrid.com:“Our manager will decide what to do in the Clasico and he'll prepare the match deeming what's best for the team on the day.
“We're only thinking about our match on Saturday in Gijon. We'll then play in Amsterdam and, finally, in the Clasico.”
Iker Casillas also joined Xabi Alonso’s call to take things step by step. The goalkeeper is having a great season.
Barcelona chasing Real Madrid ahead of El Clasico – Editorial
The Real Madrid vs Barcelona showdown in La Liga takes place in a bit more than a week, but Coach Guardiola insists Barca will keep pushing to reduce the gap at the top of La Liga.
Barcelona’s defeat to Getafe came as a real shock to the Catalans, who saw Real Madrid establish a promising six-point margin at the top of the standings. From a neutral point of view, this can seem huge - especially considering Real Madrid’s great form at the moment.From Barca’s prospect though, there could be much hope. Indeed, Guardiola totally understands the current situation in which his team is. The positive side of this fact for a Barcelona fan of course is that the manager - in this case - certainly knows what are the necessary steps to take in order to catch Real Madrid in the race for the league title.
The Spanish boss so far has never had to deal with such an amount of “pressure” so early in a season. In his pre-match press conference ahead of Barcelona’s game against Rayo Vallecano, he revealed: