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Real Madrid played today the first match of the Champions League in Santiago Bernabéu against Sporting of Lisbon and won in the very last minute thanks to a header from Morata. Los Blancos suffered a lot because the Portuguese side opened the score and Cristiano drew the game in the 88th minute with an amazing free kick. The hearts suffered until the last minute, when Morata scored the decisive goal.

Zinedine Zidane chose a very competitive line-up without many rotations. Varane returned to the defense with Sergio Ramos and the BBC played again a match from the beginning. The team managed by Zidane started the match trying to score a goal as soon as possible but a very good midfield of the Portuguese team stopped the attacks. We saw in the first half a very supportive Gareth Bale helping in the pressure and defending a lot. Kiko Casilla had to intervene several times from shots from out the box.

Sporting Lisbon started to be comfortable and began to control the game passing the ball in the midfield and looking for Dost to keep the ball the most time possible. At the end of the first half, Gareth Bale had to leave the game a few minutes because he had a knock with Coates and he had pain in his thigh.

Finally Gareth Bale could returned to the match in the second half. In the first 5 minutes Bruno César surprised the defense of Real Madrid and scored the first goal for the Portuguese beating Kiko Casilla. Los Blancos tried to find different variants but the Portuguese were very ordered and well positioned. The French manager believed in Lucas Vázquez being the first change of the match replacing Bale, who might be injured. In the last 10 minutes James entered in the field replacing Kroos, who had a yellow card.

The last 10 minutes of the match Real Madrid started to attack and attack and Los Blancos had many chances to score a goal but the bar and the safes of Rui Patricio prevented the goal. Cristiano Ronaldo had a free kick in the las 5 minutes and he didn´t missed it. An unstoppable free kick where Rui Patricio couldn´t do anything. Real Madrid made another come back in the Santiago Bernabéu. A great cross from James in the minute 93 and a superb header of Morata culminated the come back. Our players play until the end and once again we can say “90 minutes in the Bernabéu are very long”.

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It was 2000 and Florentino Pérez wanted to become Real Madrid president. It was a difficult task because the previous president, Lorenzo Sanz, had just won the second Champions League in only three years with Vicente del Bosque on the bench. However, Florentino showed his skills and signed Barcelona star Luis Figo for his project. Now, Figo explained in Diario As how everything happened.

Figo said that he wanted a pay raise but Barcelona president, Josep Lluis Núñez, didn’t accept it. Then, Figo told Núñez that he had a good offer from Real Madrid but “Núñez thought I was bluffing”.

Figo’s agent, José Veiga, had the first contact with Florentino Pérez: “I didn’t sign anything. The one who signed was my agent. I was on holidays in Sardinia and I wasn’t convinced to step forward”. At this point, Figo says it was a “big step” in his career although it was very risky: “Everything started because I was angry because in my job they didn’t value my work. And you think, ‘OK, I’m making the step’… But everything get serious and you say ‘WTF!’”, Figo explained to Diario As.

FC Barcelona supporters don’t like him, but Figo still has good memories for this time in his career: “It was a wonderful time and I grew up a lot as a player. I enjoyed a lot the five years I spent there. I didn’t reject about my past. It allowed me to become the professional I was. I only have positive things to say”, Figo commented.

Figo’s departure from Barcelona was a shock for all the supporters. He was the captain, one of the best players and he even made some jokes about Real Madrid fans. However, a good offer at the right moment from Florentino Pérez changed the history. Two years after, Figo could win the Champions League with Real Madrid in Glasgow against Bayer Leverkusen and accomplished his dream.

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The transfer market window has just close 15 days ago but there are already some rumours about James Rodríguez’s future. The Colombian has only played 34 minutes in the two games of La Liga he has appeared. Now, he’s been included in the list for the Sporting Lisbon game in the Champions League and he might start his first game in this season.

With James Rodríguez obviously uncomfortable with his situation at Real Madrid, there are several Premier League clubs interested in the player. According to The Express, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham are already battling to get the pole position to sign James Rodríguez as soon as possible.

James Rodríguez would prefer to join Manchester United and play with José Mourinho, although the Red Devils are not playing in the Champions League this year. These reports inform that the playmaker could even leave the club in January if he is not playing in the following months.

The Colombian was left out of the list for Osasuna, the last game in La Liga, after a long journey from South America to Madrid. However, he didn’t play in the other first two games of the season, against Real Sociedad and Celta. James only had 21 minutes against Celta and 14 at Anoeta.

James Rodríguez could have his first opportunity in the starting eleven this season tonight against Sporting Lisbon. The playmaker did a great job with his national team, Colombia, in the World Cup qualifying games but he couldn’t show his quality yet with Real Madrid.

Premier League games were also interested to sign James Rodríguez this summer. The Colombian wasn’t happy about his situation and PSG or Juventus also asked about a price. However, Real Madrid always wanted around €75M because Los Blancos signed James from Mónaco for a €70M transfer fee.

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No team has ever won back to back title in the Champions League since the format changed. This is the new challenge Real Madrid have to face in their favourite competition. Two titles in only three years and the possibility to lift their 12nd Champions League title in Cardiff. But Zinedine Zidane only wants to think in the following game and the first step is Sporting Lisbon.

The Portuguese side is the leader of the Liga Sagres after winning all four games, including a big clash against Porto. Jorge Jesús is the coach who has lead Sporting Lisbon to the second place in the last Portuguese league. This year, despite of losing some of the most important players like Joao Mario, the team will try to step forward and fight for the title in the Liga Sagres.

For this reason, Zinedine Zidane doesn’t trust the Portuguese side and will put in the field the best team possible. Cristiano Ronaldo will play all the game, as Zidane has confirmed in the press conference, and it will be a very special game for the striker. He will face again his former and beloved team after playing the first game of the season last Saturday, scoring one goal.

Casemiro, James Rodríguez and Marcelo are also back to the list after missing the last game in La Liga. All three could rest after the international games but we’ll have to wait to see if the Colombian playmaker will have an opportunity to show his class. Isco and Asensio won’t play any minute because both are out of the list, together with Mariano and Nacho.

Real Madrid and Sporting Lisbon met in 2000 in the Champions League group stage. Then, Los Blancos thrashed 4-0 Sporting at the Bernabeu stadium but they only could draw in Portugal. It’s very important to earn the three points in the first game as Real Madrid have a tough group with Borussia Dortmund and Legia Warsaw.

Real Madrid possible XI: Casilla; Marcelo, Ramos, Varane, Carvajal; Casemiro, Kroos, Modric; Bale, Cristiano and Benzema.
Sporting Lisbon possible XI: Rui Patricio, Zeegelar, Semedo, Coates, Pereira; Adrien Silva, Carvalho, Bruno César, Martins; Alan Ruiz and Dost.

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Real Madrid start their path in the Champions League, a competition they won last year, against Sporting Lisbon, a tough team. Zinedine Zidane spoke in press conference before the game and gave all the credit to the Portuguese side: “We have a rival who plays football really well and they are going to fight”.

It will be a special game for Cristiano Ronaldo and Zidane has confirmed that the Portuguese will play the 90 minutes: “It’s a special moment for him, he grew up there, but he’s very professional”. The striker is now fully recovered after his injury and he will play from the beginning.

Is Real Madrid favourite to win again the title? No one has won back to back Champions League titles, but Los Blancos will try: “Everybody here knows that the goal is to win the next game. We’re here to fight. The Champions League is a goal we want to fight for. It’s not going to be easy. Every single game will be complicated”.

Zidane doesn’t want to see the big picture and his idea is to focus in the next game: “Everybody expects us to win again and they are going to be very exigent. The plan is going day by day, with the work we’re doing we’ll have more options to reach the goal”.

After winning two Champions League in three years, the main goal looks La Liga title. Zidane doesn’t want to focus in just one tournament: “Daily life is what motivates me. You get ready to win for the things you’re doing daily. I’m happy because the players know, they know the daily things are the most important to win. Both [competitions] are important”, he said in press conference.

Finally, Zidane spoke about the players who won’t be in the list to face Sporting Lisbon. Marco Asensio and Isco, for instance, were ruled out for the game: “It’s not easy but they understand. For me the group is the most important thing and they understand. Always one footballer will play more than the other. I’m not going to lie to them but the most important thing for me is that everybody should have minutes”.

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Isco

Zinedine Zidane said some weeks ago that he will have headaches when making the line up for the future games. We can understand why. For the first time in the season, the French manager had to carefully choose to make the list for the Champions League game against Sporting Lisbon. Isco and Asensio have been ruled out of the game for technical decision.

This is a huge surprise. Especially for Marco Asensio, who played the first three games of the season in the starting eleven, scoring two goals against Sevilla in the European Supercup and Real Sociedad in La Liga. The youngster was even called for the national team and made his debut with Spain. However, no Real Madrid player should take his position in the squad for granted. Asensio knows very well and now he has to see the game with the supporters.

Same applies for Isco. The Malaga midfielder has been injured for two weeks and he also missed the Spanish national fixtures. The Spaniard had an offer from Tottenham Hotspur this summer but he decided to stay and fight for a place in the line up. It won’t be easy for Isco, who won’t be present against Sporting Lisbon because of Zidane’s choice. The midfielder is fit to play but he has to wait for a new opportunity.

The other two players who won’t be present in the Champions League debut will be Mariano and Nacho. The defender played in the starting eleven against Osasuna but has no space even on the bench. The Dominican international played some minutes against Celta but he will have very few opportunities this season.

The full list is:

Goalkeepers: Casilla, Yáñez y Craninx.
Defenders: Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo y Danilo.
Midfielders: Kroos, James, Casemiro, Kovacic y Modric.
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale, Lucas Vázquez and Morata

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Real Madrid were banned last week to buy new players in the next two transfer windows. Although at the club they trust that the situation can be changed with the appealing to the CAS, they are working to cover all the possibilities. And, obviously, one of the most important one is renewing the contract of those players whose deal is about to finish.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos are among those players whose contracts are about to expire. However, there is still plenty of time to get a better deal for both the footballers and the club. On the other hand, Pepe’s current situation needs to be solved quickly because his contract ends at the end of the season.

Pepe played again in the starting eleven against Osasuna. The Portuguese even scored a goal and started the season very good, just how he finished the previous one. The defender was one of the best players in the Euro and helped Portugal to lift their first major trophy. With Real Madrid, he was the leader of the defence line with Sergio Ramos, taking over Raphael Varane.

Florentino Pérez wants to renew Pepe’s contract, ending at the end of the season. The 33-year-old defender has started his tenth season at Real Madrid, team he joined in 2007 from Porto for a €30M transfer fee. In this time, he became quite controversial with some agresive tackles -like the one with Javier Casquero, from Getafe-, but he has changed the way of playing becoming one of the best defenders in Europe.

According to the Spanish newspaper Marca, Real Madrid and Pepe are already in talks to extend the contract until 2019. Then, the Portuguese will be 35 year old and will have played 12 season for Los Blancos.

Last year, Pepe appeared in 21 games for Real Madrid in La Liga, scoring one goal against Celta and only receiving five yellow cards. He was even more important in the Champions League, where Pepe played 9 games, including the quarter finals, semifinals and the final against Atlético de Madrid.

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Cristiano Ronaldo will call all the attention in Wednesday clash against Sporting Lisbon at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. The striker will play again against his former team, where he grew up before becoming one of the best players in the world. It will be a very special game for the Portuguese player, who came back from injury last Saturday, scoring one goal against Osasuna.

It won’t be the first time that Cristiano face a Portuguese side, always a special game for him: “It’s a special match, a special team. I wanted to play again against Sporting because I think they have a good team, a good coach and it will be another special moment in my life. I played before Sporting in Champions League, against Benfica or Porto. Playing again against Sporting is a privilege for me”, Cristiano said.

Real Madrid will try to win back to back Champions League titles, something no team has ever done. Teh challenge is huge but Cristiano thinks they can make it: “It’s a challenge, a big one, and I think at Real Madrid we have a chance to win it again. We know it’s a very difficult competition, nothing is easy, so we’re going to try. We want to go game after game. First we have to think about the group stage, because in my opinion we have a difficult group. Let’s see how the competition goes. I think in a positive way: We can win it again”.

It’s time to forget the last season, one of the best in his career. Cristiano Ronaldo won the Champions League and the Euro and, for sure, he will be battling again for the Ballon D’Or: “In terms of titles, it was the best in my career. After winning the UEFA Champions League, winning the Euro with Portugal was the best end for an extraordinary year. In terms of trophies, it was the best one, I never had a better season, both collectively and individually, because I was the topscorer in the Champions League and I had a good Euro. Besides, we could win both titles, so it was an excellent year for me”, Cristiano finished.

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Real Madrid are back to the Champions League, the preferred competition, with the challenge of winning for the first time the second trophy in a row. Since the competition changed its format, back in 1992, no team has won back to back trophies. Could Real Madrid do it?

For sure Los Blancos can do it but the first step is facing Sporting Lisbon, the first rivals in the tournament. Real Madrid have a challenging group with Borussia Dortmund, Sporting Lisbon and Legia Warsaw, so it’s very important to earn the three points in the first clash.

Sporting Lisbon are leaders in Portugal, with 10 points out of 12 despite losing some of the most important players in the summer. The Portuguese side visited Bernabéu in Champions League in 2000 and they were thrashed 4-0 in the group stage. After the great start of the season, we could expect another superb game from Zidane’s side.

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Cristiano Ronaldo played his first game of the season last Saturday and he showed already his quality scoring a goal in the first minutes of the clash. He will be extra motivated against Sporting Lisbon, his former club and when Cristiano Ronaldo started showing his world-class. Cristiano Ronaldo scored 16 goals last year in the Champions League, seven of them in the group stage. If Cristiano Ronaldo scores one goal you can get 4/7 in Betfair and if the Portuguese scores two, odds raise up to 12/5.

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Real Madrid played yesterday their third match of the regular season. Zinedine Zidane’s team played a great match against Osasuna scoring 5 goals in the return of Pepe, Cristiano and Benzema. Zinedine Zidane made some changes in the line-up giving rest to some player for the match of Champions League against Sporting Lisbon and the quantity of matches they must play the next weeks.

This match has not only the significance of a victory in the regular season. Real Madrid became yesterday the new leader of La Liga. With the surprise we saw yesterday in Camp Nou, where Barcelona lost against Alavés, and Las Palmas defeat in Sevilla, Real Madrid are the new leader of the league. Los Blancos have been the only team that won all their matches so far in the league.

The last time Real Madrid were leader in the league was last year in the game 10 with Benitez on the bench. They had the same points than Barcelona but the next match of Real Madrid were in Sevilla and Los Blancos lost the game. This made that Barça recuperate the top position of the table and they didn’t lost it until they won the league.

If we want to remember Real Madrid as sole leader in the Spanish League we have to go until the season 2014-2015. 558 days have passed since we see this situation. Real Madrid were the leader of the table with 61 points, two points more than Barcelona. In the game 26 of the league Real Madrid lost his match in San Mamés and Barça became the new leader. They didn´t lost this position until the end of the season.

Let’s see if this year Los Blancos can continue on the top and achieve this trophey. It looks Real Madrid want to win La Liga because they don´t win this competition since 2012/2013. Modric remembered that his priority is win La Liga.

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