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real madrid football tactics

Zinedine Zidane will miss Pepe and Sergio Ramos for the tough La Liga match against Sevilla on Sunday. Thus, he will have to make at least a couple of changes in his starting lineup.

Raphael Varane and Nacho Fernandez are expected to come in as the centre-back pair, with Marcelo featuring at left-back. In the right side of defence, Zidane could continue rotating Danilo and Daniel Carvajal, meaning that the Brazilian would be the starter this time.

In midfield, Casemiro has earned a spot among the starters with his brilliant performances. Last week, he saved Los Blancos with a last-minute goal that earned Real the victory at Las Palmas. The Brazilian will feature alongside Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.

Karim Benzema is expected to make his return after three weeks on the sidelines, but Zidane will possibly decide to give him just a few minutes of action. Thus, with Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo having a guaranteed spot in the lineup, the main doubt is whether Zizou will pick Isco, Lucas Vazquez or James Rodriguez to complete the eleven.

This is Real Madrid’s projected lineup: Navas; Danilo, Varane, Nacho Fernandez, Marcelo; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Vazquez, Ronaldo, Bale.

Sevilla will miss Konoplyanka, N’Zonzi and Vitolo due to injury, and playmaker Ever Banega is also out through suspension. Krohn-Dehli is a doub but with muscle problems he is expected to make it in the lineup.

This is Sevilla’s projected lineup: Rico; Coke, Rami, Carrico, Tremoulinas; Cristoforo, Krychowiak; Reyes, Iborra, Krohn-Dehli; Gameiro.

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Wolfsburg manager Deiter Hecking says his side will give everything in their two legs against Real Madrid as they attempt to knock out the 10-time Champions League winners.

The two teams were paired to face each other at the quarter finals stage and Los Blancos are considered huge favourites to progress. This is the first time the Bundesliga side have reached this stage of the tournament.

Speaking after the draw was made, Hecking said they had wanted to draw Real Madrid because of the history and glamour behind the Santiago Bernabeu side. But when the first whistle goes, his players will work 100% to try and see them off.

He told Sky TV: “We have the opportunity to show our ability on the biggest stage against one of the best teams in Europe, and we want to grasp that chance with everything we’ve got. I either wanted to have Benfica or Real. You always have a little chance – and we want to take it. We will give everything. For the fans and the club it’s a great draw.”

Wolfsburg topped their group which included Manchester United and PSV Eindhoven before seeing of Belgian side Gent 4-2 overall in the last-16. They are currently third in the domestic league.

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Real Madrid star Gareth Bale has been left out of the Wales squad for the upcoming friendlies against Northern Ireland and Ukraine.

The 26-year-old has been suffering with a calf problem in recent months and although he has returned to the first team at the Santiago Bernabeu, he is not yet up to full speed.

With his place in the squad for the European Championships guaranteed if he remains fit, Wales manager Chris Coleman feels it is best at this stage of the season that Bale remain in the Spanish capital and work his way back to fitness with his club.

Speaking after announcing his squad for the two matches later this month, Coleman, who briefly had a spell in charge of Real Sociedad said:”It was a joint decision. Real Madrid have been absolutely first class. Both parties think it’s best that he stays where he is. He’ll benefit from that between now and the end of the season.”

Bale’s season has been hit by numerous fitness issues meaning the forward has made just 19 appearances in all competitions so far. He has scored 14 goals though, all of which have come in La Liga, the latest being in the 7-1 win over Celta Vigo on his return to first team action earlier this month.

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Real Madrid vs Sevilla match preview

Zinedine Zidane finally has all his men recovered from injuries, as Karim Benzema is back to full training and he could make his return in this match, although he is not expected to feature from the start.

The Los Merengues manager will only miss Pepe and Sergio Ramos through suspension. Thus, Raphael Varane and Nacho Fernandez will be the centre-back pair.

Marcelo will feature at left-back and Danilo could come in at right-back to give Daniel Carvajal some rest.

In midfield, Casemiro seems to have become a guaranteed starter and he is expected to feature alongside Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.

The main doubt is whether Zidane will choose Isco, James Rodriguez or Lucas Vazquez to accompany Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo in the forward line.

Meanwhile, Unai Emery has plenty of losses to visit Los Blancos. Konoplyanka, N’Zonzi and Vitolo will miss the game through injury, and Ever Banega is suspended.

Sevilla need a victory to get closer to the fourth position in the table that would qualify them for the Champions League.

Possible line-ups:

Real Madrid: Navas; Danilo, Varane, Nacho Fernandez, Marcelo; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Vazquez, Ronaldo, Bale.

Sevilla: Rico; Coke, Rami, Carrico, Tremoulinas; Cristoforo, Krychowiak; Reyes, Iborra, Krohn-Dehli; Gameiro.

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Emilio Butragueno says Real Madrid will need to be at their best if they are to beat Wolfsburg in the Champions League quarter finals.

Los Blancs avoided the big guns such as PSG, Barcelona and Bayern Munich at this stage and will instead face the Bundesliga outfit over two legs in April. The 10-time Champions League winners will be strong favourites to progress to the semi-finals once more.

But ex-striker and now director of sporting relations Butragueno said there are no easy games at this level and the Real players know they need to turn up and perform at their best.

In quotes published on the club’s official website, he stated: “When you are in the quarterfinals you know that any opponent you face will be tough, there are no favourites. Wolfsburg are a dangerous team. They are a German team who have reached this stage of the competition for the first time and will be highly motivated when they face Real Madrid.”

And he added: “We have to prepare well for the knock out stages, make the most of the quality of our players and get a good resault in Germany. Playing the return leg at home is an advantage if you get a good result in the away leg. We know that the Bernabéu also plays its own part on big European nights, but in order to get there we need to play a good game in Germany and get a good result.”

Over at Real Galaticos, they’ve been busy reacting to the draw too. And here’s what they think:

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Karim Benzema was heard as a witness in an investigation over drug trafficking and money laundering, French newspaper Liberation has revealed.

A source from Real Madrid has reportedly told the French daily that Benzema had to testify a few months ago over the acquisition of a small business in Paris by a company in which Benzema has shares.

However, the source claimed that the Frenchman was only a victim in this case: “He ended up being a shareholder in a restaurant and lost considerable amounts of money.”

According to Liberation, Renaud Van Ruymbeke, the magistrate in charge of the case, has ruled out Benzema as being directly responsible in the investigation.

The Los Blancos forward is also involved in a scandal for having allegedly blackmailed France national team team-mate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex-tape.

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Real Madrid and Zinedine Zidane are working hard in planning the arrivals and exits for the new season and the last decision they’ve made is to loan Martin Odegaard to a first division side in Spain.

The Norway international doesn’t want to stay at Real Madrid Castilla for another season and Los Blancos directors believe it is time for him to move to a bigger team and keep developing as a player.

According to the latest Los Merengues transfer rumours, Madrid-based clubs Rayo Vallecano and Getafe have shown the greatest interest in landing the 17-year-old. However, they are both battling to avoid relegation and they would be ruled out by Florentino Perez if they don’t remain in La Liga.

Espanyol and Sporting Gijon are also candidates to land Odegaard, as they have a very good relationship with Real Madrid. Certainly many Spanish sides will be interested in bringing the young playmaker next summer and Real Madrid will have plenty of options to choose from.

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Karim Benzema has completely recovered from his muscle injury and will be fit to face Sevilla on Sunday in La Liga.

The Frenchman will make his return after three weeks on the sidelines, although it is not certain that he will play from the start.

Zinedine Zidane has all his men available for training for the first time since he arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu. But still he will miss Pepe and Sergio Ramos against Sevilla as they are suspended.

Gareth Bale, who has also suffered several injury problems this season and made his return a couple of weeks ago, will have a chance to get some rest and prevent further injuries as he has not been called by Wales to play next week’s friendlies against Northern Ireland and Ukraine.

Los Blancos are facing a busy schedule in the next few weeks. Thus, Zidane will surely be pleased with Benzema not having been picked by France either.

Those are great news for the Real manager ahead of the crucial Clasico in which Los Blancos will try to defend their honour after losing all hopes of conquering the La Liga title.

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Champions League trophy

Real Madrid will face German side Wolfsburg in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The draw held in Nyon has been positive for Los Blancos, who have avoided the reigning champions Barcelona and other tough teams like Bayern Munich and Mancheter City.

Los Merengues will play the first leg away in Germany on Wednesday April 6th. The second leg will be played at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday April 12th.

Wolfsburg are a strong team with high-quality players like Julian Draxler and Andre Schurrle, but Zinedine Zidane men are still favourites to make it through the semifinals.

Los Blancos’ city rivals Atletico Madrid will take on Barcelona in one of the most exciting clashes of the season. Meanwhile, Bayern Munich will face Portuguese side Benfica and Manchester City will take on Paris Saint-Germain.

These are the quarter-finals pairings:

Wolfsburg – Real Madrid
Barcelona – Atletico Madrid
Paris Saint Germain – Manchester City
Bayern Munich – Benfica

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France coach Didier Deschamps has admitted he is getting a little frustrated with always having to answer questions about whether he will pick Karim Benzema for the European Championships this summer or not.

The Real Madrid striker is involved in an ongoing blackmail case against team mate Matieu Valbuena. The story emerged last autumn when it was alleged the Los Blancos man played a role in trying to extort money from the Lyon midfielder to get rid of a sex tape he featured in.

Benzema was banned from speaking to Valbuena while the case is ongoing and he was suspended by France until either it is over or he is at least able to speak to Valbuena again. Last week, the order of no communication was lifted, raising the possibility that he could return for Les Bleus in time for the Euros, which take place in his home country.

Speaking to reporters earlier this week, Deschamps admitted the attention surrounding Benzema is frustrating.

“I’m a little tired of this. I’m here to choose and I will. Everyone has the right to an opinion but there are two people who decide, first the president and then me. It’s not a question of whether I want a player to come or not. I’ll decide when the time comes,” he stated.

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