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Real Madrid have been drawn against Cadiz in the last 32 of this season’s Copa del Rey.

Los Blancos will visit the Ramón de Carranza Stadium on December 2 before hosting the Andalucian side at the Santiago Bernabeu two weeks later.

Cadiz currently play in the Segunda Division B and sit fifth in their table. To reach this stage of the Copa del Rey, they have seen off Murcia, Mensajero and Laredo.

Speaking after the draw was made on Friday, sporting director Emilio Butragueno stated: “Cádiz are a team with a great tradition and extremely passionate supporters. They’re currently a Segunda B side but I’m certain they’ll return to the Primera soon”.

“On a personal level this brings up wonderful memories for me because I made my debut there and I’m sure I’ll get emotional when I see the stadium again. Cádiz is a lively city with a great passion for football where everyone shows an interest whenever there’s a game there.”

Los Blancos were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Atletico de Madrid in the last 16 last season – losing 4-2 over two legs. They won the competition the previous year in a thrilling final in Valencia over Barcelona. Los Blancos have won the trophy 19 times in their history – some way behind overall leaders Barcelona on 27.

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Real Madrid Levante match preview

Real Madrid host Levante on Saturday hoping to steal the first position in La Liga from Villarreal, who have a one point advantage over Los Blancos and will face Celta Vigo on Sunday.

Rafa Benitez will recover Danilo in the most appropriate moment, since Daniel Carvajal fell injured in the last La Liga game and substitute Alvaro Arbeloa made a crucial mistake that cost Los Merengues two points against Atletico.

Thus, the Brazilian will feature at right-back, with Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos again as the centre-back pair. Pepe will miss another game due to a muscle injury.

International friendlies have also left Benitez without Benzema, who will be sidelined for at least two weeks, and Luka Modric, who could return next week. James Rodriguez, who also fell injured at an international game with Colombia last month, will be the fifth loss for Real.

On the other hand, Gareth Bale will return to a starting eleven after featuring only a few minutes against Atletico. Casemiro will most likely replace Modric, so the midfield line will be formed by Bale, Kroos, Casemiro and Isco.

Jese will have a big chance to prove his value replacing Benzema in the striker position, although he could switch with Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo during the game, also playing in the wings.

Levante have proved to be a solid team in the last few games and they will seek to put in a great defensive performance hoping to savage a point. Yet, the losses of Trujillo, Ivan Lopez and Verza through injury will make it tougher for them to hold Los Blancos offensive strength.

Possible line-ups:

Real Madrid: Navas; Danilo, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Bale, Casemiro, Kroos, Isco; Jese, Ronaldo.

Levante: Ruben; Morales, Feddal, Juanfran, Tono Garcia; Lerma, Camarasa, Simao Mate, Jose Mari; Deyverson, Ghilas.

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Karim Benzema

Former Arsenal playmaker Paul Merson has criticised boss Arsene Wenger for not signing Karim Benzema in the summer.

The Gunners signed Petr Cech from Chelsea to resolve their long-standing goalkeeping issue but were the only club in Europe not to sign an outfield player.

The FA Cup holders started the season slowly, losing to West Ham on the opening day and drawing with Liverpool at the Emirates. Despite creating plenty of chances in both games, they failed to make their dominance pay and lacked a predator in front of goal.

Speaking to UK tabloid the Daily Star, Merson, who won the league, FA Cup, League Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup in his time in north London, said Wenger should have splashed the cash in the summer.

“Why have Arsenal only signed a goalkeeper after they finished that many points behind Chelsea last season? They should have gone for Benzema,” Merson said.

“Wenger in the summer compared Olivier Giroud to Benzema, but the Real man would get more goals. Wenger should have put in a bid for £70million. If he didn’t want to come then so be it, but at least Wenger could have shown his ambition to the fans. Wenger sees what players are worth and doesn’t want to pay more, but modern football is clubs demanding more than a player is worth. You don’t get players for cheap anymore. Arsenal should have spent in the summer.

“If one of the strikers gets injured, they’re in trouble. Arsenal will not win the league with Theo Walcott up front as the main focal point. They need a bigger focal point.”

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Iker Casillas

Former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas has said Barcelona star Leo Messi was the opponent he feared most.

The former Los Blancos captain ended a 25-year association with the club this summer when he joined Porto. But during his time with the Santiago Bernabeu side he came up against the world’s best players on a regular basis.

Speaking to UEFA’s Facebook account, the 34-year-old said Messi was the one who struck the most fear in him.

“Messi [was my most difficult opponent], always Messi. I played against him many times,” Casillas said.

He was also asked about his favourite saves over the years and picked out two match winning stops in the Champions League and World Cup finals.

“The saves I made against Bayer Leverkusen [in the Champions League final in 2002] and the one in the World Cup final [in 2010] to deny Arjen Robben [are my favourites]. “You need to be mentally very strong. Being a goalkeeper involves a lot of risk, courage and intelligence. I enjoyed being a goalkeeper since I was young because my father never wanted to play in that position when we played together! I don’t remember any [particular goal conceded] because I get very angry every single time I concede one,” he said.

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Rafa Benitez has hit back at new Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce after he claimed the Los Blancos manager couldn’t claim the credit for Liverpool’s miraculous Champions League win in 2005.

The former Bolton, Blackburn, Newcastle and West Ham manager, who is known for his dull, long ball football that English teams typically played back in the dark ages, claimed Rafa Benitez is a sore loser – and that he gets particular enjoyment when his teams ever beat Benitez’.

Allardyce, who somehow believed he would one day become England manager – which would have been like watching a real life version of the film ‘Mike Bassett – England manager’, said is his new autobiography that Liverpool won the Champions League in 2005 thanks to Steven Gerrard, adding Benitez should not get the credit.

When questioned by the Spanish radio station Onda Cero about he comments this week, Benitez hit back raising the issue of Allardyce’s lack of trophies in more than 20 years of football management.

“Do you know who Sam Allardyce is? Do you know how many trophies he has won? Well that’s my answer. It is what happens when someone has a book to sell. His opinion does not have a lot of value,” he stated. Exactly Rafa – we’re right with you!

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Real Madrid legend Raul has announced he is to retire from the game at the end of the MLS season.

The 38-year-old has spent one year with New York Cosmos after a glittering career in Europe with Real Madrid and a stint in the Bundesliga with Schalke.

The former Spain international, who played more than 700 times with Los Blancos and was the club’s leading scorer until Ronaldo overtook him two weeks ago, said now was the time to listen to his body after so many years at the top of the game.

He said in a statement he has no plans yet post-retirement amid talk he could return to the Santiago Bernabeu in a coaching capacity.

“When I signed for the New York Cosmos in December, I said I would evaluate how I felt towards the end of the year and assess whether I would continue to play. My decision is to retire from playing at the end of this season. I am fully focused on finishing the season strong and helping the New York Cosmos win the NASL Championship. In the coming months I will decide the next step in my career,” he said in a statement.

He added: “Playing soccer has been part of my life for so long and the decision to retire is not an easy one but I believe it is the right time. I’m thankful to everyone who has supported me throughout my career and I look forward to playing my final games with the New York Cosmos over the coming weeks.”

During his 16 years as a Real player, Raul won six La Liga titles, three Champions League trophies and six Spanish Supercopas.

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Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez says he is happy in north London and has no plans to move despite talk of interest from Real Madrid.

The Chilean joined the Gunners last summer from Barcelona in a 30 million euro switch and became in instant hero among the fans with his all-action displays. He notched 25 goals in his first season in English football including a superb strike in the FA Cup Final as Arsene Wenger’s men lifted the oldest trophy in football for a record 12th time.

Following his exploits in the Copa America in the summer, Alexis began this season in slow fashion but has exploded into life if recent games with a hat trick against Leicester and a stunner against Manchester United. He netted three goals in two games this week for Chile too.

Reports has linked him with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu as Los Blancos look to bolster their forward line.

But speaking at a press conference, the 26-year-old said he is enjoying life in London.

“I have no idea what the media are saying, but I feel comfortable at Arsenal. I’m happy with my team-mates and the city of London is beautiful. I’m not going to change, I’m very happy. I always want to be the best at everything I do. I’m never happy with what I do, I always want to give more. My mum is always my coach. She phones me and tells me to shoot at goal more often,” he commented.

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Real Madrid star Gareth Bale says he turned down an approach to play for England in ‘one second’ when he was younger as he always wanted to play for Wales.

The former Tottenham Hotspur forward qualified to play for England through his grandmother’s heritage and if he had chosen that path he would likely have played in more international tournaments.

As it was, he decided to play for Wales – and his decision paid off after the Principality qualified for the European Championships next summer – their first international tournament since 1958.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, he stated: “I was really young at the time and my agent was involved, but it was literally a one-second conversation. I just said, ‘Stop – it’s never going to happen.’ I’m from Wales and I love Wales. Everyone knows how much I love playing for Wales. My grandmother is English, but I’m Welsh and that’s it. It was never an option.”

Looking back at the qualifying campaign, Bale said it was nearly perfect.

“It still feels like a dream that we’ve actually made it to the finals. Every campaign we start off saying we can do it, but there was a bit more belief this time. A few of us have more than 50 caps, and although the expectation went up and the pressure mounts with every game, we just tried to embrace it. As soon as we got the ball rolling, the momentum just took us. We were keeping clean sheets, we were nicking 1-0 wins, it was the perfect campaign.”

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Real Madrid boss Rafa Benitez has dismissed reports that he has fallen out Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema and insists the squad is happy.

Media outlets in recent days have suggested the club captain is angry with Benitez after he was criticised following his performance in the draw with Atletico de Madrid in which he gave away a penalty.

Stories have also emerged that striker Benzema is annoyed at the amount of times he is substituted. He admitted he is feeling ‘fed up’ after being replaced in six of his last eight appearances for Real.

But speaking to Onda Cero radio’s ‘Al Primer Toque, Benitez said he is surprised by the amount of stories of dressing room unrest adding he has no problem with any player.

“I fought more than anyone for Ramos to stay. There are absolutely no problems between us. He’s our captain, an outstanding footballer and he has to keep showing that.” he stated.

And he continued: “I’m surprised by the number of stories they make up. We have a great dressing room and there is a very good, relaxed and healthy atmosphere amongst the players. We’ve got Benzema back at his best, although he still receives lots of criticism. We’re rationing his playing time

“I don’t have a problem with any player in the squad. I had a good, long chat with Cristiano Ronaldo yesterday. Coaches have to control a group of professionals but not what their agents say. Ronaldo and Bale don’t have any problems.”

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Luka Modric

Real Madrid have confirmed Luka Modric will face a spell out on the sidelines with a thigh injury picked up on international duty with Croatia.

The midfielder featured in his country’s game against Bulgaria last week but was forced to sit out the win over Malta at the weekend.

Initial reports suggested the issue wasn’t serious and he would likely miss the match against Levante this weekend. However tests have confirmed the problem is more serious than first though.

The club released a statement on Wednesday with an update although no time frame was given for Modric’s recovery. Some media outlets have suggested he will be out of action for up to three weeks.

The statement on the club’s official website read: “Following tests carried out on Luka Modric by the Real Madrid medical team, he has been found to have a muscular injury in the adductor muscle in his right leg. His situation will be closely monitored.”

The news will be a blow to boss Rafa Benitez who has already seen striker Karim Benzema pick up a hamstring strain that has ruled him out for three weeks, meaning he’ll miss next week’s Champions League clash with French champions PSG.

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