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Real Madrid moved back within two points of La Liga leaders Barcelona as they managed to beat Almeria 3-0 despite suffering in the first half.

Almeria exerted a high pressure on Los Blancos and were close to taking the lead, but James Rodriguez rocket to open the score inspired the hosts to the victory. An own goal from Mauro Dos Santos and another Alvaro Arbeloa effort sealed the win.

Los Merengues dominated at the start and were close to taking the lead after four minutes as Arbeloa picked out the head of James from the right, but his shot was wide of the post.

Ronaldo almost scored in a corner kick three minutes later, but header clearer the bar. Yet Almeria could have upset the hosts following a superb play from Thomas, who created space and slid a pass into Dubarbier. However, the Argentinian completely missed the target.

The visitors became more incisive in those minutes and Los Blancos struggled to get things going in the final third. Nevertheless, James Rodriguez would make it 1-0 one minute before the break as he hammered an impressive volley into the top corner.

The game turned very comfortable for Real at the start of the second half as they doubled their lead after four minutes. Toni Kroos sent a low cross into the box and Mauro Dos Santos accidentally turned it into his own net.

Arbeloa sealed the victory with six minutes to go. Chicharito Hernandez curled a brilliant low cross towards the back post and the Spaniard tapped it into the back of the net for his first goal in five years.

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Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has said every game between now and the end of the season is life and death as Los Blancos chase glory on two fronts.

The 10-time European Cup winners continue their pursuit of Barcelona in La Liga when they take on Almeria at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday evening. And with game against Sevilla and Valencia coming up, along with the Champions League semi-finals, the Italian said he will rotate some of his players to keep legs fresh.

Speaking at his press conference ahead of the game, Ancelotti said: “All the games are a matter of life and death now. We will approach this match with that mentality. This is going to be an important fixture. A tricky and challenging game. We are entering into a stage of the season in which all our encounters will determine the outcome of the future.”

Speaking about the squad for the game, he confirmed Keylor Navas will start.”He’ll start tomorrow. I can’t explain why he seems to always play in the Santiago Bernabéu. I don’t think about whether it is home or away fixture. He can play in any stadium.”

And he revealed some of the youngsters will also come into the side. “Odegaard, Mayoral and Diego Llorente are in the squad. Two of the three will be on the bench and could get a run out.”

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Real Madrid almeria match preview

Real Madrid will try to keep their title hopes alive in La Liga as they host Almeria on Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabeu following Barcelona’s 6-0 win against Getafe.

Chicharito Hernandez will have another chance to prove he can stay at the club this summer, as Carlo Ancelotti will not recover Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema on time, although both are expected to feature against Sevilla this weekend since they are both nearing the end of their recovery process.

Thus, Champions League hero Chicharito will feature again, trying to extend his good scoring form. The Mexico international scored a brace to lead Real in a tough comeback against Celta Vigo on Sunday.

Sergio Ramos and Daniel Carvajal will miss the game through suspension, as they managed to be shown their fifth yellow card against Celta in order to rest ahead of the important Sevilla game.

Alvaro Arbeloa will consequently feature at right-back, with Pepe and Raphael Varane in the centre of defence. Marcelo will most likely start at left back, although Carlo Ancelotti could decide to rest him as well.

The Italian has already announced Keylor Navas will have one more chance to show his quality as he will be the starting goalkeeper. The only doubt is whether Ancelotti will pick Asier Illarramendi or Lucas Silva to pair with Toni Kroos in midfield.

Almeria are fighting to avoid relegation and will have important losses. Forwards Thievy and Wellington Silva are out due to suspension, while Fran Velez, Michel Macedo and Soriano are sidelined due to injury.

Possible line-ups:

Real Madrid: Navas; Arbeloa, Pepe, Varane, Marcelo; James Rodriguez, Illarramendi, Kroos, Isco; Chicharito, Ronaldo.

Almeria: Ruben; Navarro, Trujillo, Dos Santos, Dubarbier; Espinosa, Thomas, Corona, Verza, Zongo; Hemed.

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Real Madrid and Atletico de Madrid are set to be handed a ban on signing players for two transfer windows, according to a report of Cadena Cope.

The radio station claimed both Spanish capital clubs have been notified by FIFA that they have repeatedly breached regulations surrounding the signing on youth players from abroad.

La Liga leaders Barcelona were found to have broken the same rules and were banned from signing any player for two transfer windows, effectively meaning they can’t sign anyone in 2015. With that being the precedent, Real and Atletico could face the same. According to reports, Atletico have already been made aware of the ban, while Real are awaiting official confirmation.

Should both clubs be banned from signing players, they would likely appeal the decision, which would allow them to make signings until the ban comes into place, meaning it could be a busy summer at the Santiago Bernabeu and Vicente Calderon. Los Blancos already signed three players in the previous transfer window – Lucas Silva, Danilo and Martin Odegaard – perhaps a sign the Real hierarchy were aware of impending problems.

Barcelona were handed the ban last season but appealed, with it coming into effect after the summer transfer window last year, meaning they were able to recruit the likes of Luis Suarez, Matieu, Thomas Vermalen and Ter Stegen.

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Carlo Ancelotti to Real Madrid

Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague has claimed Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti could get sacked at the end of the season regardless of whether they win the Champions League or not.

Los Blancos are aiming to become the first team to defend the Champions League crown and face Juventus in the semi-finals having seen off city rivals Atletico de Madrid in the last eight.

But according to the Sky Sports journalist, the Real directors may well get rid of the Italian if they fail to win La Liga. Real are two points behind Barcelona with five games to go, and still face tricky tests against Sevilla and Valencia.

Should Los Blancos fail to overaul their bitter rivals, it would mean they’ve only topped La Liga three times in more than a decade – something that is well below par for a club of its stature.

“If Carlo Ancelotti doesn’t win the league, it will mean the Spanish giants Real Madrid have won La Liga just three times in 12 years. The Champions League is always the focus, and last year Sergio Ramos’ last-minute goal against Atletico in Lisbon saved his head. But this year, I don’t think even the Champions League would save him. I’ve got the impression the board wants a new head next season,” Balague told Sky Sports News.

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Massimiliano Allegri believes his Juventus side have a great chance to beat Real Madrid and reach the final of the Champions League.

The Seria A side – the runaway leaders in the Italian championship meet Los Blancos in the semi-finals. The Old Lady hasn’t been in final since 2003, when they beat Real en route.

Real and Juve last met at the group stage last season, with Los Blancos winning at the Santiago Bernabeu and the teams playing out a 2-2 draw in Italy.

Speaking to Sky Sports Italia, he stated: “It’s a fascinating match against the European champions, a stellar team. We’re aware of our ability, and we want to do what we can until the end. We have no fear, but we respect Real.”

“If we get to the final it would be extraordinary, but we certainly don’t want to settle for just having gotten here [the semi-final]. There’s always the tradition of wanting to win here, because that’s the tradition of 117 years of a club which has won in Italy and Europe, though in the latter some finals have gone wrong.

“This year we’ve done well in Europe, but we want to get to the final. We think we can beat Madrid, if that wasn’t the case we wouldn’t even bother turning up.”

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Real Madrid could look to raid Chelsea this summer for midfielder Jon Obi Mikel, according to some media reports.

Tuttomercatoweb claims Los Blancos are planning for life after Sami Khedira with the German set to leave the club at the end of his contract. And Carlo Ancelotti is keen to add some experience to his midfield, and sees Mikel as a like-for-like replacement.

The Nigerian midfielder has spent nine seasons at Stamford Bridge since moving from Lyn Oslo as a youngster. During his time with the Blues, he has won the Champions League, Europe League, Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup.

But he’s fallen out of favour this year under Jose Mourinho and has made only 14 starts. He’s also be plagued by injuries and lost his place to other more established stars.

A switch to the Santiago Bernabeu could appeal to Mikel, who played under Carlo Ancelotti when the Italian was in charge of the west London club for two seasons.

Even if a move for Mikel doesn’t materialise, Los Blancos will be on the lookout for a midfielder. Khedira has been linked to a number of sides, including FA Cup holders Arsenal, along with Bayern Munich, Fiorentina and Manchester United.

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Michael Owen has said that it is only natural that David de Gea would want to join Real Madrid from Manchester United as most Spanish players who play in the Premier League eventually want to return to La Liga.

The Red Devils keeper has been linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu, with reports saying Los Blancos have identified the former Atletico de Madrid man as the long-term replacement for Iker Casillas at the 10-time European Cup winners.

And Owen, who played for one season with Los Blancos and also spent time at Old Trafford, said it’s natural for Spanish players to want to return home. He added that United should do all they can to keep hold of him for as long as possible though.

Speaking to BT Sport, the ex-forward, stated: “Now you’ve got him, then try to keep hold of him. “That will be hard, like most Spanish players they come and have a sample of the Premier League but really, Real Madrid and Barcelona is where they want to be.”

He went on to say Real would have to make a huge offer for de Gea, who Owen thinks is already one of the best in the world.

“I think he’s developing into one of the best in the world. He’s probably in the top three already, he’s very young and proven in the Premier League. If you go and try to replace him you’re going to have to spend 30/40/50 mil, plus wages,” he commented.

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Rea Madrid defender Marcelo has said the players must treat every game between now and the end of the season as a cup final as the side go for glory on two fronts.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side won 4-2 on Sunday night at Celta Vigo to move two points behind Barcelona in La Liga with five games remaining. Los Blancos are also looking to defend the Champions League trophy they won 11 months ago and face Juventus in the semi final having seen off city rivals Atletico de Madrid in the quarters.

Speaking to the media after the game in the north west of Spain, Marcelo said it’s crunch time now and every point matters.

“We knew how important the game was, that it was going to be tough and that we were going to be made to sweat. It’s always difficult to play here, but we’ve managed to get the win. They have a lot of quality, they pressed us high up and made things difficult, but we were able to play well,” he commented.

And he continued: “For me, both competitions are very difficult, but we’re going to treat every game like a cup final and give our all in every one of them. The team is looking really good, in incredible shape. We’re confident, we can’t relax. We’re going to be in there fighting. Our aim is really clear in our minds and we’re going to give everything right up until the last moment.”

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Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez says Madridistas around the world will have enjoyed the enthralling 4-2 win over Celta Vigo on Sunday.

Los Blancos fell behind to an early goal, but eventually ran out as the victors at Balaidos thanks to goals from Javier Hernandez (2), Toni Kroos, and Rodriguez.

And speaking afterwards, the Colombian said it was probably more open that Madrid would have liked, but for the neutrals and for the Real fans, it was probably a fun game to watch.

“It was a good match. Both teams played with a lot of intensity, it was a great game and we deserved the win. I think that the fans were able to enjoy a terrific game. Celta looked to play and left spaces and, when there are spaces, Real Madrid are a lot more dangerous and have players who can take advantage of that. They were attacking a lot and I think that in the second half we managed to control the game,” he said after the match.

The World Cup star also went on to praise man-of-the-moment, Chicharito, who netted his third goal in two games.

“He’s in great form. He deserves what is happening to him now for the way he works in training and the patience he has shown,” he stated.

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