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Eden Harzard is not interested in leaving Chelsea for Real Madrid, according to Blues’ boss Jose Mourinho.

The Portuguese, who managed Los Blancos for three years between 2010 and 2013 but failed to lift the Champions League despite having a huge budget, was asked about Hazard’s future ahead of his side’s clash with FA Cup holders Arsenal this weekend.

The 21-year-old winger has been linked with a move to the Spanish capital for a while, and after Zinedine Zidane revealed he believes the Belgian is one of the best players in the world right now, the rumour mill went into overdrive, claiming Real would consider making a bid in the near future.

But talking to journalists, Mourinho said Hazard has a long-term contract with the west London club and isn’t interested in a switch to the Santiago Bernabeu.

“We just signed a new contract with him [until 2021 in February]. We didn’t put a gun to his head. I don’t think he’s interested in going,” Mourinho stated.

He was then asked about Hazard’s impressive season to date, to which he responded: “In this moment, he is a fantastic player. I always say the most important thing is the team and their targets. If he wins the Premier League this season it is fantastic. If on top of that he gets individual awards then it is nice.”

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Man of the moment Javier Hernandez has said he is loving his time at the club and is happy to be scoring for the best team in the world.

The Mexican grabbed a brace on Sunday as Los Blancos saw off Celta Vigo to keep the pressure on league leaders Barcelona. It was Chicharito’s third goal in two games, having netted the last gasp winner against Atletico de Madrid last week to send his team through to the Champions League semi-finals.

Much has been written about the player’s long-term future at the club though. The striker, on loan from Manchester United, is thought to be heading back to the Premier League after this campaign with the Real directors having decided against his permanent signing despite his current purple patch.

The forward said after the game: “I feel good and am enjoying the moment. I am a Real Madrid player. I’m not sure if that will be for a long or short time so I want to make the most of the minutes I’m given with the best team in the world.”

And he added: “I am enjoying doing what I love most, which is playing and I want to give it my all on the pitch. I’ve been taught that you can control having a good attitude and being determined. Everyone I love would tell me to continue working because all the good things would eventually transpire.”

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Carlo Ancelotti to Real Madrid

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti says his team is alive and playing well as they try to catch Barcelona in La Liga.

Los Blanco closed the gap on the league leaders to two points again on Sunday evening following a 4-2 win at Celta Vigo. And it was a test of character for the Champions League holders as they had to come from behind in the north west of Spain.

Javier Hernandez continued his purple patch he’s in right now with a brace, while Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez grabbed a goal apiece.

At his press conference afterwards, Ancelotti said he was pleased with what he’d seen.

“We played a very good match, because if you win here it means that you have played well. Celta play very good football and we’re satisfied. The team is alive, it has a good attitude and we show that on the pitch,” he said.

And he added: “Both teams like to take risks. I think that it was a very open game and the result in the end was a spectacular match. We were made to sweat at a number of points, but we were highly effective up front.”

Speaking about the state of the title race, the Italian commented: “Our objective is to force Barça to win every game. That’s what the statistics say. At this moment in time we’re not thinking about other teams, but about what we have to do. We’re doing well and we’ll try to fight for La Liga until the final day, which is our objective.”

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Real Madrid had decided not to keep Chicharito Hernandez at the end of the season, when the Mexican’s loan deal with Los Blancos will expire. However, sources from the Spanish press have revealed Los Merengues directors are now reconsidering that decision following the striker’s brilliant performances in the last few games.

Chicharito has put in some great performances since he played his first whole game against Eibar so Karim Benzema could get some rest. Following the Frenchman’s injury, he also played a good game against Malaga.

Against Atletico Madrid he became Los Blancos hero scoring the goal that qualified Real for the semi-finals of the Champions League. Chicharito was Los Blancos best player during the 90 minutes, earning the support of the crowd. The Mexican also grabbed a brace in his side’s win over Celta Vigo on Sunday evening.

Carlo Ancelotti was very pleased with the Mexico international’s performance and he is willing to keep him for another season as his substitute striker.

The 26-year-old is on loan from Manchester United and Real have an option to buy him at the end of the season paying 22 million euros. That is far more than what Florentino Perez is willing to offer. However, the Red Devils are not interested in keeping the player, so they could settle for a smaller amount.

Should Los Blancos finally decide to make an offer, Chicharito would have to decide whether to stay at the Santiago Bernabeu as a back-up player or move to another club where he can be the starting number 9.

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Chicharito Hernandez led Real Madrid in a hard-fought victory against Celta Vigo. The Galician side put Los Blancos in great trouble, but Carlo Ancelotti men managed to bring all three points home thanks to a brace from the Mexico international and goals from Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez.

The hosts took an early lead with nine minutes on the clock as Nolito dribbled past two defenders and fired into the bottom corner.

However, Los Merengues reacted soon and Kroos levelled seven minutes later. Cristiano Ronaldo drove into the box and delivered a low cross that the German sent into the back of the net.

Chicharito Hernandez confirmed his good state of shape and made it 1-2 for the visitors. The Mexico international netted from a tight angle after combining with James Rodriguez.

Yet, Celta were back on term before the half-hour mark with a stroke of luck. Santi Mina poked one towards the bottom corner and the ball hit the post, but the Celta striker was on hand to net it at the second time of asking.

Ronaldo had a great chance to regain the lead for Madrid, but his low effort hit the post. However, James Rodriguez would score in the next play, just one minute before the break. The Colombia international sent a low strike that deflected off a defender and ended up in the bottom corner.

Celta played with great intensity in the second half and had plenty of chances to level. Yet, Carlo Ancelotti men where solid in defence and ended up sealing the victory thanks to Chicharito, who scored his second with 20 minutes to go after receiving a pass from Sergio Ramos and finishing with a superb shot.

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Beating Celta Vigo this evening will require great effort from every single Real Madrid player involved, says Carlo Ancelotti.

The Los Blancos boss urged his players to concentrate throughout the game and forget about their recent progress in the Champions League. The holders made it through to the last four of the competition by seeing off Atletico de Madrid during the week. And now their turn their attention to La Liga, and on closing the gap on Barcelona to two points again.

“We have to be ready for a very intense and dynamic match. Celta are a good side, they’ve shown that against Atlético and Barcelona. We will need to be physically strong and impose our game plan,” Ancelotti told reporters.

He added: “Celta have a different energy in their own ground, they play at a different tempo. They are a very good footballing side and are having a great season. They have a lot of quality up front: Orellana, Santi Mina, Nolito… They are a very dangerous team and beating them will require a great effort.”

The Italian also gave an update on the injury situation and revealed when he expects some of the Real stars to be back.

“Modric could be back at the end of the season. We have the Getafe game marked off as his return date. Benzema could be back for the Champions League first leg and I think Bale could be back in time for the Sevilla match.”

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PSG striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has revealed he wanted to join Real Madrid from Barcelona when his time at the Nou Camp turned sour.

The Swedish striker only played for one season in Cataluna after falling out with then manager Pep Guardiola just months after his arrival from Inter Milan.

And in his recently published autobiography, the 33-year-old claim he spoke to club president Sandro Rosell to tell him of his desire to join Los Cule’s bitter rivals, who were managed by Jose Mourinho at the time. When Rosell heard Ibrahimovic’s request he “went white” and immediately denied the move.

“You have asked me a question and I’m giving you an answer. Real Madrid are the only team where I can see myself playing. I like Mourinho but you need to call and tell them,” the Swedish striker claims.

Ibrahimovic and Mourinho had already worked together at Inter Milan, where the forward had won the treble (Seria A, Italian Cup and Champions League) with the San Siro giants.

Having been denied the move to the Spanish capital, the striker ended up moving to AC Milan where he stayed for a couple of seasons before switching to Ligue 1 with PSG, where he still plays his football.

 

 

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Celta Vigo Real Madrid match preview

Real Madrid switch their attention back to La Liga on Sunday evening and keeping up the pressure on Barcelona.

With Celta Vigo aiming to clinch their highest finish in La Liga, this could be a tricky game for Carlo Ancelotti’s men, who have lost three of their last six on the road. But they will be coming into the game full of confidence after that last minute win over Atletico de Madrid that kept them on course to defend the Champions League trophy they won last season.

In terms of team news, the visitors will be much the same as Wednesday night. Luka Modric and Gareth Bale are definitely ruled out, while Karim Benzema is unlikely to be ready to return from injury either, meaning goalscoring hero Javier Hernandez should keep his place.

Brazilian left-back Marcelo could come back into the starting 11 after sitting out the midweek win through suspension.

Celta boss Eduardo Berizzo is unlikely to make any changes to his side that are searching for a third consecutive win, meaning Santi Mina and Nolito will lead an attacking line-up.

Probable line-ups:Celta Vigo: Sergio; Mallo, Cabral, Fontas, Jonny; Augusto, Krohn-Dehli; Orellana, Mina, Nolito; Larrivey
Real Madrid: Casillas; Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Khedira, Kroos, James, Isco; Ronaldo, Hernandez

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Real Madrid must keep Carlo Ancelotti beyond the end of the current campaign, according to former Los Blancos striker Fernando Morientes.

Italy-born boss Ancelotti won four trophies in his first 14 months in charge at the Santiago Bernabeu, including leading the club to the Champions League trophy last season – ending Real’s 12-year wait for La Decima.

He also masterminded a 22-game winning run earlier this season, setting a new record along the way.

But a poor start to 2015 has seen questions raised about Ancelotti’s long-term future in Madrid, with neither the manager nor club president Florentino Perez committing to say whether he’ll be in charge next season.

But in quotes published on football website goal.com, Morientes said Ancelotti is the best man for the job and has a history of success wherever he goes. Prior to his stint in Spain, Ancelotti has been successful at AC Milan, Chelsea and PSG.

“He has won titles in Italy, France, England and Spain. He is a special coach, at the highest level. Working with regular players is very different to coaching elite ones, like the players you find at Real Madrid. I think he knows how to balance that very well,” Morientes is quoted as saying.

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Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has said he is confident his side can get past Juventus to reach the final of the Champions League, but warned the games against the Italians will be tough.

The teams have met on numerous times in the competition, with Los Blancos beating the Seria A side in the 1998 final. The Old Lady got their revenge in the semi-finals five years later. Real and Juventus also met at the group stage two seasons ago, with Madrid winning 2-1 at home and drawing 2-2 in Italy.

Juve have a huge lead in the Italian league and can almost entirely concentrate on the Champions League at this stage, but reacting to the draw on Friday, Ancelotti said he believed his players would be up to the task of making a second consecutive final appearance.

“Juventus are a club with a legendary history who are returning to the semi-finals after 12 years. They are having a very good season and have practically won the Italian championship. That means they can focus more on the Champions League,” Ancelotti stated.

He continued: “We are confident that we can follow our dream, which is to reach another final after last year. We need Madrid to be at their best to win, we need the same side that played against Atletico with the same enthusiasm and desire.

“The fans helped us a lot last year in the semi-final against Bayern, [creating] a fantastic atmosphere. They also helped in the quarter-final [this term], the atmosphere was amazing at the Santiago Bernabeu and they had the same enthusiasm as us. Everything went well and I hope things continue that way in the semi-finals.”

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