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Real Madrid put pressure on La Liga leaders Barcelona as they earned a comfortable win against Eibar at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The team with the lowest budget of the competition barely threatened Keylor Navas and never stood a chance of savaging a point.

Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Chicharito Hernandez gave Los Blancos a reassuring lead in the first half and allowed Carlo Ancelotti to rest key players after the break. Jese Rodriguez sealed the win in the second half.

Los Merengues dominated from the start and Ronaldo opened the score after 21 minutes. The Portuguese sent a powerful free kick from 25 metres and goalkeeper Xabi Irureta failed to block the ball.

Ten minutes later Alvaro Arbeloa sent a precise cross into the box and Chicharito sent the ball into the bottom corner with a superb finish. The Mexico international had returned to the starting eleven in order to give Karim Benzema some rest.

Eibar had not shot on target a single time and Ancelotti was so confident that he decided to send Sergio Ramos, Marcelo and Luka Modric to the bench at the start of the second half to give them some rest ahead of the Champions League clash against Atletico de Madrid.

There weren’t many chances in the second half, as both teams seemed pleased with the score. Yet, Jese proved his worth with a brilliant play, dribbling past two defenders and curling one into the bottom corner to seal the win.

Should Barcelona drop points in their tricky visit to Sevilla, Los Blancos would shorten their four-point deficit.

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Real Madrid will face Eibar with Keylor Navas on goal, as Carlo Ancelotti has already announced. That’s why Iker Casillas won’t be able to repeat the experience of 2004, when he featured in the only match ever played by the Basques at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The game took place on January 12 that year, in the second leg of the last-16 round of the Copa del Rey. Eibar was playing in the second division back then and could have never imagined they would ever get promoted. Thus, their first visit to the Santiago Bernabeu was a historic moment for them.

The Azulgranas didn’t lack insolence and spirit of sacrifice. Los Blancos can vouch for this, as they suffered in that tie. In the first leg, Eibar earned a meritable 1-1 draw, a result that could have been worse for Real hadn’t Casillas put in a superb performance.

The Basques’ great performance caused that Carlos Queiroz, the Los Blancos manager back then, decided to line-up all the Galacticos in the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu. One of them was Casillas, who was also crucial to obtain the victory, since he denied Gaizka Saizar’s big chance when the game was 0-0.

In the end, Real Madrid knocked Eibar out after beating them 2-0 with more problems than expected. At that time Gaizka Garitano, who is now Eibar’s manager, was part of the squad as a player, although he didn’t feature in the Madrid game. However, he did earn points at the Santiago Bernabeu as a player. It was in the 2005-06 season, when he helped Real Sociedad earn a 1-1 draw at Los Blancos stadium. Will he be able to repeat that?

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Real Madrid Eibar match preview

Real Madrid take on Eibar on Saturday aiming to put pressure on leaders Barcelona, who will have a tough trip to Seville this weekend. Los Blancos hope to shorten the four-point deficit with their arch-rivals despite having important losses.

Carlo Ancelotti will miss three of his regular starters: Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos. The Welshman will rest ahead of the crucial Champions League clash against Atletico after suffering muscle fatigue this week.

Rodriguez and Kroos were shown their fifth yellow card against Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday and will be suspended for Eibar. Luckily Cristiano Ronaldo will be available despite having also received a fifth yellow card. Los Merengues appealed and the Competition Committee rescinded the suspension.

With so many loses, Ancelotti will display an unusual starting eleven. Lucas Silva or Asier Illarramendi will most likely replace Kroos. Isco will replace James, and Jese Rodriguez could take on Bale’s role.

Pepe could return to the line-up after recovering from a thigh injury, although Ancelotti could opt to keep Raphael Varane in the centre of defence and save Pepe for Atletico’s match. The Italian has also announced Keylor Navas will be the starting goalkeeper for this match.

Eibar are the team with the lowest budget in La Liga and they shouldn’t cause Real any trouble. They have only won one game in the last three months –last Tuesday against Malaga. They will miss midfielder Eneko Boveda through suspension.

Possible line-ups:

Real Madrid: Casillas; Arbeloa, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Jese, Modric, Silva, Isco; Benzema, Ronaldo.

Eibar: Jaime; Lillo, Anibarro, Navas, Didac Vila; Capa, Borja, Dani Garcia, Javi Lara; Arruabarrena, Saul Berjon.

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Alvaro Morata has moved to end rumours about a return to Real Madrid, telling the press he is happy in Italy and has no interest in return to Los Blancos.

The young forward moved to Juventus last summer in an 18 million euro move and has gone on to establish himself as an important member of the team as the Old Lady closes in on the Italian championship.

His good form, plus Real’s need for a new striker in the summer when Javier Hernandez returns to Manchester United at the end of his loan spell, has prompted some sections of the media to speculate Morata could be set for a return to Carlo Ancelotti’s side after just 12 months.

But having played second fiddle to the BBC in his first stint, Morata says he is not interested in a return.

Speaking to Tuttosport, he stated: “Juventus are a family of champions. I’m not interested in Real Madrid.

“One thing which surprised me when I arrived at Juve is that no-one in the dressing room felt more important than others, even those who have been world champions and are living legends in football.

“Here, everyone eats with each other and leads a normal life. For me, it’s been amazing to have a conversation with Buffon and Pirlo. I’m also delighted with how they’ve thrown me a hand with anything and helped me so much.”

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Barcelona striker Luis Suarez has said he was aware that Real Madrid wanted to sign him last summer but held out for a move to the Camp Nou.

The former Liverpool man has helped his side to the top of the table and has hit form in recent weeks as Barcelona look to hold off Real’s title challenge with eight games remaining.

Speaking in an interview with Spanish radio station Cadena Cope, Suarez, who was signed by the Catalan side for 75 million euros in August but only made his first appearance for the club in November because he was serving a ban for biting an opponent, said playing with Luis Enrique’s side is a dream come true.

He stated: “Madrid were very interested in me, but my dream was always Barca. When I heard of Barca’s interest, I didn’t hesitate [to join them] at any moment. Barça are the best team in the world, no doubt. I’m obliged to win every title on offer here. The fans are used to tiki-taka, but nowadays football is very tight and you have to be more direct and powerful.”

When asked who he thinks is better between Messi and Ronaldo, the Uruguayan said: “Lionel Messi is a great teammate and very humble. To play alongside him and Neymar is a privilege. [Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo]? Messi.

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Barelona defender Gerard Pique has backed his former Manchester United team mate Cristiano Ronaldo after the Real Madrid man was wrongly booked in the midweek win over Rayo Vallecano.

The talisman fell under the challenge of Rayo defender Antonio Amaya but the referee waved play on. He then showed a yellow card to the 30-year-old after the Portugal captain gestured toward the official – something Carlo Ancelotti was critical of after the game.

And speaking to the media about the furor, Los Cules defender Pique said the booking was harsh on Ronaldo.

“It’s not the first time that Cristiano [Ronaldo] has made that gesture and was never punished for it before, so I don’t think he should be sanctioned now. He thinks and acts in the same way. However, we’re focused on our own work and not his problems,” he told reporters at a promotional event.

The World Cup winner was then asked about his opinion on the state of the title race. And he responded there is a long way to go and that neither Real nor Barca will win their remaining eight games.

“It’s impossible to win a trophy in April but we can still trip up before then. I don’t believe [Barcelona and Real Madrid] will win every game. Last year, we dropped many points at the end of the season, but the most important thing for us is that we continue depending on ourselves.”

 

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Real Madrid right-back Daniel Carvajal has confirmed he won’t leave the Santiago Bernabeu this summer despite Los Blancos have confirmed the signing of Brazilian defender Danilo, who also plays as right-back.

In an interview with Spanish radio station Cadena SER, Carvajal claimed he has already proved his worth: “I don’t think I have to prove anything at this point. Danilo will arrive next season and I will fight with him. We are playing in the best team of the world and competency is good.”

Asked about the rumours of a possible exit, the Spaniard was clear: “I’ve heard things like I want to leave, but those are just lies. Real Madrid is my home. I haven’t seen Danilo play, but I’m sure he’s a great player and we will welcome him next season,” Carvajal added.

Carvajal returned to Madrid from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2013 and has become a crucial piece in Carlo Ancelotti’s starting eleven. He was key in last Wednesday’s victory against Rayo Vallecano, assisting Cristiano Ronaldo to open the score when Los Blancos were struggling.

Spanish media have claimed he’s not happy with Real having signed a high-quality player who features in the same position. However, Danilo is a versatil footballer who can have other roles in the field.

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Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez has urged his team mates to keep their good run of form going until the end of the season following their 2-0 win over Rayo Vallecano.

Goals from the Colombian and Cristiano Ronaldo handed Madrid the three points at the Vallecas Stadium on Wednesday evening, giving the team their second win on the bounce since the defeat to Barcelona in El Clasico.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men remain four points behind the Catalan outfit with eight games left, and James said the 10-time Champions League winners must keep their run going.

“We’ve put in two good games and we have to keep it up. To win you also have to come though difficult moments, but we got the victory and that’s the most important thing. I’m happy, because we won and we picked up all three points at a pretty difficult ground to go to.  In the first half, they played with a lot of intensity. We knew that they would be a little tired later on and that they wouldn’t press to the same degree, and that was the case,” he told reporters.

He then went on to discuss the healthy competition for places in the squad, saying: “When there are good players we all have to be focused and on our mettle, it’s the coach who’s in charge. We have good players like Modric, Kroos and then Isco came on today and helped us a lot in the midfield. It was a stonewall penalty on Cristiano, but thankfully it didn’t have much of an influence.”

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Karim Benzema

Paris Saint-Germain are preparing a bid to sign Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema this summer, according to reports from French website Le10Sport.

The France international was linked with a move to PSG a few months ago, but it seems that an offer is taking shape now.

Benzema is one of Nasser Al-Khelaifi’s favourites, and the Paris club president is personally pushing for his signing. Le10Sport has reported he would be ready to offer Los Blancos 50 million euros to bring the striker to the French capital.

However, Al-Khelaifi knows Florentino Perez has a personal preference for Benzema and will not let him go easily. Thus, he’s also set his eyes on another French forward: Antoine Griezmann. The Atletico de Madrid man is having a superb first season at the Vicente Calderon and PSG would be ready to offer his club 35 million euros should they fail to sign Benzema.

Paris Saint-Germain are also interested in signing another Los Blancos player: Iker Casillas. The goalkeeper is set to leave the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer, and PSG are expected to offer him the best deal, although he has already confessed he would like to play in the United States.

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Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane has hailed the current star of the team, Cristiano Ronaldo, saying his desire to always improve is incredible.

Ronaldo bagged five goals at the weekend in the 9-1 rout of Granada to take his league tally for the season to 36 with nine games still left to play. Since arriving at the Santiago Bernabeu, the 30-year-old has helped the club to a host of trophies, most notably the Champions League last season. And he’s broken plenty of goalscoring records along the way.

In a wide ranging interview with UEFA.com, Real Madrid Castilla boss Zidane, who himself was a Ballon d’Or, Champions League and World Cup winner, said Ronaldo is always seeking to improve.

“It’s [Cristiano Ronaldo’s] relentless desire to make progress that surprises me. At the same time, I’m not surprised. The great thing for me is that he always wants to make progress,” he said.

And he continued: “Even if Cristiano Ronaldo wins trophies and scores a lot of goals every season, his aim is always to make progress.

“He always wants to show, even in training, that he wants to win. It’s incredible. That’s what makes him stay at the top – it’s his ambition to be the best.”

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