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Carlo Ancelotti congratulated his team after Real Madrid broke the record of consecutive victories in all competitions thanks to a 4-0 win over Ludogorets.

“We’ve achieved this result thanks to an incredible commitment and professionalism. It’s not easy to prepare a game with the motivation and the hunger these players have shown. We’ll try to continue like this,” he said at the press conference after the game.

“I don’t get tired of saying this: I’ve got an extraordinary group of players. There are small details that prove it, such as Nacho, who barely plays, but when he does he shows incredible quality and commitment, like he did tonight,” the Italian added.

Ancelotti explained it has been shocking for him to break this all-time record in Spanish football: “After the loss against Atletico Madrid, I could not have imagined the team would go on to win 19 straight games.”

“The relationship with my players is good, I try to thank them as often as I can. You can only achieve something like this if everyone supports you. The club has always done it, even when things didn’t go so well,” Los Blancos boss confessed.

When asked about Asier Illarramendi’s performance, Ancelotti said the midfielder “is doing fine, he has found continuation in his game in the last three matches. He has been great at passing, playing with quality in attack.”

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Real Madrid became the Spanish club with more consecutive straight victories in history, earning their 19th consecutive win in all competitions and beating Frank Rijkaard’s Barcelona’s record.

Los Blancos eased past Ludogorets at the Santiago Bernabeu thanks to goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Alvaro Arbeloa and Alvaro Medran.

Things became a lot easier for Carlo Ancelotti men with just 20 minutes on the clock. Marcelinho was sent off after handling the ball on the line, and Ronaldo step up to score the penalty kick with a delicate touch.

From that moment on, Real dominated the game without much effort, and Gareth Bale made it 2-0 before half-time with a superb header, following a corner kick from Toni Kroos.

The second half was a nightmare for the visitors, who were unable to stop Los Merengues from threatening their goalkeeper every two minutes. Yet, Vladislav Stojanov had an outstanding performance and saved his team from a harsher defeat.

Nevertheless Arbeloa and Medran would make it 4-0 in the last stage of the match. The right-back fired a shot from short range following a corner kick. The keeper got a hand to it but the referee deemed that the ball had crossed the line.

The youngster came in from the bench in the second half and scored his first goal for Los Blancos first team in his Champions League debut. The 20-year-old slashed a left-footed shot from 25 metres, which deflected of Anicet and looped over Stojanov to drop in the back of the net.

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Real Madrid Ludogorets match preview

Real Madrid will be the Spanish club with most consecutive wins in history if they manage to beat Ludogorets at the Santiago Bernabeu in the last date of the Champions League group state.

Los Blancos levelled Frank Rijkaard’s Barcelona’s run of 18th straight victories in all competitions as they trashed Celta de Vigo on Saturday. And now they could break an all-time record if they get their 19th win.

Los Merengues have secured the first spot in group B so Carlo Ancelotti will rest several key players. The defence will most likely change completely, with Alvaro Arbeloa, Raphael Varane, Nacho Fernandez and Fabio Coentrao replacing Daniel Carvajal, Pepe, Sergio Ramos and Marcelo.

In midfield, Asier Illarramendi will start for a second consecutive match, and Toni Kroos could also get some rest, leaving his spot for Isco or Alvaro Medran.

Up front Chicharito Hernandez is expected to feature in the starting eleven, with Karim Benzema most likely being given a chance to rest. Jese Rodriguez could make his first start in nine months after recovering from his injury, although chances are he will come in from the bench in the second half.

James Rodriguez has joined Sami Khedira and Luka Modric on the sidelines, while Sergio Ramos will miss the game through suspension.

Possible line-ups:

Real Madrid: Navas; Arbeloa, Varane, Nacho, Coentrao; Bale, Illarramendi, Medran, Isco; Chicharito, Ronaldo.

Ludogorets: Stojanov; Abalo, Terziev, Moti, Minev; Dyakov, Espinho; M. Aleksandro, Marcelinho, A. Aleksandrov ; Quixada.

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Real Madrid kits 2015-16

The possible new Real Madrid kits for the 2015-16 season have been leaked in Twitter by Spanish website TodoSobreCamisetas.com, although neither the club nor Adidas have confirmed these designs are official.

According to the sketchs published, Los Merengues would move from this season’s pink-based designs to grey and dark blue. The away kit would be grey with green stripes, while the third kit would combine dark blue with light blue stripes.

Real Madrid shirt sales suffered a boost this summer thanks to the pink away kit, the first kit with thin stripes and the dragon shape in the Champions League away shirt. Adidas is already working on a new design that would maintain those good numbers, and these could be the final kits.

If these are the final designs, Los Blancos would move back to more traditional colours. They already wore dark blue for many seasons, and they’ve also used grey for years for the goalkeepers’ strip.

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Cruzeiro have rejected Real Madrid’s 13-million bid for Brazilian midfielder Lucas Silva, Spanish digital newspaper Teinteresa.es has reported.

The club’s director of communications has confirmed they have finally received an official offer from Los Blancos, but it hasn’t been enough. The Brasileirao side are determined to keep Silva unless they are offered at least 15 million euros.

Florentino Perez and his assistants are working hard to close Silva’s deal in the next few weeks, although the player might not complete the move until next summer, since he would like to play the Copa Libertadores –the Latin American Champions League– with his current club.

Los Blancos have been long following Silva, who has been recently named the best midfielder of the Brazilian league. This week, Carlo Ancelotti confessed they are very interested in signing him. However, he claimed they will not make a decision about the transfer until January.

Yet, reports from Brazil suggest the deal could be closed in the next few days if Los Merengues decide to increase their bid by two million euros.

Silva’s arrival would most likely mean that Sami Khedira would not extend his contract with Los Blancos and would leave when his contract expires in June.

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James Rodriguez has said Real Madrid team mate Cristiano Ronaldo should win the Ballon d’Or by a landslide.

The 29-year-old is up against Leo Messi and Manuel Neuer for the award, which will be announced at a FIFA ceremony in January. The forward picked up football’s most prestigious individual honour last season, and has taken his game to new heights this calendar year.

His 17 goals in the Champions League last season helped Madrid to their 10th European Crown, and set a new record in the competition. And he’s started this season by scoring 23 league goals so far this campaign – 10 more than second placed Leo Messi in the scoring charts. His hat-trick at the weekend against Celta Vigo made him the highest hat-trick scorer in La Liga history.

Speaking to Marca, the Colombian said: “It is an award all players dream of, but the Ballon d’Or is Cristiano’s right now.

“He’ll win it again this year because he deserves it, simple as that. He should win with 99 per cent of votes. As our coach said, there is a huge gulf between Cristiano and all the rest right now. His quality speaks for itself. He works very hard to be what he is: the best in the world.”

The Colombian also had words of praise for Carlo Ancelotti, saying: “Ancelotti is a great coach and we talk often. He has taught me a lot these past few months. I’m working hard to keep learning from him.

“We are all really happy to be working with Carlo. He asks much more of everyone defensively speaking. That’s the key to Real’s current good form.”

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Iker Casillas

Iker Casillas has singled out Atletico de Madrid as the biggest threat to their Champions League and La Liga title hopes.

Los Rojiblancos won the league last season, claiming their first title since 1996. And they were minutes away from winning the Champions League in May, leading in the 91st minute until Sergio Ramos headed home an equaliser. Los Blancos went on to win 4-1 in extra-time to claim their 10th Champions League crown.

Many expected Diego Simeone’s team to be weaker this season following the sales of high profile players such as Diego Costa and Felipe Luis. But Real’s cross-city rivals have already seen off Carlo Ancelotti’s team in the Spanish Supercopa and are flying high in the league once again.

Speaking to AS, club captain Casillas was asked who he considered the biggest threat to their crowns. And he picked out their local rivals as well as Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich for the Champions League.

“Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are our rivals in domestic competitions, and I think they’ll both fight until the end for the league,” he told the Madrid-based sports paper.

“We also hope [to fight for La Liga] because we’re doing really well at the moment. In Europe? Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid.”

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Daniel Carvajal has said winning the Club World Cup would be a great end to a great year for Real Madrid.

Los Blancos take part in the tournament in Morocco next week and aim to win their fourth piece of silverware in the last twelve months. On a glorious night in May, they won their 10th Champions League trophy, beating Atletico de Madrid 4-1.

They also lifted the Copa del Rey in April, beating Barcelona 2-1 in Valencia thanks to a Gareth Bale wonder goal. And they picked up the European Super Cup at the start of this campaign, seeing off Sevilla 2-0.

During a question and answer session on Twitter, the right back was asked about the upcoming tournament, to which he said he’d like to get his hands on the trophy.

“It’s a big motivation for me to be able to win a new competition. It’d be special to win it, but it won’t be easy. It would be a great end to the year though. We want to be able to lift the trophy and keep winning alongside it.

“My preferred opponent? The first game will always be a difficult one, no matter if it’s Cruz Azul or Western Sydney,” he stated.

 

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Real Madrid has banned 17 fans after a group of supporters sang offensive chants about Leo Messi and Barcelona in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Celta Vigo.

The 17 people will be banned from the stadium and the club, Los Blancos said in a statement. Other supporters who sit in the Grada de Animacion at the Santiago Bernabeu have been warned to take caution over what they sing as offensive chanting will lead to more bans.

Clubs in Spain, along with the LFP and the RFEF are cracking down on fan behaviour following the death of a Deportivo la Coruna supporter last weekend. He died following violence between Depor fans and Atletico de Madrid supporters in the Spanish capital ahead of their La LIga clash.

Speaking to the press after watching his side defeat Espanyol 5-1, Barcelona manager Luis Enrique hailed the decision to ban the fans, but said more needs to be done overall to stamp out violent and offensive behaviour.

“Only 17? It sounds good to me, as does any anti-violence initiative, but it’s unrealistic. If we begin to kick fans out for insults, we’ll be on our own,” he told reporters.

“We’re welcome to any anti-violence initiatives. Not that it seems far-fetched, but I don’t know where to draw the line. We are a country that has a culture of living with passion, enthusiasm … I wish there weren’t any insults here, but I see it as almost utopian.”

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James Rodriguez is a major doubt for the Club World Cup which takes place later this month.

The Real Madrid man pulled up with a calf problem in the win over Celta Vigo at the weekend and while boss Carlo Ancelotti tried to play down the injury, there are concerns he will miss the tournament.

Los Blancos head to Morocco between the 16th and 20th of December as they attempt to win their fourth title under Ancelotti’s stewardship.

According to Marca, James was due for a scan on his calf on Sunday but that was delayed until Monday. According to the paper, it is a clear indication that medical staff are concerned about the extent of the injury. Normally a calf tear takes two weeks to recover from, putting his participation in Morocco in doubt.

The loss of the Colombian would be a blow to Ancelotti. The 22-year-old has slotted into the team perfectly since he arrived from Monaco in the summer and has put in some eye-catching displays.

It would also pose a problem for the boss who has lost Luka Modric to injury for up to four months. Sami Khedira and Asier Illarramendi would be the obvious choices to fill in while Isco should also get more game time.

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