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Real Madrid left back Marcelo has said the players shouldn’t relax or take their foot off the pedal as they go for major honours this season.

Los Blancos secured their 18th win in the row on Saturday night as they saw off Celta Vigo 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu to keep their place at the top of the table. The players have received much praise for the form in recent weeks, but the Brazilian was keen to play it down saying nothing has been won yet.

Speaking to reporters after the game, the defender stated: “The record is very important but we want to keep working and fight to win.  But to do this, we must be focused.  We can’t afford to relax.  We need to be very humble.

“The secret of this Real Madrid is our hard work and fight.  Every teammate helps every teammate.  Everyone is very excited and those that are coming off the bench are doing a great job and working hard.

“We aren’t thinking about the the number of wins.  We’re thinking about continually working hard, continuing to fight and working with a lot of humility and doing our job.”

He went on to praise team mate Cristiano Ronaldo for his incredible form. “Cristiano Ronaldo is doing very well, but the team helps him a lot.  He helps the team a lot and it’s a joy to watch Cristiano like this,” he stated.

 

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Carlo Ancelotti has once again reiterated he will not be turning to the transfer market next month.

The Los Blancos managee has been linked with a move for Lucas Silva while there has been talk Javier Hernandez could leave the club as he is unhappy with the amount of playing time he has seen since arriving in the summer.

There is also some doubt over Sami Khedira’s future in the Spanish capital. The German World Cup winner is into the last six months of his deal is free to negotiate a deal with clubs outside Spain next month. Both manager and player insist his future is at the 10-time European Cup winners but until he signs a new contract, the rumours will persist.

Speaking to the press about various rumours doing the rounds, the Italian boss said Khedira and Hernandez will stay and he is happy with the squad he has at his disposal.

“I’m happy with the squad that I have. [Sami] Khedira was unlucky because he had a small [concussion] problem but we have now recovered Jese, so we have no need for anyone in January,” he said.

“Everyone knows their position in the squad. We have forwards who are doing very well. Javier will play against Ludogorets [in the Champions League next week]. He will not leave in January.”

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Sergio Ramos has said new words need to be invented to describe Real Madrid team mate Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portugal international fired a hat-trick on Saturday night to help Madrid to a 3-0 win over Celta Vigo to keep Los Blancos top of the league. It was his 23rd  hat-trick in La Liga and he now has the most trebles of any player in La Liga history.

The win also saw Madrid secure their 18th win on the bounce, extending their own club record and equaling that of Barcelona set in 2005-06.

Speaking after the game, Ramos didn’t hold back in his praise of his team mate. “The numbers he’s achieving are crazy. Truth is, it’s a privilege that Real Madrid have a player like him. We have to invent new words to define him. He’s beating all the records. Maybe he’s in the best time of his career,” he stated.

The game was also Ramos’ 300th for the club, a figure he is proud to achieve. He told reporters: “It’s a special day for me, because it’s not every day you reach such an important number of league games. On top of that and on a team level, everything has turned out really well, with the run of consecutive wins and we’re up there at the top. Hopefully I can stay here many more years. That’s my hope and to double that figure.”

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Daniel Carvajal

Real Madrid right back Daniel Carvajal has said the team played the complete match against Celta Vigo.

Los Blancos won 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu, cementing their place at the top of the table and extending their winning run to 18 matches in all competitions. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat trick to take his league tally to 23 for the season already.

Talking to reporters after the game, Carvajal said he was delighted with the result, saying the clean sheet was important. He added that with Cristiano in the team, the rest of the side know that if they provide him with a chance, he’ll normally take it.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game, the manager told us so all week. The opposition was not easy and they played well with the ball. We have played with intent ourselves, and then we had Cristiano with his goals. It was a complete game in the end,” he stated.

And he added: “We don’t think about records or anything like that. All we’re thinking about is winning against Ludogorets next up. Cristiano? He cannot be described with words. Every day he does more. His dedication is impeccable and he’s an important player for us. If he had scored the overhead kick, the stadium would have fallen!”

 

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Carlo Ancelotti to Real Madrid

Carlo Ancelotti has told reporters he was pleased with the team’s intensity during their victory over Celta Vigo.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored all three goals as Los Blancos secured their 18th win in a row and ensured they would stay top of the table.

At his media conference after the game, Ancelotti told journalists the team played with great intensity and executed the plan well.

“We played a good game against a team I really like, who tighten up well and are very aggressive; it wasn’t easy.  We played well as a team and we didn’t take any risks at the back. In the first half, we have a lot of intensity,” he stated.

Having seen his star man net his 23rd league goal of the season, the Italian said he took Ronaldo off early to give him a well-earned rest.

“I subbed him out to give him a rest. Having Cristiano gives us a great advantage. He is in incredible form, he is extraordinarily motivated and he’s at his physical peak,” he commented.

Finally, the boss revealed James Rodriguez had injured his calf and it was still unclear how long he’d be out for.

“He injured his calf.  We’re going to evaluate it’s progress in the next several days.  We’re going to have good replacements for him because we’re going to recover Isco and Khedira,” the manager stated.

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Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has said he is pleased to keep extending the winning run the team is currently enjoying, but they need to take each game as it comes.

The records kept tumbling at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday night as Los Blancos saw off Celta Vigo 3-0. Cristiano Ronaldo bagged a hatrick, taking his La Liga tally to 23 already this season. He also became the highest hat-trick scorer in league history, netting his 23rd treble for the club.

Los Blancos extended their winning run to 18 consecutive victories in all competitions, equaling the record set by Frank Rijaard’s Barcelona in the 2005-06 season.

Speaking to the club’s official website after the game, World Cup winner Kroos said the players are happy, but he warned against complacency setting in.

“The key is to keep up this consistency. We have to keep working like this and winning games. What’s most important isn’t the record for wins, but keeping on winning every game and staying in top spot,” he said.

Like many after the match, he also took time out to hail 29-year-old Ronaldo. He stated: “Cristiano Ronaldo is a really important player. He put in a very good match and was decisive once again. He’s always a key player and I hope he keeps it up.”

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Cristiano Ronaldo set a La Liga record for hat-tricks and gave Real Madrid a record 18th straight victory in all competitions with a superb performance against Celta de Vigo.

Los Blancos struggled to find their best game against a solid Galician side, but the Portuguese’s quality made the difference and put Real five points ahead in the table and one victory short from breaking an all-time record.

The visitors started strongly, exerting a high pressure and preventing Los Blancos from controlling possession. Carlo Ancelotti men had to play a more direct game, and Celta defence dealt well with it.

Los Merengues had the first chance as Toni Kroos sent a superb cross to Ronaldo, who fired an overhead to the roof of the net. A few minutes later, the Portuguese was denied by goalkeeper Sergio Alvarez, who punched away the striker’s short-range effort.

However, Ronaldo would not miss his third attempt. Celta’s left-back Jonny brought CR7 down into the box and the referee pointed directly to the penalty spot. Ronaldo step up and made it 1-0 for the hosts.

Los Blancos were comfortably the better team in the first half, but Celta’s solid defence kept the visitor’s hopes alive.

Eduardo Berizzo men had a great start to the second half, threatening Iker Casillas in a couple of chances. However, the game soon became lethargic, with both sides struggling to string passes together.

Yet, Ronaldo appeared to bring some light and make it 2-0 for Real Madrid with a great volley. The keeper got a firm hand on it, but couldn’t keep it out.

The Portuguese sealed a perfect night with less than ten minutes to go as he converted a cross from Marcelo. It was his 23rd goal in La Liga this season, and his 200th goal in the Spanish competition.

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Real Madrid Celta Vigo match preview

Real Madrid will look to match all-time Barcelona’s record of 18 consecutive straight wins as they host Celta on Saturday.

Los Blancos recorded a club record 16th consecutive wins in all competitions last week against Malaga, and made it 17 by trashing third-division side Cornella in the Copa del Rey. Now, they face the challenge of beaten Frank Rijkaard’s all-time record.

Carlo Ancelotti was able to finally give some rest to his most important players against Cornella, so Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale are expected to return to action in better shape.

The Italian manager will miss Sami Khedira, who is recovering from a head injury, and Isco, who was shown two yellow cards in the last game. Madrid went to the Appeal Committee, but the Andalusian’s second yellow was not revoked. Luka Modric also remains in the sidelines, while Jese Rodriguez could make his La Liga return after playing his first minutes in nine months last Tuesday.

Celta are having a difficult run after a promising start to the season. They’ve lost their last three games, and have only earned one point in four matches. Manager Eduardo Berizzo also rested a few key players in the Copa and will look to upset Real Madrid at their own stadium just like they did with Barcelona last month.

Possible line-ups:

Real Madrid: Casillas; Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Bale, Kroos, Illarramendi, James; Benzema, Ronaldo.

Celta: Alvarez; Mallo, Cabral, Fontas, Jonny; Lopez, Radoja, Krohn-Dehli; Orellana, Larrivey, Nolito.

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Real Madrid full-back Marcelo has said he wants to retire at the club.

In a wide-ranging question and answers session with fans on social networking site Facebook, the Brazilian was asked about his future and if he’s happy in the Spanish capital. And the 26-year-old said it’s his aim to stay at the Santiago Bernabeu until he decides to hang up his boots.

“I am very happy here and I want to stay here until I retire,” he wrote. He also took time out to look back at his achievements with the club to date, saying his proudest moment was lifting the Champions League in May – the club’s 10th European crown – as well as scoring in that match.

“All of my goals are special but if I had to think of one that is my favourite I would say the one that I scored in the Champions League final,” he stated.

And looking forward to the future, he told fans the players go out to win every game they play because they are proud to wear the famous white shirt.

“When you wear the Real Madrid shirt you should always fight for all of the titles and that is what we always do. We hope to give a lot of joy to our fans and that is our big objective.”

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When Carlo Ancelotti arrived to the Santiago Bernabeu back in the summer of 2013 he promised to become part of Real Madrid’s history. One year and a half later, nobody can deny he’s fulfilling his promise, especially Jose Mourinho. In less than seven days, the Italian has beaten two of the Portuguese’s records.

Last Saturday, in Los Blancos victory at La Rosaleda against Malaga, Ancelotti recorded a club record 16th consecutive victory in all competitions, beating the 15 wins that managers Miguel Munoz and Jose Mourinho had achieved.

However, Ancelotti’s achievements went even further a few days later following Los Merengues win against Cornella. Real beat the club’s record of consecutive victories in the Copa del Rey, held by Mourinho, who had got nine. Ancelotti made it ten, including a triumph over arch-rivals Barcelona in the final.

After stealing these two records from Mourinho, Ancelotti has other two marks in mind that are still held by the Portuguese. The record of total points and total goals in one season. Real Madrid recorded 100 points and 121 goals in 2012. Will Ancelotti be able to beat that?

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