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Athletic Bilbao boss Ernesto Valverde has said his side are aiming to cause a shock result this evening when they visit Real Madrid.

The Basque outfit come into the game on the back of a six game winless run, perhaps as a result of struggling to deal with the extra demands placed on the squad by the addition of Champions League football this season.

Athletic have also failed to win in their last 10 visits to the Santiago Bernabeu, but the manager said he is confident his players can turn the tables on recent form.

Speaking to journalists at his press conference, Valverde said: “First we would like to take all three points and after that, compete and play well.

And he added: “We would rather be beaten fighting and playing well. Barca beat us because they are a great side but at least we gave them a game.

“Last season I felt that Madrid beat us too easily. We don’t just want to give a good impression out on the field of play, we want to win – that is our priority.”

Finally, he recognised Real have a strong side but urged his team not to be scared by reputation alone.

“They are very strong but we can stand up to them at our ground. We are in a delicate moment but we have plenty of positives to focus on,” he stated.

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Chicharito Hernandez will never forget his first goal for Real Madrid. His wonderful strike against Deportivo La Coruna has been named goal of the month in La Liga for September 2014.

The Mexican international came in from the bench in the 76th minute replacing Gareth Bale, when his team was already leading 1-5. It only took him ten minutes to score with an impressive left-footed volley from 25 metres into the top corner.

That goal has beaten other brilliant strikes that were contending for the award, such as Javi Lara’s goal for Eibar against Real Sociedad.

Real Madrid went on to win 2-8 that game, after Chicharito netted another one in stoppage time. The 26-year-old proved to be capable of outscoring Karim Benzema, despite having received critics from certain media.

Hernandez has made five appearances for Los Merengues since his arrival to the Santiago Bernabeu, scoring two goals. He was picked as a starter for the first time against Ludogorets.

The forward is hoping to convince Real boss Carlo Ancelotti to make his loan move into a permanent one from Manchester United at the end of the campaign.

* Get all the latest Real Madrid news by following us on Twitter: @realmadridnewsw

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Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has said he wants his side to keep their good run of form going as they prepare to take on Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Los Blancos have responded well to the defeat to city rivals Atletico de Madrid last month, winning all their games in La Liga and the Champions League.

And speaking at his press conference ahead of the game with the Basque outfit and fellow Champions League competitors, Ancelottti stated he wants his team to keep the run going to keep apace in the league.

“We’re in pretty good form, with a good run of results and playing well. We have to sort out a few things, like being more compact when we defend. Our effectiveness in attack is very good. Compared with last year, at this stage we had more problems. We didn’t have balance or a very clear idea of how to play. In terms of its play, the team is in better shape,” he said.

The Italian also defended Gareth Bale, who has come under fire from the press for a perceived lack of defensive duty. Ancelotti told reporters every player had to improve in that respect.

He commented: “Defensive work isn’t an individual issue, it isn’t only about Bale. Everyone has to give more. I ask the same of Cristiano and Benzema, more work in winning the ball back.”

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Premier League side Liverpool have entered the race to sign Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira, according to reports.

The German World Cup winner, currently sidelined with injury, has only nine months left on his deal at the Santiago Bernabeu and was believed to be close to leaving in the last transfer window.

Now, Mundo Deportivo claims the Anfield side could join Arsenal and Chelsea in bidding for the player in January. The Gunners were thought to have been close to a deal in the summer. And they could return with a 15 million euro bid to bring in the defensive midfielder as Arsene Wenger looks to upgrade on Matieu Flamini and Mikel Arteta.

Reds boss Brendan Rogers has used Steven Gerrard in the defensive role this season, but with the club captain in the autumn of his career, he will need replacing in the not too distant future. Meanwhile, Chelsea are well stocked with midfielders but former Los Blancos boss Jose Mourinho remains keen on Khedira.

Real boss Carlo Ancelotti favours keeping the German in the Spanish capital but with no signs of a new deal being signed anytime soon, the club would prefer to get some money in January rather than risk losing him for free in the summer.

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Fabio Coentrao could leave Real Madrid in the next winter transfer market, according to Spanish website Fichajes.net.

The Portuguese defender has lost his spot in the starting eleven to Marcelo following a misterious injury that has not been explained by the club’s medical staff.

Coentrao suffered a knee injury right before the start of the season, missing the first two games, but he did feature in Los Merengues’ 1-2 loss against arch-rivals Atletico Madrid.

After that, he seated on the bench against Basel, Deportivo La Coruna and Elche, and didn’t even make it in the squad for Villarreal’s trip.

After that, he supposedly suffered an injury, but there are no official reports on what the problem is.

Thus, rumours have spread about the defender seeking for a way out of the Santiago Bernabeu, especially since Monaco and Manchester United have been showing a strong interest in bringing him for the last few months.

Both clubs would bid high in January if Real were open to a sale, but it seems unlikely that Florentino Perez will let one of his two left-backs leave unless he has a world-class replacement.

Coentrao arrived to Real Madrid in the summer of 2011. He has made 65 appearances for Los Merengues, scoring one goal.

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Real Madrid playmaker Isco has claimed he is happy at the club and is not interested in a move elsewhere despite a lack of playing time.

The 22-year-old arrived at the 10-time European Cup winners in a 30-million-euro deal last summer from Malaga. With the form of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema, Isco found it hard to break into the team, and was also a victim of Carlo Ancelotti’s switch to a 4-3-3 system that saw him struggle to fit in.

Isco may have hoped for more chances once Angel di Maria left the club in the transfer window, but this term he has seen his path to first team football blocked by James Rodriguez, the Colombian midfielder who signed from Monaco after starring for his country at the World Cup.

Press in the UK have linked Isco with a move to Arsenal or Liverpool in the past, while champions Manchester City have previously been keen on him too.

But according to the Daily Express, Isco is happy in Madrid and keen to prove he can play alongside Rodriguez.

“We are compatible. He is a quality player and I have not had any problems with him. James is helping us a lot. Like all players, I want to play but I am ready to be in the team whenever the coach wants. I’m playing very little and hope to play more. Last year was amazing, winning titles, and I am very happy at Real Madrid,” he said.

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Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas has said he is happy the side have their destiny in their hands after the 2-1 win over Ludogorets saw Los Blancos cement their position at the top of their Champions League group.

The 10-time European Cup winners, looking to defend the trophy they won in May, had to come from behind in Bulgaria after conceding an early goal. Cristiano Ronaldo scored from the penalty spot and Karim Benzema netted to hand Los Blancos the three points that means they have the maximum six points from their opening two games.

Speaking to journalists in the mixed zone after the final whistle, Casillas said the team was happy with the win and knew they would be up against a motivated side.

“We knew they were going to be a difficult opponent who were going to play the match with a lot of intensity and would be really up for it against us. We conceded a goal early on and we had to recover. Then, we came back and turned the match around. We’ve taken another step forward in this competition, we still have our future in our own hands,” he said.

The 33-year-old then turned his attention to the Liverpool games and said both matches – at Anfield and at the Santiago Bernabeu – would be great nights.

“Now we come up against Liverpool, which is going to be a huge match because they have to win. I’m sure it’s going to be a very attractive, great match. But before then we have to think about Athletic, another big match in which we have to go all out for the three points before the international break.”

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Sports marketing company Euromericas has claimed that Real Madrid were able to sell 345,000 James Rodriguez shirts within 48 hours of the Colombian signing at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Gerardo Molina, founder of Euromericas, said there was “James mania” from the Madrid fans and that his company studied “Sales demand and evaluated sales projections with the same professionalism that they have produced reports, studies and surveys for 15 years.”

But a spokesman for Adidas, kit producer for Los Blancos, who would not give the exact numbers, says the claims are “Not true”.

“We are happy with James at Real Madrid. We’re sure about his future but these numbers are not true,” Adidas commented.

After his incredible World Cup in Brazil this summer, where he was top goalscorer with six goals in five matches and extremely unfortunate to not be awarded the golden ball, there was much speculation about Rodriguez’ future.

This was enough to convince Los Blancos to pay Monaco a fee of around €70million for Rodriguez to become the latest in a new breed of ‘Galacticos’ alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.

Upon his arrival in the Spanish capital Rodriguez was awarded Madrid’s number ten shirt, and if the figures were correct, would have immediately repaid almost a third of his transfer fee, selling over 7,000 shirts per hour in two days.

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Despite coming in for criticism in recent months, Iker Casillas is on the front cover of AS this morning as the Madrid daily pays homage to the Real captain.

The 33-year-old is taking part in his 15th consecutive campaign in the Champions League this season, meaning he is the Spaniard with the most consecutive appearances in the competition. Only Ryan Giggs has played in more – he played in 18 successive European Cup campaigns with Manchester United before he retired last summer to become assistant to Louis van Gaal.

Of the 142 games in the competition that Casillas has played, he’s kept 47 clean sheets – or 33%. Not bad for someone who has been targeted in recent months by the press.

Marca and AS both pick up on the form of Gareth Bale in recent weeks. The papers say he started the season brilliantly but has dipped in recent weeks. And according to Marca, boss Carlo Ancelotti is concerned the Welshman isn’t doing enough to help out his team mates when it comes to defending and needs to track back more.

Finally, Cristiano Ronaldo should be fit to take his place in the line up against Athletic on Sunday. The forward was at the end of some tough tackles against Ludogorets but should have recovered in time for Sunday’s game.

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Karim Benzema has said he is more concerned about how the team plays rather than scoring goals all the time himself.

The French striker has come under fire from fans and pundits this season following a slow start to the campaign in which had has netted just four times. But he silenced some of those criticising him last night with the winning goal as Los Blancos came from behind to see of Ludogorets in the Champions League.

The win means Carlo Ancelotti’s men top the group with six points after two games and look to be in good shape ahead of their next clash with Liverpool in the competition.

Discussing the night’s events after the match, Benzema said: “It was a difficult match at a difficult ground and we’re very happy with this result. What’s most important is that we’ve got the three points away from home.”

And he added: “For me the most important thing is the team’s play, although for a forward it’s also very important to score. Today I helped the team and my team-mates a lot. The most important thing is to win. The fans want me to score a lot of goals but we’re going to work hard like today.”

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