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Carlo Ancelotti to Real Madrid

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has said his players must react to recent setbacks and get off to a winning start in the Champions League.

Los Blancos take on Swiss outfit Basle at the Santiago Bernabeu in their first game in the tournament since lifting the trophy back in May.

The side have got off to a slow start domestically, losing the Spanish Supercopa in August and have been beaten twice in their first three La Liga matches – most recently to city rivals Atletico de Madrid at the weekend.

Speaking to reporters at his press conference ahead of the game, Ancelotti said he and the players need to fix things starting tonight.

“This match comes just at the right time because it will be good to react. I hope it is a good match to do so. I feel like a coach who has to fix things with the team, like last year. Starting this competition well is very important and we are keen to win it again,” he stated.

And he added that the memory of winning the tournament in May will spur the players on to reach the same dizzy heights this season.  “We are motivated by being competitive in the most important competition in the world and the wonderful memory of last year. We work and fight in order that we may do it again this year. We have a chance because we’re very competitive,” the Italian stated.

He was keen to stress though that the players would not be underestimating Basle, who have achieved some significant results in big matches, including seeing off Chelsea and Manchester United.

“They are a very good team who play dynamic football that I like. They are also dynamic in defence and create good chances in attack. The team is dangerous, especially early in the season, as they showed by beating Chelsea in both matches last year.”

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Real Madrid take on Swiss side Basle in their opening group game of the Champions League tonight and are looking to put the poor domestic form behind them.

Los Blancos have lost twice in their first three matches in La Liga as well as the Spanish Supercopa. But they will be looking to carry on from where they left off in the Champions League in May.

Last season, Carlo Ancelotti’s team earned some emphatic wins, and not just in the final itself. They also saw off Bayern Munich with relative ease in the semi-final and had some big wins in the group stage, notably against Galatasaray.

Bookmakers have the home side a 1/10 to pick up the three points, while Basle are considered rank outsiders at 20/1 to be triumphant in the Spanish capital.  A draw is available at odds of around 15/2.

Real Madrid, and Ronaldo in particular, had few problems scoring in this competition last season, and recorded an average of more than three per game. It is little surprise then that they are at 8/15 to score more than 2.5 goals again tonight.

Cristiano Ronaldo broke the goalscoring record in the competition last season, netting 17 times in all.  He can be found at 5/6 to open the scoring again tonight.

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Real Madrid forward James Rodriguez has admitted he is still adapting to his new surroundings and new team mates in Spain.

The Colombian international, who was the top scorer at the World Cup with six goals in five matches, completed a 80-million-euro switch to the Santiago Bernabeu in August.

But he has come under fire from the critics in recent weeks for a perceived slow start to his Los Blancos career as the team have stuttered twice already in La Liga and are yet to hit top gear.

Speaking to journalists ahead of the Champions League game against Basle, the 22-year-old said he is gradually settling in but is not 100% settled yet.

“It is not yet complete. I’m in a new group and I’m gradually getting better. Every day I get better, physically and mentally. I just want to play and train. I came here as just another player and I want to train well to perform well when I play. I hope to give my all to be with Real Madrid for many years,” he said.

Looking forward to his first Champions League match as a Real Madrid player, he said the team have high standards to uphold and he will be giving his all against the Swiss side.

“We have to play with intensity and start the Champions League with a win. We have a great chance to win and do everything well. This is day-by-day and match-by-match. You can’t look back. You have to go out to win,” he told reporters.

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Champions League trophy

Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm believes Real Madrid are once again the favourites for this season’s Champions League.

Los Blancos saw off the Bavarian side in the semi-final of last season’s competition on their way to success in Lisbon – the 10th time the club has won the European Cup.

And despite Pep Guardiola’s side doing some considerable strengthening this summer, including the purchase of Xabi Alonso from Real, Lahm believes Los Blancos are the team to beat.

Speaking to German football magazine Kicker, Lahm, who retired from international football after winning the World Cup this summer, said: “The club have strengthened an already-excellent team with a lot of money. Real are certainly the team to beat.”

However, the left-back admitted he is determined to win the trophy again before his hangs up his boots. Lahm was part of the Bayern team to lift the Champions League trophy in 2013.

The 30-year-old stated: “Real are certainly the team to beat. I want to win this trophy again. Whether with the squad we have this season or in the new three years, I want a shot at the title.”

Bayern Munich start their Champions League campaign with a game against Manchester City on Wednesday, while Los Blancos get underway on Tuesday with a match against Basle.

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Bayern Munich made the right choice to sell Toni Kroos to Real Madrid this summer, according to the Bavarian club’s chairman.

Karl Hopfner said the German league and cup champions couldn’t afford to lose the World Cup winning midfielder on a free transfer next summer, and with the 24-year-old unwilling to enter into talks over a new deal, the best decision was to sell him.

Kroos signed for Real in July in a deal thought to be worth around 25 million euros. Following an injury to Spaniard Javi Martinez, who is expected to be out for a year, Bayern then made their move in the transfer market and snapped up Xabi Alonso, paying five million euros for the 32-year-old.

Speaking to football newspaper Kicker, Hopfner said of Kroos: “In the case of Kroos, the board have definitely made the right choice. Toni did not renew and would have been a free agent in 2015. Hence, the premature separation was the right choice.”

Kroos grew up in the Bayern Munich youth teams and made 205 appearances for the club at first-team level. He played a key role in the club’s success in recent years, helping them win the Champions League, three league titles and the German Cup among the trophies.

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Real Madrid take on Basle tonight in their first group game of this season’s Champions League. And the holders come into the competition on the back of some poor domestic form.

Rather then be in celebratory mood going into the game, the papers in Madrid are focusing on a number of changes they think need to be made as Carlo Ancelotti looks to get the campaign back on track.

The main issue once again is the goalkeeping one. Fans and pundits alike have called for Iker Casillas to be dropped in favour of Keylor Navas, but Ancelotti maintains the 33-year-old is the number one choice for now and will start.

At the other end of the field, Karim Benzema is struggling in front of goal. And Marca has quotes from Zinedine Zidane saying he has no concerns about he forward. He told the paper: “He’ll score in the next game and everyone will move on to talk about something else.”

Elsewhere, Paulo Sousa, the boss of tonight’s opponents has talked up compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo. In his press conference yesterday, he described the 29-year-old as the flag bearer of the best team in the world, and his players would have to put in the performance of a lifetime if are to emerge triumphant this evening.

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Real Madrid’s assistant boss Paul Clement has said one of the hardest tasks for Carlo Ancelotti is keeping everyone at the club happy.

The Champions League winners have a squad packed full of global superstars and this summer they added even more in the shape of German World Cup winner Toni Kroos and the tournament’s top scorer James Rodriguez.

Los Blancos sold Xabi Alonso and Angel di Maria, two of the star performers from last season, something that drew much criticism from fans of Real.

But the Englishman told the BBC that every year is the same, with the manager having to keep a fine balance between his squad and ensuring the players are happy, even if they don’t make the starting 11 from time to time.

“It’s a big challenge [keeping everyone happy], particularly for the manager. You look at our situation here, just before Xabi and Angel departed we had 20 high-level players and basically two for each position. We’re slightly lower than that now, we’re down to 18, but the problems are still there,” he said in an interview.

And he added: “These players are very competitive, playing at a high level and they want to play every game in almost all circumstances here.

“We see the disappointment of the players that get left out but they’re very professional and show in a good way the way to move forward from those disappointments.”

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Espanyol goalkeeper Kiko Casilla is once again a target for Real Madrid, according to reports in Spain.

El Confidencial claimed Los Blancos are interested in the 27-year-old shot stopper, who recently received his first ever call-up to the Spanish national side.

Carlo Ancelotti was interested in signing the keeper earlier on in the summer with speculation surrounding both Diego Lopez and Iker Casillas.

In the end, Lopez left for AC Milan and club captain Casillas stayed in the Spanish capital and Los Blancos made a move for Keylor Navas instead.

But after a poor start to the season, in which Casillas conceded four goals to Real Sociedad last time out, question marks have once again arisen over his future at the 10-time European Cup champions. The World Cup winner is into the last year of his contract and could leave for pastures new at the end of the campaign.

The paper claims for that reason, Los Blancos are considered making a move for Casilla. He has a 20 million euro release clause in his contract but his deal is set to expire at the end of this season.

Espanyol are trying to persuade him to sign a new deal that would include a lower release clause. Should Real come in with an offer, they have first refusal on the player having sold him to Espanyol in 2007 from their youth team.

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New Real Madrid striker Javier Hernandez has stepped into the widely talked about debate of who is better; Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi?

The Mexican, who has joined on a season long loan deal from Manchester United, has told press in his homeland that he thinks the Real Madrid number seven is better, not the Barcelona number ten.

Speaking to ‘El Chiringuito’, the striker known as Chicarito said ““Cristiano is better without a doubt.

“You’d have to be mad not to think that because he is the best. Messi is good, but he is behind.

Hernandez, who spent four years at Old Trafford after signing from Chivas Guadalajara, also thinks that he will be a success, at the club he says is the biggest in the world, saying I played at Chivas, the best team in Mexico. I played at Manchester United, the best team in England.

“And now, I will play with Real Madrid, the best team in the world. I can only see the glass half full. Here the doubts are something you have to come to terms with. Only Madrid have 10 European Cups and some dare to argue about which is the best club in the world.”

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There has been plenty of fall-out following the damaging 2-1 home defeat to Atletico de Madrid at the weekend, but Real Madrid can turn their focus onto the Champions League.

The holders take on Swiss side Basel on Tuesday night and will be keen to put their domestic woes behind them and get off to a good start in the group stages with a win.

AS says this morning that boss Carlo Ancelotti will stick with the much maligned Iker Casillas in goal for the game. The 33-year-old club captain was jeered by some sections of his own supporters on Saturday evening, with fans believing he was to blame for the goals conceded. Marca also holds an online poll among its readers asking them whether Casillas or summer signing Keylor Navas should start in the Champions League.

Elsewhere, AS looks at the form of French striker Karim Benzema, who is going through one of his toughest periods as a Los Blancos player. The forward has scored just twice in his last 18 outings. And the paper says the club’s decision to sell Alvaro Morata, while passing up the chance to sign Radamel Falcao, Diego Costa or Luis Surez only adds to the pressure on him.

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