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The main story on the front pages of the Madrid press this morning is the remarkable achievement by Atletico de Madrid winning the league for the first time since 1996. Needing a draw against Barcelona to secure the title, David Godin was the hero as he equalised with a header from a corner in the second half.

But Los Rojiblancos paid the price for their success yesterday with main striker Diego Costa leaving the field injured in the first half. Images of him crying and inconsolable on the bench told its own story, and he’ll miss the Champions League final next week. Arda Turan also left the field in tears having pulled up injured and looks set to miss the final too.

It isn’t all plain sailing for Real Madrid either who dispatched Espanyol 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu. Again, injuries were the main talking point after the game, as Cristiano Ronaldo pulled out before the game started having felt discomfort. Carlo Anclelotti said afterwards that he should be fine for Lisbon.

Question marks also hang over Karim Benzema who left the field with 20 minutes to go appearing to have injured his groin. But the boss insisted it was just a precaution, and the Frenchman should be fit to take his place in the starting 11.

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Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale has said the team now has a week to prepare well for the Champions League final against Atletico de Madrid.

Los Blancos ended their La Liga campaign with a 3-1 win over Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu, with the Welshman scoring the opening goal, his 21st of a very productive first season in Spain.

And after the game, the 91 million euro signing said the squad now have to prepare well for a tough game against the newly-crowned champions of Spain. He added that he is looking forward to his first Champions League final.

“I’m very excited about playing in my first Champions League final and we’ll work hard to prepare for it. I’m really enjoying my first season at Real Madrid and hopefully I can end the season with another title,” the 24-year-old said.

He also commented on the importance of finishing the season well at home and putting on a show for the fans who have come week in week out to support the team.

“The most important thing against Espanyol was to win in front of our fans. We did it and I’m happy to have scored again, especially at the Santiago Bernabéu,” Bale told reporters.

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Alvaro Morata

Real Madrid warmed up for the Champions League final with a 3-1 win at home over Espanyol, Gareth Bale grabbing his 21st goal of the season and Alvaro Morata scoring a brace in the final five minutes.

But Madridistas around with world will be waiting for news about Cristiano Ronaldo’s fitness after the 29-year-old pulled out of the match after feeling discomfort in the warm up, casting doubt about whether he will be ready for the clash with Atletico de Madrid on May 24.

On a warm, sunny day in Madrid, the hosts never really looked like breaking the deadlock in the opening 45 minutes.

Sergio Ramos, enjoying a goalscoring run of late, was probably the most energetic in the home side, looking to get forward when he could and even offering his services when it came to free kick duty.

Indeed, on the half hour mark, the defender came closest to opening the scoring, his effort just skimming past the post. Karim Benzema was denied shortly afterwards by a fingertip Kiko Casilla save.

Espanyol, who had a terrible record at the Santiago Bernabeu coming into this match, could have taken the lead just before the break when Simao’s effort went just over the bar having taken a deflection off Daniel Carvajal.

Ancelotti took the right-back off at the interval, with next week’s Champions League final in mind, and introduced Alvaro Arbeloa.

The second period started quietly too, with Madrid looking content to conserve their energy level for the bigger test ahead. Indeed, Ancelotti continued to keep the final in mind when he took off Asier Illarramendi just after the hour mark and replaced him with Luka Modric.

A minute later the hosts were ahead. Catching Espanyol on the break, Karim Benzema played through Gareth Bale who finished off low past the keeper with his right foot.

Twenty minutes from time, Benzema was taken off looking like he had a groin problem, and was replaced with Alvaro Morata. And the young forward, linked with a move away from the club, showed he can be worthy replacement to be called up when his sent a low right footed effort past Casilla from the centre of the penalty area having been assisted by Angel di Maria.

Espanyol pulled a goal back with a minute to play when Pizzi converted a cross by Sergio Garcia, but there was still time for Madrid to go down the other end and score. The visitors were once again caught on the break and Morata finished off the move, assisted by Angel di Maria.

With the La Liga campaign now over, the attention now is very much on Lisbon next weekend.

 

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Real Madrid Espanyol match preview

Carlo Ancelotti will look to beat last season’s Jose Mourinho’s points as Real Madrid host Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Italian has earned 84 points so far in his first year in La Liga, only one less than Mourinho’s 85 in 2013. A victory would see Los Blancos closing a notable league with 87 points.

Los Merengues manager will probably rest his usual defence, since Pepe, Sergio Ramos and Daniel Carvajal are suffering from physical problems. Fabio Coentrao could also sit on the bench to arrive in better shape for the Champions League final. Thus, Alvaro Arbeloa, Nacho, Raphael Varane and Marcelo could form an unusual defensive line.

Cristiano Ronaldo is also a doubt following a harmstring problem. Thus, despite needing one more goal to overtake Luis Suarez in the race for the European Golden Shoe, the Portuguese is expected to rest, as well as Angel di Maria.

Sami Khedira could return to the starting eleven, and will have a chance to prove Ancelotti that he is ready to replace Xabi Alonso in the battle for La Decima against Atletico Madrid.

Los Merengues have taken just two points from their last three league fixtures, meaning they have gone more than two Liga games without winning for the first time since May 2009.

Yet, Espanyol seem like a pleasant rival to break the bad run, as they haven’t won at the Santiago Bernabeu since 1996. In fact, they have only earned two points in their last ten visits to Los Blancos ground.

Possible line-ups:

Real Madrid: Casillas; Arbeloa, Varane, Nacho, Marcelo; Khedira, Alonso, Illarramendi; Bale, Morata, Isco.

Espanyol: Casilla; J. Lopez, Colotto, Moreno, Fuentes; D. Lopez, Sanchez; Stuani, Pizzi, Simao; Garcia.

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After having lost all their chances to win La Liga due to dropped points against Valencia, Valladolid and Celta Vigo, Real Madrid are passing through a difficult emotional moment. Luckily for them, this weekend they will face Espanyol, a team that has traditionally helped Los Blancos to cheer up.

The Barcelona-based side has visited the Santiago Bernabeu ten times in the last ten years, both in La Liga and the Copa del Rey. Statistics are pretty good for Madrid: eight victories and two draws.

Some of these wins have remained etched in Los Merengues memory, such as the 4-3 victory in 2007 after the Madridistas came back from a 1-3 earning three crucial points to ending up conquering the La Liga title that season.

Real Madrid’s superiority over Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu is also clear from a scoring perspective. Los Blancos have netted 30 against the Catalans, while they have only conceded eight. That means in the last decade the averaged result when Real have hosted Espanyol is 3-0 or 3-1.

In fact, for finding Espanyol’s last victory at the Santiago Bernabeu, one has to look back to 1996, when they earned a 1-2 win. Thus, it seems pretty reasonable that the Catalans can be the best rival for Real Madrid to gain confidence ahead of the Champions League final.

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The atmosphere at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday afternoon will help Real Madrid prepare well for the Champions League final, according to boss Carlo Ancelotti.

Los Blancos take on Espanyol in their final game of the La Liga campaign and the Italian is expecting a great atmosphere in the stadium as Madridistas give the team a good send off as they head to Lisbon on May 24 to take on Atletico de Madrid.

Speaking to the press on Friday, Ancelotti thanked the fans for their support and said they have played a vital part in the team’s success so far this season, and will do next weekend too.

“There should be a great atmosphere in order to help the team prepare for the final. We will play with lots of intensity because it is our last match in front of our fans. I expect a very good atmosphere. The fans are going to show their support and love in order to get the team ready for the final. We want to show that we are going to play well and with lots of intensity in the last game of the season,” he said.

When asked what he thought of the title decider between Barcelona and Atletico, Ancelotti said he preferred to just focus on what his players do.

“It is important that we continue with what we have been doing this week, with a good atmosphere during the training sessions and with an air of excitement surrounding us. That is all we are worried about: preparing the training sessions well and then I’ll announce the lineup the day before the match,” he commented.

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Today’s fixture against Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu is the last of the La Liga campaign for Real Madrid, and while it is a dead rubber itself, there should be a good atmosphere at Madridistas give the players a send off as they prepare for the Champions League final in Lisbon.

In his press conference on Friday, Carlo Ancelotti spoke of the importance the fans played in the success the club enjoys, and the last home game of the season is also a chance for the players to thank the followers for that.

Cristiano Ronaldo looks set to play, and the Portuguese needs just one goal to secure the Golden Boot for being the top scorer across the main leagues in Europe. He is currently tied with Liverpool’s Luis Suarez on 31, but the Premier League season finished last weekend. On the subject of Suarez, long linked with a move to the Bernabeu, the Uruguayan has stated he has no clause in his contract allowing him to move to La Liga sides Real or Barcelona. And he added he is very happy playing at Anfield. One senses it could be another long summer of speculation still though.

Meanwhile, Asier Illarramendi is the favourite to replace Xabi Alonso in midfield in the Champions League final next week. Despite some poor displays recently, Ancelotti confirmed once again the former Real Sociedad man will likely start ahead of Casemiro or the fit again Sami Khedira.

And finally, Alvaro Arbeloa has taken to social media to joke about the number of visits the players have received from UEFA’s drug testers. Yesterday morning a team from European football’s governing body arrived at Valdebebas to take blood tests on a number of players – standard practice ahead of a major final.

Arbeloa said on Twitter that the club should build a house or offer them a permanent suite in a hotel because they are in town so often.

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Real Madrid fans who missed out on tickets for the Champions League final may be able to watch it on big screens at the Santiago Bernabeu if the club is given permission to show the match.

Representatives from Los Blancos have asked the regional government in the Spanish capital to allow the screening, while Atletico de Madrid will also look to set up big screens in the Vicente Calderon for their fans to watch the historic match.

Plans to have a fan zone in Puerta de Sol in the centre of the city were rejected over fears that having two sets of rival fans could be problematic. The requests to hold events in the respective stadiums is now being considered by the Junta Electoral, given that May 24 is a day of reflection in Spain ahead of the European elections the following day.

Should Real secure their tenth Champions League crown – La Decima – they will head straight back to the capital after the match and arrive at Plaza de Cibeles in the early hours of May 25 to celebrate with their fans.

Atletico de Madrid on the other hand intend to have a parade through the streets of Madrid on the Sunday afternoon if they win, again if the Junta Electoral allows it.

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Luka Modric has played a key part in helping Gareth Bale settle in Madrid since his move to the Spanish capital, the Welshman has said.

Bale joined Los Blancos in a 91 million euro move just a year after Modric made the same journey from Tottenham Hotspur to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Speaking to BTSport, Bale said he is enjoying life in Spain and has the Croatian to thank for helping him settle so quickly. The pair were close friends in their five years together at White Hart Lane, and have continued that friendship since linking up again in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad.

Bale, who has scored 20 goals in his opening season in Spain, said: “I obviously spoke to him about it, when he came to Madrid he didn’t really know anybody so it was quite difficult for him in his first year but having him here this year has made me settle in so much quicker, just being able to go in to the group and knowing someone, hanging around with them rather than feeling I am stuck on my own so it’s been a great help on and off the pitch and obviously I’m thankful for that.”

And he continued: “I spoke with him about various things and obviously a few of the other players as well that obviously advised me where to live and I had a look around everywhere and decided to live where I am now and I am very happy where I’m living, very happy here in Madrid at the moment and hopefully I can be here for a long time.”

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Cristiano Ronaldo has confessed in an interview with UEFA.com that he has long dreamed of winning the Champions League for Real Madrid.

“I won it with Manchester United and now it is my fifth season here at Real Madrid. I have always dreamed of winning this competition with this club,” he claimed.

The Portuguese admitted to be very motivated for the Lisbon final against Atletico Madrid that will be played on May 24th: “It will be a very special match which takes place in my country. I’m very happy and excited.”

“It is a trophy we have spent years trying to win. As a result, from the very first day we arrive at the club we feel a positive kind of pressure geared towards winning the Champions League. This year it feels like we are just one small step away from doing it,” he said.

“Pressure is a part of football and of playing for Real Madrid. We are used to having to win all the time, but it is fine. I like the pressure because it makes me a better player. It is a special kind of adrenalin we feel,” he added.

Ronaldo knows that beating their city rivals won’t be easy: “I’m going to try to enjoy it to the maximum because you don’t reach a final every day. We know it will be a very difficult match because Atletico are having a very impressive year. They are a very good team and they have a great coach. But we want to try to win and give our best.”

The 29-year-old explained the team “is in good shape and is confident”, despite the recent injury problems. Ronaldo himself has been suffering from muscle fatigue and he’s expected to rest in La Liga to arrive in perfect fitness to Lisbon’s game.

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