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Carlo Ancelotti has said Real Madrid must win their three remaining league games starting with the visit to Valladolid if they are to be champions this season.

Los Blancos wasted a great opportunity to put real pressure on leaders Atletico de Madrid at the weekend after they could only manage a 2-2 draw at home to Valencia after the Rijoblancos had lost away at Levante.

But the Italian, who lifted his first trophy as Real boss last month when he guided his men to success in the Copa del Rey, said the team will fight all the way in La Liga.

“It’s a final. It’s a decisive match for both teams. That’s the attitude we have to have. The only chance we have of being La Liga champions is by winning all three matches. That’s our goal. Atlético has the advantage, if they get four points, they win the league. Our goal is to win all three matches and see what happens,” he told reporters after training.

He added that he was happy with his team’s form, saying the result as a weekend was more due to mental tiredness than physical.

“We have players with extraordinary experience in title fights here. I see a team with a lot of character. But it can happen. After a semi-final you have a mental lull, but not a physical one. Physically I think the team was better than Valencia. But there was a lack of mental energy that we have recovered in recent days,” Ancelotti said.

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Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has said he will be supporting Real Madrid in the Champions League final at the end of this month.

Los Blancos take on city rivals Atletico de Madrid in Lisbon on May 24 at the Estadio da Luz after the capital clubs defeated Bayern Munich and Chelsea in their respective semi-finals.

It will be the first time two clubs from the same city will contest the final of Europe’s premier club competition. Carlo Ancelotti, already having secured the Copa del Rey, is looking to win the Champions League for the third time as a manager. A win for Madrid would mean the dream of securing their 10th crown, La Decima, will have been achieved 12 years after they last won the trophy.

Speaking to Cadena Ser, Rajoy said he admired the job done by Diego Simeone at the Vicente Calderon, and respected what Atletico had achieved this year. But he added he would be supporting Real Madrid.

Rajoy, who very rarely speaks to the media, and normally does so via videoconference so he can duck out of answering questions about his disastrous running of the country since he was elected, said: “I think it’s my duty to go to Lisbon, and in this instance it also overlaps with my passion.”

The Prime Minister, whose PP party is currently embroiled in an embarrassing corruption scandal, famously went to the final of Euro 2012 between Spain and Italy, the day after the country’s banks had been bailed out by the EU. Despite having overseen draconian public spending cuts and tax increases that have put huge pressure on large swathes of the Spanish population, Rajoy insisted he could attend the final having “solved yesterday’s problem”. The phrase he used became a hugely popular trending hashtag on social media: #lodeayer.

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All eyes will be events between Valladolid and Real Madrid tonight as the result will have a bearing on the title race and the relegation battle.

Marca and AS use their front pages today to welcome back Iker Casillas after more than a year without an appearance in the league. And they say it is a game suited for the World Cup winner. Accustomed to playing finals and high pressure matches, the match tonight will be similar, with Los Blancos needing to win to keep any title hopes alive.

Carlo Ancelotti has a few selection issues to deal with. Gareth Bale and Daniel Carvajal are both unavailable having picked up knocks at the weekend. Luka Modric should be fit having joined in full training again this week, while Sami Khedira may get some minutes under his belt as he looks to build up match fitness again having recovered from a serious knee injury.

In other news, the club confirmed yesterday that the draw has been made for the ticket allocation for the Champions League final. Those members lucky enough to have been pulled out of the hat will be contacted and offered the chance to purchase a ticket.

Finally, Sergio Ramos and his television presenter partner Pilar Rubio have announced the birth of their first son, also called Sergio.

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Real Madrid’s assistant manager Zinedine Zidane has said he wants to step up as he feels he has something to bring as a coach.

The 41-year-old, who has legendary status at the Santiago Bernabeu and in France, has been linked with a number of top jobs in Ligue 1 including those at Bordeaux and Monaco, where Claudio Ranieri is expected to be relieved of his duties.

Zidane has been working as an assistant under Carlo Ancelotti alongside Englishman Paul Clement this season. Prior to the Italian’s arrival, he worked in a number of roles for Los Blancos including as an ambassador and sporting director.

But he has made no secret of wishing to one day be a manager, and in an interview with RMC, said he feels he can give something back to the game.

“I wanted to enjoy my family, my children, because for 16 or 18 years, I was just focused on football,” Zidane said.

And he continued: “So, when I stopped, I gave myself to my family. Now, I want to do something, come back into football and show once again that I can bring something as a coach. As a player, you play a game and you go home. Coach, it’s different. He’s responsible for 23 or 25 players and it’s a different job, which I like.”

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Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has rejected an offer to become Manchester United coach, according to Spanish digital newspaper ElConfidencial.com.

Representatives of the Red Devils made the Italian an offer that would have made him the highest paid manager in the world, surpassing Pep Guardiola. ElConfidencial.com claims United offered Ancelotti 17 million euros a year.

However, the former AC Milan boss is aiming to stay in the Spanish capital, no matter how much money he’s offered: “I’m happy at Real Madrid.”

Ancelotti has reportedly confessed he wants to manage Los Merengues for many years to come. Moreover, he’s enjoying life in Madrid, where he’s earned the respect and admiration of the fans, the media and the club members.

ElConfidencial.com states this is the second time Ancelotti has said ‘no’ to Manchester United. Last year, when Alex Ferguson retired, the Scottish met the Italian in Paris, most likely offering him the job.

David Moyes was finally appointed as United’s boss, but he’s had a disastrous season and he has been fired after less than one year in charge. Ryan Giggs is the current manager, but former Barcelona coach Louis van Gaal is now favourite to take the Old Trafford hotseat.

* Follow Alejandro Gonzalez on Twitter at @alejandrognieto

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Cristiano Ronaldo’s spectacular equaliser for Real Madrid against Valencia on Sunday evening will be talked about for a long time because of its brilliance.

But as well as the beauty of the goal itself, and the importance it could play in deciding the destination of the title this year, it also saw Los Blancos become the first team across Europe’s big five leagues to pass the 100 goal mark in the league this campaign.

Remarkably, the side have reached triple figures in the goal scoring charts In La Liga for five consecutive seasons now. Cristiano Ronaldo leads the way with 31 goals in La Liga. His back-heeled effort was his 50th of the season, a figure he has reached for the last four years.

Of the 100 goals scored in La Liga, 58 have come at the Santiago Bernabeu, with the remaining 42 being scored in away matches. In terms top scorers across the big five leagues in Europe, Barcelona and Liverpool are right behind the nine-time European Cup winners on 99 league goals. Manchester City have found the back of the net on 96 occasions, with Bayern Munich top the league scoring charts in Germany on 93. PSG lead the way in France with 76 league goals and Juventus are one further back in Italy, on 75.

The highest scoring game so far this season was the 7-3 win over Sevilla. They have registered five goals in a single match on four occasions this season, and scored four in a game in six La Liga outings.

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Real Madrid are back in action tomorrow evening at Valladolid looking to add some pressure on Atletico de Madrid before the last two games of the season.

There Madrid press is slowly building up to that match, although the front pages of Marca and AS cover the the news that Barcelona have held meetings with Celta Vigo boss Luis Enrique about becoming their new manager at the end of the campaign.

Iker Casillas is set to play in goal tomorrow night, an AS looks in detail at the World Cup winner’s record and what could have been. The game will be his first start in La Liga since January 20 2013, 17 months ago. That was against Valencia, a game which Los Blancos won 5-0.

Since then, Casillas mas missed 51 La Liga games. If he had played them all, he would now have played 726 matches and would be second only to Raul in the total number of appearances made for the club. This season, Casillas has featured in 21 matches – nine in the Copa del Rey and 12 in the Champions League. He has conceded just nine goals, at one every 201 minutes.

Elsewhere, Malaga could be set for a windfall should Real Madrid win La Liga and the Champions League. As part of the deal to bring Isco to the Santiago Bernabeu, Los Blancos will pay one million euros should they win La Liga in the next five seasons, and another million for winning the Champions League over the same time period.

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Former Real Madrid player Pedja Mijatovic has said he prefers Real Madrid’s counter attacking football rather than the tiki-taka football played by Pep Guardiola’s teams.

The two contrasting styles have been the focus this week after Real beat Bayern Munich 4-0 in the Allianz Arena to qualify for the Champions League final. Bayern had 67% of the possession, but failed to make it count, while Los Blancos took the chances that came their way.

Speaking to Marca, Mijatovic said tiki-taka football isn’t dead, but he prefers the counter attacking style employed by Carlo Ancelotti.

“It’s not dead: it is a valid way of playing and will continue to be so. Barcelona executed it to perfection for years and someone may try to emulate them. But it’s quite another thing trying to apply it with a different team, different players and in a different country: it’s a tough task,” he said.

And he continued: “It would be useless in Italy, that’s for sure. And people are questioning it in Germany… They have a different vision of football; Klopp’s Borussia are a good counterpoint. It’s not dead, but I prefer Real Madrid’s style and the way Atlético have been playing.
“They are teams that are well set up, with pacy players to turn defence into attack. At the end of the day it’s a matter of taste, but the aim is the same: to win.”

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Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny is a transfer target for Real Madrid, according to reports in Spain.

Fichajes.net said Carlo Ancelotti would make a bid for the France defender as a replacement for the aging Pepe and doubts remain over the long-term future of Raphael Varane, who has missed large parts of the past two seasons with injury.

Koscielny has established himself as one of the top defenders in Europe and has played a crucial role for the Gunners this season as they secured a place in the Champions League playoff by finishing 4th in the league. Should they succeed in August, it will be their 17th consecutive season playing in Europe’s elite club competition – a feat matched only by Real Madrid.

The 28-year-old has appeared 160 times for Arsene Wenger’s side in the past four seasons, chipping in with 12 goals. Although he is on a long-term deal at the Emirate, he has attracted the interest of Bayern Munich and Barcelona too.

The report says that Arsenal would likely look for a swap deal with Varane to ensure they aren’t left short in the heart of defence. Chelsea have also been linked with a move for the young Frenchman, who was signed when Jose Mourinho was manager and the pair remain close today.

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Iker Casillas baby

Iker Casillas published the first public picture of his four-month-old baby Martin. Real Madrid’s goalkeeper congratulated his partner Sara Carbonero via Instagram by posting a photo of their baby.

“Hello mummy! Congratulations! Thank you for being the most wonderful mother in the world and for having given birth to me! I love you so much! Signed: Martin #happymothersday,” Casillas published in the social network.

This is the first time the couple show an image of the baby’s face. The kid looks pretty much like her mother, with big blue eyes and big lips. He’s got shinny blonde hair and pallid skin.

When Martin was born, Casillas and Carbonero published a couple of photos, one with the goalie holding his son and another one showing the baby’s hand. Yet, at that moment they decided not to show the kid’s face.

In Spain, Mother’s Day is celebrated the first Sunday of May. Other Real Madrid players who have recently had their first child were also celebrating, such as Karim Benzema. However, they couldn’t have a completely happy day, since dropped two points against Valencia, damaging their title hopes.

If everything goes as expected, Sergio Ramos will be the next Real Madrid player to become a father. His girlfriend Pilar Rubio should give birth this week.

* Follow Laura Martinez on Twitter at @Lauram_Ti

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