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Real Madrid left-back Marcelo has said the race for the La Liga title still has life left in it despite the 2-2 draw with Valencia.

Los Blancos scored a late equaliser at the Santiago Bernabeu through Cristiano Ronaldo, but failed to take full advantage of Ateltico de Madrid’s slip up at Levante, where they lost 2-0. It means Diego Simeone’s men need four points from their remaining two games to be confirmed as champions.

But speaking to journalists after the game, Brazilian defender Marcelo said the players will keep fighting.

“La Liga is very difficult and can change at any time. Today we tried to win because we had a good chance to get closer, but we failed. We have to train in order to keep fighting and win what’s left,” he stated.

He added that they don’t worry about the results of their title rivals, saying the focus is always on the fact that as a Real player, you need to go out and win your own games,

“We don’t look at the matches our rivals are playing. We just focus on ours. Today we had to win but we failed to do so. Those who played today gave their all but unfortunately we didn’t manage to win. At least we got a draw. It was a good opportunity. We have to forget this match and look at where we went wrong,” he commented.

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Diego Lopez

Diego Lopez says Real Madrid need to gt nine points from their final three games if they are to have any hope of lifting the title this season.

Los Blancos could only manage a 2-2 draw with Valencia at home on Sunday, failing to take advantage of Atletico de Madrid’s 2-0 loss at Levante earlier in the day. Barcelona also failed to win on Saturday evening – meaning this was the first weekend in over a year that any of the top three in Spain had not won.

After the match, Lopez admitted the players had blown the opportunity to add serious pressure on Atletico, and now must win all three games to have any hope.

“Only a win was going to do us but given how things have gone this weekend, a draw isn’t that bad a result. Once again we have seen just how hard it is to win in La Liga and we, just like everyone else, will be made to suffer in the remaining games. It is going to be very tough but we’ll go out to pick up all nine points,” he stated.

And he added that the joy at having reached the final of the Champions League may have had an effect as Los Blancos started slowly and lacked intensity throughout.

“We came into this game on the back of reaching a final for the first time in years and all the euphoria surrounding such a big result bears its toll. Perhaps we weren’t as intense and focused as we have been in other games. Valencia made things difficult for us,” the keeper said.

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Real Madrid failed to take full advantage of Atletico de Madrid’s slip up yesterday, and the papers are focusing on how eventful the title race is still.

The 2-2 draw with Valencia means Los Blancos are five points behind with a game in hand, and need Atletico to lose one of their final two games, while Madrid must win their remaining three to win the league.

It was an opportunity lost, and the players knew it. Marcelo said the team must carry on fighting for the title and won’t give up until it is officially over.

And Carlo Ancelotti admitted his side paid the price for playing such a high intensity semi final in the Champions League on Tuesday evening in Germany.

There were some positives to take however. Ronaldo’s spectacular equaliser in stoppage time was one of the goals of the season. It was also his 50th for the club this campaign, meaning he has scored 50 or more for the last four consecutive seasons. His goal moved him one ahead of Luis Suarez in the race for the European Golden Boot, and he now stands on 31 goals in La Liga – three ahead of Leo Messi and four ahead of Diego Costa.

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Real Madrid lost a great chance to increase their title hopes in La Liga as they failed to beat Valencia after leaders Atletico Madrid had lost at Levante.

The visitors played a great game at the Santiago Bernabeu and came close to earning the victory, but Cristiano Ronaldo savaged a point for Los Blancos in stoppage time with a brilliant goal.

Los Merengues had a number of opportunities in the first half, but all of them were frustrated by goalkeeper Diego Alves, who had a terrific performance.

Yet, Valencia had the best chances to score. Former Real Madrid player Daniel Parejo met a cross from Sofiane Feghouli at the far post, but Diego Lopez pushed his header onto the crossbar.

Just one minute before half-time Parejo kicked a corner inside the box and defender Jeremy Mathieu shook off the attentions of Raphael Varane to divert the ball over the line with a close range header. Valencia took the lead.

Carlo Ancelotti men level just before the hour mark as Sergio Ramos nodded a Ronaldo header into the back of the net from close range.

Real were in control of possession but Valencia had a great defensive performance and threatened Diego Lopez in their counter-attacks.

Thus, the visitors regain the lead with 65 minutes on the clock as Parejo, who was the man of the match, rattled a low effort into the bottom corner following a brilliant cross from Feghouli.

Madrid started desperately looking for the equaliser, but Valencia’s keeper denied all their efforts. Yet, in the 93rd minute, Ronaldo savaged one point as Di Maria lifted a volley into the box and the Portuguese sent the ball into the corner with a terrific flick of his right boot.

Youngster Alvaro Morata had a great chance to fulfil the come-back in the last minute, but his shot from close range went wide of the post.

Real sit now five points behind leaders Atletico Madrid, who have played a game more, and two behind second-place Barcelona, who have also played one game.

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Real Madrid will look to keep their Liga title hopes alive as they take on Valencia at the Santigo Bernabeu.

Los Blancos come into the game in great shape, having trashed reigning European champions Bayern Munich with an overall 5-0 in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Yet, they are not in the best position to succeed in La Liga as well. Los Merengues trail Atletico Madrid by six points and need their city rivals to drop points in at least two of the remaining three games in order to lift the trophy.

Despite that is very unlikely to happen, Carlo Ancelotti men will do their best to get another three points against Los Che.

Luka Modric will miss the match with a calf problem. Asier Illarramendi is expected to replace him in the starting line-up. Marcelo will also return to Real’s eleven, leaving Fabio Coentrao rest.

The main doubt for Ancelotti will be whether to include Isco among the starters or leave him on the bench. Alvaro Arbeloa and Jese Rodriguez remain on the side-lines, while Sami Khedira has been included in the squad for the first time since he picked up an injury back in November.

Juan Antonio Pizzi will miss Oriol Romeu, Victor Ruiz and Philippe Senderos due to injuries. Paco Alcacer will return to the striker position after missing the second leg of the Europa League semi-finals through suspension.

Valencia have already lost their chances to qualify for European competitions and they have nothing to fight for. That should be an advantage for Real Madrid to get a comfortable win.

Possible line-ups:

Real Madrid: Lopez; Carvajal, Varane, Pepe, Marcelo; Illarramendi, Alonso, Di Maria; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo.

Valencia: Alves; Pereira, Costa, Mathieu, Bernat; Fuego, Keita; Feghouli, Parejo, Cartabia; Alcacer.

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Carlo Ancelotti has said his Real Madrid players are only focused on the game with Valencia and not on the Champions League final later this month.

Los Blancos know the La Liga battle is one that is out of their hands as they need Atletico de Madrid to slip up. And with just six points needed to secure the title, it looks like the trophy will be heading to the Vicente Calderon this season.

But speaking at his press conference ahead of their match with Valencia, Ancelotti said he still holds the hope Real can win the title, and added his players will be fighting for it until it is no longer possible to win.

“We’re not thinking about preparations for the Champions League. We’re thinking about Valencia and we’re going to fight to the end for the Liga. We know what happened to Valencia, I feel for them because losing at the end like that isn’t easy,” he stated.

And he added: “We’re going to prepare as well as possible. They’re a good team, with quality and good football. We have to be very careful, it won’t be an easy match and we need to win. It’s very important that we maintain this intensity to the end.”

Ahead of the Champions League final, the Italian confirmed he would rotate his goalkeepers to give Iker Casillas game time.

“I’ve decided what I’m going to do with the goalkeepers. Diego will play tomorrow, Iker on Wednesday. Then Diego will return against Celta and Iker will play against Espanyol. I’ve spoken to them and they’re both happy with it. Casillas needs to play this month. It didn’t seem right leaving him out for a month to prepare for the final,” Ancelotti commented.

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Real Madrid take on Valencia tonight hoping to add pressure on Atletico de Madrid at the top of the table.

Diego Simeone’s men need only two wins from their last three games to secure the title, and play away at Levante this afternoon, so could be within touching distance even before Los Blancos kick off. Both Marca and AS focus heavily on Los Rojiblancos on their front pages this morning.

In his press conference before the game, Carlo Ancelotti promised the Madridista fans that Los Blancos will keep on fighting for the title until it’s no longer possible to win.

And in good news, they’ll be able to do so with the services of Sami Khedira, who returns to the matchday squad 176 days after his last appearance in a Real Madrid shirt. The German international injured his cruciate ligament while playing for his country back in November, but after a long rehabilitation, he is back in contention in the first team squad and looking to be match fit ahead of the Champions League final and the World Cup.

Speaking about the final itself, Ancelotti confirmed the most likely replacement for the suspended Xabi Alonso is Asier Illarramendi. Meanwhile, he also confirmed he will rotate his two goalkeepers over the final four matches to allow Iker Casillas to reach the final in top condition.

 

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Former Real Madrid player and coach Jorge Valdano has said Iker Casillas should get more game time in the run up to the Champions League final.

Los Blancos qualified for the showpiece event by thrashing Bayern Munich 4-0 at the Allianz Arena and will take on city rivals Atletico de Madrid in Lisbon on May 24. For now though, the focus is back on La Liga, as Real try to overhaul Atletico with four games remaining.

Carlo Ancelotti has used Diego Lopez in league fixtures this season, while club captain Casillas has been played in the Copa de Rey and Champions League games only – a policy started by ex-boss Jose Mourinho.

But with three weeks still until the final, Valdano says it would be a good idea to keep Casillas on his toes and match fit.

Speaking to El Larguero, he said: “Casillas not playing until the final is a problem. I would give him minutes. It’s a long time without playing.”

He also had high words of praise for Daniel Carvajal who has stepped up in the absence of Alvaro Arbeloa in the last two months. Valdano believes the form of the 21-year-old is good enough to take him to the World Cup.

“A national team shirt wouldn’t be too big for him and players don’t doubt themselves,” Valdano added. “People from the cantera rarely disappoint.”

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Noel Le Graet, president of the French Football Federation (FFF) has said Real Madrid assistant boss and France legend Zinedine Zidane needs to prove himself as a manager before he can be considered as boss of the national side.

Zidane is an icon in France, having been one of the greatest players to ever represent the country. He scored two goals in the 1998 World Cup final in Paris to help his country lift the trophy for the first time ever.

In a book published last month, La Graet claimed Zidane wanted to take over the French national team from Laurent Blanc after Euro 2012.

Now, he says the 41-year-old is taking steps in the right direction to achieving his dream, but still needs to prove himself as a manager. Zidane has been linked with jobs back in France, notably with Monaco and Bordeaux.

Speaking to RTL, La Graet stated: “In 2012, it was way too early. Now it’s good – he’s a man who should get a club very soon. I believe he wants to and he’ll see a lot later that he needs to prove himself at a big club before thinking of a national team.

“I think he should find a club that will lead him on a career as exemplary as his playing one.”

 

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Alvaro Arbeloa has returned to training with Real Madrid following a two month injury layoff.

In some welcome news for Carlo Ancelotti’s side ahead of the La Liga run in and the Champions League final, the 31-year-old full back returned to first team training having recover from a knee injury. He suffered damage to his kneecap during Los Blancos’ 2-2 draw with Atletico de Madrid in the league fixture at the Vicente Calderon in March.

The club announced the return of the defender, who used to play in the Premier League with Liverpool, on their official website ahead of the game against Valencia this weekend.

Arbeloa’s return will bolster the options for Ancelotti as Los Blancos attempt to overhaul Atletico de Madrid in La Liga. Since the World Cup winner was injured, youngster Daniel Carvajal has stepped up and performed brilliantly on the right hand side of the defence.

Arbeloa grew up in the youth teams at Real Madrid and made two appearances for the club before pursuing a career elsewhere. He played for Deportivo La Coruña and Liverpool, but rejoined the club in 2009 for a five million euro fee from the Anfield side.  Since then, he has won La Liga, the Copa de Rey twice, and the Supercopa.

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