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Reaching the Champions League final would be a dream come true for Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos.

The central defender has won a host of trophies in his career with club and country, including the World Cup, European Championship, La Liga, and the Copa del Rey. But the one trophy that stands out in its absence on his CV is the Champions League.

And speaking to Champions magazine, the 28-year-old said reaching the final in Lisbon next month would be a dream come true, adding that he wants to lift the clubs Decima trophy.

First, Los Blancos have the tough task of seeing off Bayern Munich, who they take on at the Allianz Arena holding a 1-0 lead from the first leg last week. And Ramos said he is expecting a difficult encounter again against Pep Guardiola’s men.

“It will be an entertaining match and we’ll see who is the best and commits the fewest errors. We hope everything turns out how we want it to, it would be a dream to play in a Champions League final. Bayern is one of the best in the world and perhaps one of the most competitive teams. Having good players is not enough. When you meet great opponents you have to fight hard too. I think Bayern has done very well in recent years,” he said.

The pressure to perform and win trophies at Real Madrid is perhaps like no other. But Ramos stated the players understand and raise their game when they wear the famous white shirt.

He commented:  “When you sign for one of the biggest clubs in the world you know what comes with it. Whenever you go out on the pitch you know what is required of you. We are lucky to play for Real Madrid. You could say that it implicates a lot of pressure, but at the end of the day it makes you stronger and sets you apart from other players. You have to know how to deal with it.”

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It’s a huge evening in Real Madrid’s season as they take on Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena looking to make their first Champions League final in 12 years.

The competition will perhaps take on even greater importance now, as it looks highly likely that Atletico de Madrid will secure the La Liga title, needing just six points from their remaining games.

The Madrid press have gone to town on the theme around fire, after Karl Heinz Rumminegge said last week that even the trees in Munich would be burning upon Madrid’s arrival in town. AS goes with ‘Firemen’ on its front page, with mocked up image of Iker Casillas and Cristiano Ronaldo putting out a fire.

Carlo Ancelotti also made a reference to the comments by Rummenigge in his press conference yesterday, saying that Madrid expected the trees to be burning, but instead found it to be raining in Germany.

Good news for Madrid fans is that stats are on their side. Los Blancos go into the game with a 1-0 thanks to Karim Benzemas’s goal at the Santiago Bernabeu. Of the previous 938 knock out ties played in the Champions League, 60% (567) who had a first leg lead qualified for the next round.

Xabi Alonso, Sergio Ramos and Asier Illarramendi have to be on their best behaviour tonight, as a yellow card for any of the trio would see them sit out the final in Lisbon on May 24 if they qualify.

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Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola was very critical with Spanish media in a press conference prior to the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals against Real Madrid.

“To reach the final in Lisbon we’ll have to score more than one goal, although for what I’ve read in Madrid, they are already in the final and we’re not. It even looks like they’ve won the trophy already,” Guardiola said.

Asked about Los Blancos exhibition against Osasuna, the Spaniard claimed “Real Madrid are the same team before and after Osasuna’s match.”

“As always, I’ve got the highest respect for them. Nor even with the fastest defenders you can’t fight their speed. The best strategy is to keep them far from the penalty box. It’s a different thing if we play well and manage to keep them at the back, because this team is not made for defending during 90 minutes,” he added.

When asked about their rival’s possible line-up, Guardiola said he’s sure “Real Madrid will put all their strenght on the field,” thus suggesting he trusts Gareth Bale will return to the starting line-up alonside Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.

The Spanish manager also spoke about the recent critics to his possession-based style: “I only understand the football through being in possession of the ball. It was the way I was trained to play the game. That’s my idea, rather than having eight players running after the ball. I can’t do a different thing. I want the ball to create chances and I want us to be just as dominant as we were in Madrid, but more effective and aggressive, we must find the right balance,” he concluded.

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Some are quick to criticise a defensive style of football, but not Michael Laudrup, it seems.

At a Champions League promotional event for Heineken, the former Swansea manager told Marca that teams are entitled to play in the manner they choose. His comments came after Chelsea and Atletico Madrid drew 0-0 in their Champions League semifinal first leg while Real Madrid beat Bayern Munich 1-0 in their home leg.

“It’s up to everyone to play the way they see fit,” he told Marca. “The two Champions League semifinals panned out as I’d expected, particularly Atletico-Chelsea.”

The Blues and the Rojiblancos played out a cagey if unexciting draw at the Vicente Calderon Stadium, and while some may think ironically that Jose Mourinho “parked the bus” despite criticising other teams for a similar style, Laudrup said Chelsea fulfilled their goal.

“Chelsea set out not to concede — with a view to the second leg at home — and Atlético attacked while being wary not to concede either,” he said. “The outcome was a match with very, very little goalmouth action.”

Carlo Ancelotti’s side, however, captured a narrow victory over the Bavarian giants on a lightning-quick counterattack in the first half, Karim Benzema finishing off a move featuring beautiful work by Cristiano Ronaldo and Fabio Coentrao.

Laudrup praised Madrid’s ability on the break as superior to all others.

“Bayern came flying out of the blocks in the first 20 minutes,” he said. “But then Real went ahead from their first attack and had two fantastic chances to add to their lead through Ronaldo and [Angel] di María. Still, I think Real will be very happy with the result because they are the best counterattacking team in the world.”

The former Barcelona and Madrid star said with the ties poised so finely, any of the four teams could advance to the final in Lisbon.

“All four semi-finalists have got there on their own merits,” he said. “Atletico knocked out a very strong Barcelona side, while there has been a lot said about Chelsea, but Mourinho’s teams are always very competitive. Real and Bayern have both performed well, so I couldn’t say. What we do know for sure is that the final is going to feature two teams with somewhat different styles.”

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Former Real Madrid manager Vujadin Boskov has died at the age of 82.

A statement released by FC Vojvodina, the club where Boskov spent most of his playing career, said he died on Sunday morning in his hometown. The cause of death was not disclosed.

The former Yogoslavia international was in charge of Los Blancos between 1979 and 1982. In his three years in the hotseat at the Santiago Bernabeu, he won the La Liga title and two Copa del Rey trophies. His Real Madrid team lost to Liverpool in the final of the European Cup in 1981, with Alan Kennedy scoring the only goal of the game eight minutes from time in the Parc des Princes in Paris.

He coaching career spanned four decades, and he is perhaps most successful for leading Sampdoria to European glory, as well as managing the Yugoslavia national team in Euro 2000, where they lost to Holland in the quart-finals.

Real Madrid published a statement on the official website remembering their former manager. It read: “Real Madrid C. F.  would like to express its regret at the passing of Vujadin Boskov and send its sincere condolences and thoughts to his family and loved ones, in particular to his wife Jelena and his daughter.

“It was an emotional day at Real Madrid as we remembered the remarkable man who was our manager from 1979 to 1982. He was highly respected, not just at Real Madrid but by football fans around the world.”

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Every time he plays, it appears that Cristiano Ronaldo breaks some sort of record.

The fit again striker scored two sensational goals against Osasuna on Saturday evening to help his side to a 4-0 win and keep the pressure up on Atletico de Madrid at the top of La Liga.

Both the goals were scored from outside the area, taking the Portugal international to 29 goals scored outside the box in all competitions this season. That number surpasses the 28 goals from outside the area scored by Leo Messi for Barcelona in the 2009/10 season.

The record takes into account the top five leagues across Europe – La Liga, the Premier League, the Bundesliga, Seria A, and Ligue 1.

Ronaldo has scored 30 goals in 28 league games this season, and 14 goals in the Champions League. Should he score another in European football’s most elite club competition, he’ll have the record for the most number of goals scored in the Champions League in a single campaign. Currently, he shares that record with Messi.

Los Blancos head to the Allianz Arena on Tuesday night holding a 1-0 lead as they look to qualify for their first Champions League final in 12 years. Karim Benzema scored the only goal of the game in what was Ronaldo’s comeback game following a hamstring injury.

 

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Real Madrid did a professional job on Saturday evening, seeing off Osasuna 4-0 and then waiting for their title rivals to slip up.

Atletico de Madrid took on Valencia at the Mestalla in a game that many Madridistas thought Los Colchoneros could slip up in given that they have a huge game with Chelsea on Wednesday evening. It wasn’t to be the case though as Diego Simeone’s men took a 1-0 win that sees them move to within six points of winning the title.

Marca and AS both hail the champions elect and should they go on to win it, it would be a great achievement for Real’s cross-city rivals.

There is of course another huge competition that Los Blancos have their eye on though – the Champions League. According to AS, 3,500 Madrid fans will travel to Germany to support their team as they look to make it to their first final since 2002.

Boss Carlo Ancelotti has been talking about the game and says that winning La Decima in his first season in charge at the Santiago Bernabeu would make him a proud man as it would be an incredible achievement.

Sergio Ramos has also been talking about the possibility of winning the trophy, and said that its the only thing missing from his CV, so it is of vital importance to him.

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Real Madrid are serious about their title challenge and will be working hard to win their final four league games, Sergio Ramos has said.

The centre back played his part in the 4-0 win over Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu, helping his side keep a clean sheet and also chipping in with the third goal of the evening. And he says Los Blancos will aim to continue on the winning road until the end of the campaign.

Talking to journalists after the match, he stated: “We are very happy for the win. We played a serious game and we have to carry on this road until the end of the season.

“We have four finals in the league and we are going to try and win them all. The score was fair. Tonight we saw a very serious and applied Real Madrid.”

The World Cup winner, whose appearance in the game meant he drew level with Alfredo di Stefano on the list of most number of league games played for the club, admitted he enjoyed scoring his goal.

But the experienced defender added he would quickly switch his attention to the pivotal clash in Germany on Tuesday night against Bayern Munich.

“I’ve finally been able to score and dedicate the strike to my future son before he’s born. It wasn’t an obsession, but it came when I least expected it. I came in at the back and surprised everyone by scoring. Now we will enjoy the win and tomorrow start to think about the Champions League. We have to give everything on Tuesday as we are playing for a place in the final,” he commented.

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Real Madrid defender Pepe has admitted he wants to win all titles this season. “This is a very special year, because I can win both the Champions League and the World Cup. I hope everything turns out well. We know it’s very complicated, but we will leave everything on the pitch,” he said.

The Portuguese believes he can have a historic season: “We’ve won the Copa del Rey in a great final and now I want more titles. We don’t renounce to win La Liga. We’ll try to earn the five victories and hope for Atletico Madrid to end up dropping points.”

When asked about the match against Bayern Munich in the first leg of the semi-finals of the Champions League, Pepe confessed the 1-0 victory “felt like a short result.” “It was a victory, we didn’t concede any goals, but I believe we had enough chances to have scored more goals. In Munich, we’ll play strong, very concentrated and eager to earn a spot in the final in Lisbon. Playing a Champions League final in Portugal would be very special,” he added.

Pepe also spoke about next summer’s Brazil’s World Cup: “It’s a very important tournament for my country and for me. It’s always an honour to wear Portugal’s shirt and the World Cup is a very special event. We hope to have a good performance and go as far as possible,” he concluded.

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Real Madrid left back Marcelo has said the players have become accustomed to seeing Cristiano Ronaldo score spectacular goals.

The 29-year-old Portugal captain scored another two strikes against Osasuna to add to his collection of great goals. Both efforts were long range efforts that left the keeper helpless as Los Blancos ran out 4-0 winners.

Ronaldo has now scored 47 goals for his club this season and looks to be back to his best ahead of the crucial match against Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

Speaking to journalists after the game, Marelo, who made his own comeback from injury, said: “We’re used to seeing top goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and I’m pleased for him. They were top drawer.”

He added: “We are good. We now have to rest and think in the important game on Tuesday. The next game is always the most important and that’s how I see it. We have a chance to go through. We have to go into the game relaxed, with humility and respect for the opponent. We will see what happens and if the trees burn or not.”

The Brazil left-back took time to talk about Tito Vilanova too, who passed away on Friday at the age of 45 after losing his battle with cancer. Players, managers and fans have been paying tribute to the former Barcelona coach, who guided his side to the title last season, by holding a minute’s silence before matches this weekend.

Marcelo stated: “It was a great shame. He was an example to football. I want to send a big hug to his friends and family.”

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