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Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric has said he is living his childhood dream by playing for Los Blancos.

In a wide ranging interview with BBC Sport, Modric revealed that as a child growing up in Croatia, all he wanted to do was be a footballer, and play for Real Madrid. His dream to play was Los Blancos was his way of escaping the horrors of war-torn Croatia as he grew up.

“I think ‘unique’ is the best word to describe your feelings to play for such a special club,” he says. “From the first moment I arrived here – my presentation walking into the trophy hall at the Bernabeu and seeing trophies and pictures of the legends of Real Madrid, it showed me where I’ve come,” he told Football Focus.

He added: “I feel so proud of where I’ve come. All I dreamed of when I became a footballer was to play for a club as big as Real Madrid. It’s maybe the most famous and best club in the history of football.”

Modric also spoke about overcoming his difficulties when he initially joined the club, and said he always knew he would come good. The playmaker struggled at first, but his goal at Old Trafford in the Champions League last year was his personal turning point. This season, he has been one of Real’s most consistent performers and among La Liga’s stand out players.

“People like to judge and make their own conclusions,” Modric says. “I never cared what other people were saying about me – I had my aims, I believed in myself and never stopped. I’ve been through many difficulties in my life, but all these things made me a stronger and better person. All these critics push you forward to show people they are wrong. Maybe I look lightweight but I am a really strong person mentally and physically.”

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Real Madrid took another step in their way to win La Liga, easing past Elche at the Santiago Bernabeu. Los Blancos didn’t play a brilliant game, but their unambitious rival made things easier for Carlo Ancelotti men.

Asier Illarramendi, Gareth Bale and Isco put pressure on Barcelona and Atletico Madrid with their goals, forcing them to win for keeping their shared spot at the top of the table.

Los Merengues were in total control of possession from the first minute. Elche focussed on defending and hoping for a counter-attack to score, but Real’s solid defence prevented the visitors from threatening Diego Lopez.

Karim Benzema had the first chance with a powerful shot to the bottom corner, but goalkeeper Manu Herrera did enough to push it wide of the post.

Jese was even closer to scoring at the half-hour mark as Di Maria drove down the left and found the Spaniard on the edge of the box, but the youngster’s effort was wide of the post.

Real were dominating and Illarramendi scored his first goal in La Liga to make it 1-0. The Basque picked up a ball cleared by Elche’s defence in a corner kick and his shot deflected of Manu del Moral and ended up in the back of the net.

The visitors tried to react after half-time, pressing hard up front, and Los Blancos had more difficulties for reaching their opponents box. Nevertheless, Elche’s efforts in attack were not dangerous at all, and Diego Lopez didn’t have to intervene at all.

Bale sealed the victory with one of the most spectacular goals of the season. The Welshman thundered a long-range strike off the underside of the crossbar from 40 metres, leaving the goalie with no chance.

Isco replaced Jese with 15 minutes to play, enough for the Andalucian to leave his mark with a couple of good plays and a goal. The 21-year-old took a pass from Benzema and danced past David Lomban before tucking the ball between the post and the keeper.

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Real Madrid Elche match preview

Real Madrid hosts Elche seeking to reach the top of the table, as Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are presented with tricky visits to Osasuna and Real Sociedad.

Los Blancos sit second in the league with the same points than their rivals, but with a worse point difference than the Azulgranas. Elche’s visit looks like a perfect match for turning things around.

Los Merengues are unbeaten in 2014 and have only dropped points against Athletic Bilbao at San Mames. Moreover, Carlo Ancelotti men haven’t conceded a loss in their last 25 games, the second best run in the history of the club.

The Italian manager will miss Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric due to suspension. The main problem for him will be replacing the Croatian, since there is no other player of his characteristics in the squad. Asier Illarramendi or Isco are the most likely choices.

Jese Rodriguez, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale, who are in spectacular form, will form the forward line. Raphael Varane could come in for Sergio Ramos at the centre-back, giving the Spaniard some rest ahead of the Champions League clash against Schalke 04. Fabio Coentrao could also replace Marcelo at left-back.

Fran Escriba will miss goalkeeper Tono and defender Cristian Sapunaru, but he will recover Javi Marquez, a key player in his midfield line. Elche sit 14th in the table, five points clear from the relegation zone.

Possible line-ups:

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

Elche: Manu Herrera; Mantecon, Lomban, Botia, Cisma; Marquez, Perez; Gil, Coro, Moran; Cristian Herrera.

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Chelsea manager, and former Real Madrid boss, Jose Mourinho has rejected speculation Thibaut Courtois could leave Stamford Bridge this summer and head to the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Belgian keeper is in his third season on loan at Atletico de Madrid and is due to head back to his parent club at the end of the campaign. He still has two years to run on his deal at Chelsea, but is believed to be reluctant to move back to play understudy to number one Petr Cech.

This week, he was linked with a move to Real Madrid, who will likely be on the lookout for a top class custodian should Iker Casillas or Diego Lopez seek pastures new. Casillas, who has been restricted to cup games since Mourinho dropped him last season, has attracted interest from some of Europe’s top clubs including Arsenal and Manchester City.

Speaking at his press conference on Friday though, Mourinho said he has no plans to seel Courtois to his former club. “We don’t struggle to keep hold of [Courtois]. I don’t need to give assurances to any player. If somebody wants him, we have to know. It is easy for us,” he said.

 

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Real Madrid take on Elche at the Santiago Bernabeu this afternoon and can move clear at the top of the table before Barcelona and Atletico play their matches over the course of the weekend.

The Madrid press has plenty of pre-match coverage, but Marca goes for an image of Karim Benzema on its front page this morning, and quotes from their exclusive interview with the Frenchman.

The 26-year-old is enjoying his best campaign to date as a Los Blancos player and has formed a formidable understanding with his other attacking partners, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.

It hasn’t all be smiles and happiness for the France forward though, as he has endured a turbulent relationship with the fans, his low point being booed and whistled at the start of the season for not apparently not making enough effort. He told Marca the boo boys made life difficult for him, but he is a strong character and kept working hard knowing the goals would eventually come.

He also discusses Madrid’s chances on the trophy hunt, and says the squad is determined to win every competition they are in. “My objective is to win everything, although the league will be a tough fight until the end” he said.

Elsewhere, AS goes with a picture of Jese on the front page, and says when Ronaldo is missing, Los Blancos have a ready-made replacement. In ludicrous circumstances, the Tribunal Administrativo del Deporte (TAD) will decide this morning whether Ronaldo’s appeal over his ban can be overturned. If it is, he will be available for today’s match.

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Real Madrid host Elche at the Santiago Bernabeu, a team that Los Blancos usually smash when they face them at home. In fact, Real have often earned emphatic victories when Elche have paid a visit to Chamartin.

Elche have conceded 20 goals in their last four La Liga games against Los Merengues at the Santiago Bernabeu, an average of five goals per match every time they’ve travelled to Spain’s capital city.

However, these precedents are far on time. The last match between both teams in La Liga was a 4-2 victory for Madrid in 1989. In 1985 they won 6-1; 5-1 in 1977 and 5-2 in 1976.

In 12 of their last 19 visits at the Santiago Bernabeu, Elche have conceded three or more goals. In fact, they have never won in this stadium, and their biggest defeat there was an 11-2 in 1960.

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Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale has said Los Blancos are aiming to take a clean sweep this year when it comes to trophies.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men are already into the final of the Copa del Rey and are competing in a three way battle for La Liga. The also face Schalke in the first leg of their last-16 tie in the Champions League next week.

And speaking to Uefa.com, Bale, a summer signing from Tottenham Hotspur, said the side is determined to win the lot. He also revealed the huge pressure on the players to succeed at the Santiago Bernabeu something they enjoy and thrive in.

“There’s a lot of expectation here. We’re the biggest club in the world,” Bale said. He added: “We want to win every game and everybody expects us to. There is expectation but one that we all like, we’re all winners and we want to win every trophy that we’re playing in.

“We’ve been very good but we can still get better, and that’s the plan. We’ll take one game at a time and hopefully win the Champions League.“

Discussing the Champions League in particularly, the Welshman, who has scored nine goals in 16 league appearances this campaign, said the watching Zinedine Zidane score the sensational goal in the 2002 triumph is one of his earliest memories of watching Madrid.

“One of my first real memories was watching Real Madrid in the final at Hampden Park, when Zinedine Zidane scored that unbelievable volley. He was probably the worlds greatest player at the time,“ he said.

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Iker Casillas may regain his place in the Real Madrid starting line-up for La Liga games, Carlo Ancelotti has said.

The World Cup winner has been largely restricted to appearances in the Copa del Rey and Champions League for the past 12 months, with Italian boss Ancelotti sticking with Diego Lopez in goal. Former boss Jose Mourinho installed Lopez as the number one at the Santiago Bernabeu having falling out spectacularly with Casillas.

Speaking to journalistsfor an informal chat with the press, Ancelotti was asked what he would do if Madrid reached the Champions League final. In that scenario, if he sticks with his current policy, Casillas will have not played for more than a month – with the final of the Copa del Rey taking place on April 16.

Ancelotti responded: “I’m not ruling out fielding Iker in one or two league games. We will discuss that if we do make the Champions League final”.

Despite having his playing time restricted, Casillas has continued to set a number of records. He recently broke the club record for the longest amount of time without conceding a goal. And is part of the first side ever to reach the final of the Copa del Rey without conceding either.

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The latest Real Madrid transfer rumours include Isco being given green light by the club to leave the Santiago Bernabeu next summer, Iker Casillas moving to Napoli and Antonio Valencia in Los Blancos’ radar.

Spanish newspaper Sport has claimed Los Merengues could let five key players leave in the next transfer market: Angel di Maria, Iker Casillas, Fabio Coentrao, Isco and Sami Khedira, while they could also look for a loan move for Casemiro and Alvaro Morata.

French website Le 10 Sport has supported that rumour in the case of Isco, stating Los Blancos would seek for the youngster to leave either on loan or in a permanent deal, given the lack of minutes of play he’s having lately. Manchester City are first in line to sign the Andalucian in case he moves out of Madrid.

Meanwhile, Italian portal Calciomercato has reported Napoli are interested in signing Iker Casillas next season. According to this website, the goalkeeper could join former teammates Gonzalo Higuain, Jose Callejon and Raul Albiol, as “he’s unhappy with his current situation at the club.” Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis would bid high for the 32-year-old.

Spain’s most sold newspaper, Marca, has also revealed that Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia wants to join Real. The Madrid-based daily claims Valencia has found out Los Blancos might be looking for a right sided player and he’s shown an interest on the job. However, Marca state the deal is not likely to happen, due to Valencia’s poor season at United.

In other news, Chelsea’s star Eden Hazard has admitted in an interview with beIN Sports TV that, despite he’s “happy at Stamford Bridge” it would be difficult to turn down an offer to play for Real in the future. “Who would not be interested in Real Madrid?,” he said.

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Real Madrid and Barcelona will play the Copa del Rey final at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium on April 16th, the Spanish football federation has announced.

Following a meeting between Spanish FA chiefs and representatives of both clubs, it was decided that the game will kick off at 9.30pm local time (8.30pm GMT).

The two European football giants last met in the final in 2011, on the same ground. Cristiano Ronaldo scored the only goal on the game in extra time to hand Jose Mourinho his first trophy as Real Madrid boss.

This year’s final will be the third appearance in four year for Los Blancos, who lost on their own ground against city rivals Atletico de Madrid last season. In total, Los Blancos have won the Copa de Rey on 18 occasions, while Barcelona have won the trophy 26 times – a Spanish record.

The decision to play the final during Easter week was made with the Champions League semi-finals in mind. Playing it midweek will allow both clubs more recovery time should they make it to the latter stages of Europe’s top trophy.

Barcelona already have one foot in the quarter-finals after beating Manchester City 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium this week. Real Madrid take on Bundesliga side Schalke next week.

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