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Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas has said his side won’t alter their style of play when they take on Real Madrid in El Clasico later this evening.

The Catalan outfit has not beaten Los Blanco on home soil in La Liga or the Copa del Rey in almost three years, with Real having successfully exploited any weaknesses in recent times.

Speaking to the Guardian, the former Arsenal man said Carlo Ancelotti’s team likes to hit opponents on the counter attack and for sides to cede possession to them. But the 26-year-old vowed Barcelona would not be put off their usual game as they look to take the three points that would open up a six point gap in La Liga over their arch rivals.

He stated: Cristiano Ronaldo finds himself with two lines of four in front of him; Gareth Bale would too. Karim Benzema’s alone. What they like is teams like Rayo Vallecano; what they like is for the opposition to come forward with the ball and then lose it.

“In two passes, Madrid are at the other end. They have such powerful players going forward. In the last few Clasicos they’ve done that very well against us, to their great credit. They’ve won possession, been aggressive and made life difficult for us, mostly on the counterattack.”

He added: “Changing our style would be an option but Barca have to play like Barca. If we lose, we have to lose playing like Barca and, when we win, we win like Barca.”

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Carlo Ancelotti hinted Gareth Bale could start against rivals Barcelona as the two titan’s clash horns at the Nou Camp this saturday.

A win for Real Madrid will take them to 25-points, level with the Catalans who dropped points for the first time this season in their goalless draw at Osasuna.

Los Blancos have won their last four games in all competitions and go into the tie with great confidence, knowing that a win and loss for Athletic Madrid will see them go joint top.

Bale made a second half substitute’s appearance in their Champions League win over Juventus mid-week, but seemed off the mark as he continues his recovery from a thigh injury.

However, Ancelotti told www.realmadrid.com: “It is important for him to get match time, his fitness is better and he is ready to play a match now.”

The two sides meet for the first time in the League this season, and Barcelona new-boy Neymar is set to join the Welshman in experiencing his first taste of the Classico atmosphere.

Cristiano Ronaldo will also be vital for Madrid with the midfielder scoring an impressive 15 goals this term, a mid-week double breaking his own Champions League record has him looking a major threat going into the derby.

Possible line-ups:

Barcelona: Valdes; Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Adriano; Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta; Neymar, Messi, Alexis.

Real Madrid: Lopez; Arbeloa, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Khedira, Illarramendi; Di Maria, Modric, Ronaldo; Benzema.

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Marca claims today in its front page that Real Madrid and Barcelona will play today the Clasico with more world-class stars. “A priceless Clasico,” they title in a reference to the signings of Neymar and Gareth Bale.

“Millions of eyes will watch Neymar, Leo Messi, Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo,” they point out.

The Madrid daily highlights the managers’ words prior to the game. “Of course we are going to take risks, we are Barcelona,” Gerardo Martino claimed. “We’ll try to play with personality,” Carlo Ancelotti said.

The other main Spanish sports newspaper, As, titles today “Cristiano scares.” Alfredo Relano’s paper points out “the Portuguese has scored ten more goals than Messi this season.”

“In the Champions League, Ronaldo has scored more goals than all Barca players together, and he’s scored in the last six Clasicos at Camp Nou,” they add.

As also emphasizes Los Blancos’ boss statement claiming “everybody thinks Barcelona are the favourites and that isn’t bad for us.”

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Álvaro Arbeloa has claimed Real Madrid will not be taking Barcelona lightly when they face them today in ‘El Clásico’, even though the fellow Spanish giants have drawn their last two matches.

He said: “We can’t look at their recent draws (against Osasuna and AC Milan) as a guide. They already have a three-point lead [in the La Liga title race].”

Arbeloa is confident Los Blancos can get a result this weekend, saying Madrid are in a good place after notching back to back victories against Málaga and Juventus this week: “The match against Barcelona comes at a good time for us. We are improving and gaining confidence, so we’ll see if we can win,” he told reporters.

However, he is well aware going to Barcelona will never be easy, even though Real’s recent record at the Nou Camp is extremely impressive. He commented: “In recent matches in the Camp Nou we’ve got good results and put in some great performances.”  – since 2012 Los Blancos have lost just one of the five Clásicos they have played there.

“We know it will be a very difficult match. I’m sure that Barcelona will be at their best because they always play well against us.

A victory tomorrow for Carlo Ancelotti’s Real would see them join Barcelona at the head of the La Liga table for the first time since the 13th of September.”

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Santiago Bernabeu Stadium

Santiago Bernabeu could change its name to Santiago Bernabeu Microsoft -or Microsoft Santiago Bernabeu- if the negotiations between Florentino Perez and Bill Gates revealed by Spanish website ElConfidencial.com come to a good end.

Microsoft’s founder is willing to add his company’s name to Los Blancos sanctuary, an operation that would help Real clear their reported 541-million-euros debt. According to ElConfidencial.com, Gates believes that agreement would be a very positive marketing strategy.

The renaming would take place when the renewal of the stadium is completed, presumably in 2016. Yet, conversations have already started and they could last almost one year. Real Madrid’s president knows many fans will oppose to it for sentimental reasons, and he wants to analyse everything in detail.

Microsoft and Los Merengues are already partners, as the giant of telecommunications is taking part in the club’s foundation projects to spread education through sport and technologies in Latin America. Plus, Gates’ company is in charge of the renewal of Santiago Bernabeu technical infrastructure.

ElConfidencial.com states that Real is also considering other candidates for the stadium’s future name. Fly Emirates, current sponsor of Los Blancos, is reported to be one of them.

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Barcelona veteran Carles Puyol believes Saturday’s Clasico will not decide who claims the La Liga title.

The club captain has recently returned from a seven month knee injury and was rested for his side’s Champions League fixture with AC Milan mid-week.

“If I feel happy just to train again, imagine how I would feel if I could play the Clasico. I feel good and I have worked well in the last week.” Puyol told reporters.

The 34 year-old may need to cover for Gerard Pique who has been suffering from a pelvic injury the last few days.

“We have the chance to play well, but the league is not going to be decided. We have to play well, gain in confidence for the games that lie ahead,” he continued.

Puyol also admitted that Real Madrid, “are our maximum rival and the result will have big repercussions.”

“We go into the game after failing to win two matches (Osasuna and Milan), but we have a lot of confidence and a big desire to win.” he concluded.

Both sides will take to the field at the Camp Nou this Saturday, with Los Blancos looking to end Barcelona’s unbeaten streak and put pressure on their rivals.

Follow Louis Gibberd-Thomas on Twitter: @mercutio156

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Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal admitted that he would be interested in moving to the Bernabeu to play for Real Madrid if the opportunity arises in the future.

The Chilean arrived from Bayer Leverkusen in July 2011 for €10.5 million, and was top goalscorer for i Bianconeri last season with 15 goals in all competitions, helping Juventus to the Scudetto last season.

Serie A has faced hard times recently with financial troubles, and even the giants of Italian football have been struggling, with stars like Ibrahimovic, Sneijder and Cavani leaving Italy recently, and Vidal is one of Serie A’s most coveted players.

However, Vidal is expected to sign a new deal with Juventus, so the move may not happen for a while yet.

Vidal admitted in a radio interview with Radio Onda Cero that he could be interested in moving, saying “Real are a good side with great players. It would be nice, but we’ll have to see what happens in the future.”

The Juventus man was disappointed after their Champions League loss to Real however, saying “Unfortunately this result has complicated things for us in the group. Galatasaray’s win has placed us into some difficulty, but we still have three games left.”

 

 

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The most sold Spanish newspaper, Marca, puts its focus today in Cristiano Ronaldo’s good performances when playing at Barcelona. “The Camp Nou’s terror,” they title, pointing out that he could overtake Francisco Gento as the Real Madrid player who has scored more goals at their arch-rivals stadium.

“Ronaldo has scored eight goals in the last six Clasicos,” Marca reports. Gento scored eleven during his career. “The Portuguese performs better at Camp Nou than at Santiago Bernabeu, where he has only netted four,” Marca highlights.

The Madrid daily also brings to its front page Pep Guardiola’s words about Carlo Ancelotti: “He’ll end up making the team play well, he’s one of the bests in the world,” Bayern Munich’s manager affirmed.

Meanwhile, As puts its focus on Ancelotti’s interview at radio station Cadena SER. “This is the moment for Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Ballon d’Or,” the Italian claimed.

When asked about Real Madrid’s line-up for El Clasico, he said that “Gareth Bale is ready to play from the start at Camp Nou.”

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Former Real Madrid and Barcelona winger Luis FIgo has said he believes the Azulgrana will beat Carlo Ancelotti’s side on Saturday evening.

Los Blancos go into the match three points behind the La Liga champions in the first El Clasico of the season. And following the 2-1 win over Juventus in the Champions League, Real will be going into the game with confidence.

Barcelona have a few injury doubts, most notably in the heart of the defence where Gerard Pique is said to be racing a race against time to be ready. Captain and club legend Carlos Puyol only made his comeback from a seven month injury layoff last weekend.

But Figo, who made the controversial switch from the Nou Camp to the Santiago Bernabeu in 2000, said the Catalan outfit will be favourites to take the three points and open up a bigger game on the arch rivals in the league.

Speaking to Grada 360, he stated: “Barca will dominate because they are playing at home and for the way that they play.”

“Madrid I hope will find that balance that will allow them to move from defence to attack well, and so that they can win. Anything can happen because concentration levels are at a higher level. Normally those who are not doing as well will respond in that sense because they cannot afford to go wrong; so in this case, Madrid. We’ll see.

“I think that in the Clasico it is not always the better team that is assured of victory.”

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Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos is happy with the progress the team has made under new coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Los Blancos have won all of their Champions League group stage fixtures so far but Ramos has now called for focus ahead of their La Liga encounter with Barcelona this weekend.

“We have three wins in three matches and nine points,” he told reporters. “We really want get through to the Round of 16 and we are going the right way about it.

“We are working hard for these results. Now we have to think about the league matches before the next Champions League match.”

Juventus were defeated 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium last night with both goals coming courtesy of Cristiano Ronaldo. The Bianconeri equalised after Ronaldo’s first goal through Fernando Llorente but felt aggrieved when serial-offender Giorgio Chiellini fouled in the box to gift Real Madrid a penalty and was later sent off for a flailing arm catching the Portuguese international in the face.

“The result is a fair reflection,” Ramos continued. “Obviously it’s a competition that we have a lot of affection for and the team is trying to show its best.

“The difference between Juventus and us is not very big but we’re not the same players and the style of play is not the same. ”

Despite the narrow win, Ramos believes the capital club is moving in the right direction: “Real Madrid improves throughout the year, match by match, which is how we have done well.

“There are things that we need to keep improving, but it always good to get a win before a Clasico”.

Follow Louis Gibberd-Thomas on Twitter: @mercutio156

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