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Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has said his players were too slow in going forward as Los Blancos lost 1-0 in the Madrid derby against Atletico de Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The win for Los Rojiblancos, came courtesy of a Diego Costa goal in the 10th minute. It was the first win in La Liga over Real Madrid in 23 attempts for Diego Simeone’s side, but brought back painful memories of the Copa del Rey final defeat by the same team at the same ground for Real Madrid fans.

Speaking after the game, Ancelotti, whose side are now five points behind Atletico and Barcelona in La Liga, said his players did not show the required levels of determination, and were too slow going forward, allowing Atletico to defend in numbers.

He stated: “We were slow in attack. We didn’t have a good game. We have to recover and improve. Losing a match at home is not easy. I have to think about solutions. We played well up until last week.

“We have to continue working with the same system but I’m confident we will improve. We must improve a lot of things including our attitude and confidence. I have faith in my players. The problem is not our style of play, it’s with our pace.”

 

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Madrid sports newspapers praise today Atletico Madrid’s brilliant match against Real Madrid in the derby. Los Blancos lost 0-1 to their city rivals with an early Diego Costa’s goal.

As shows some innovation in its headline: “Money 0 – Football 1”, they title, emphasizing the great game played by Los Rojiblancos. “A superior Atletico took the three points home despite missing many goal chances”, they state.

Marca’s main headline is “The best Atletico of the history”. “Los Colchoneros played a brilliant game, overwhelming Real with their intensity, pressure and good football”, they add.

The most sold Spanish newspaper emphasize the fact that it’s the first time in history that Atletico wins seven games in a row in La Liga.

Both newspapers also report that Santiago Bernabeu jeered Carlo Ancelotti for the first time. “The crowd was angry when the Italian sent Isco to the bench instead of Benzema”, As claims. “I took Isco out because the only way to score was with crossing passes”, Ancelotti later explained.

Marca claims Real Madrid played a “very weak game” and remind that they now sit five points behind Barcelona and Atletico in La Liga.

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Young Chelsea defender Wallace has said he dreams of playing for Real Madrid one day.

The 19-year-old right-back, currently on a season long loan at Italian giants Inter Milan, has had an eventful past few months having switched from Fluminense to London initially before completing the switch to the San Siro.

The Brazilian has made two appearances in Seria A and will be hoping to get more game time to help his career progression before returning to Stamford Bridge next season. But in an interview with Globoesporte, Wallace said his long-term goal is to play for Real Madrid.

The defender said “I’m at a big club, I want to stay here or go back to Chelsea, which I enjoyed. In the future, I want to play in Spain with Real Madrid.  Since childhood, Real Madrid is the team of my dreams and I’d like to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, but I don’t intend to go to Real Madrid now, I’m still very new and will be in Europe for many years.”

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Diego Costa’s early goal was enough to secure the three points for Atletico de Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, condemning Carlo Ancelotti to his first defeat in La Liga as Real Madrid boss and ensuring Gareth Bale made an unhappy home debut.

Los Blancos started the better of the two teams in the opening exchanges with some crisp passing as they looked to break down a determined and resolute Atletico defence. But the visitors took the lead when Costa raced through and collected a Koke ball and fired low past Diego Lopez in the Madrid goal.

Just like when the two teams last met in May in the Copa del Rey final, Atletico’s team spirit and collective attitude overcame the more technically gifted Real stars on display. Welshman Gareth Bale was named on the bench, with Angel di Maria keeping his place in the side. Asier Illarramendi and Sami Khedira were chosen as the two defensive midfielders to protect the back four.

Once Atletico scored they grew in confidence, pouring forward in numbers when they could and defending in numbers to limit Real to long distance efforts. For all their passing and attempts to find an equaliser, the hosts found it hard to break Atletico down. Bale and Luka Modric were introduced after the break, and the former’s pace proved to be tricky for the visitors to deal with.

Midway through the second half Bale was hauled down just outside the area, only for Cristiano Ronaldo, usually so influential in big games but quiet on the night, to blaze over. At the other end, Diego Lopez made a superb stop to prevent Costa making it 2-0, while Sergio Ramos made a last ditch tackle to deny David Villa doubling the lead.

As the game wore on, Madrid became more desperate for the equaliser, and Atletico more determined to hold on. It meant chances were at a premium, and tempers came close to boiling over, with seven yellow cards handed out.

Atletico held on for the win, and move five points clear of their city rivals.

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Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has said he is confident his side can pick up three points in the city derby later this evening as his side has more quality than Atletico de Madrid.

Los Rojiblancos have made a perfect start to the La Liga campaign, winning six games out of six, and sit two points clear of Real in the table. The last time the two teams met at the Santiago Bernabeu in May, Diego Simeone’s team defeated Los Blancos 2-1 to lift the Copa del Rey, ending a 14-year winless run,

But speaking to the press ahead of the big match, Ancelotti stated he was confident Real’s quality would shine through. He added that he was not worried about the fact that his team has not found top form yet in La Liga, saying it takes time for new players and a new manager to gel.

“It’s hard to say if Atletico are better than us nowadays. They have a solid team, they play nicely together. But we are two different teams, with diverse qualities. They are more aggressive and better in physical terms. But Real Madrid has better quality. That’s why we are different,” Ancelotti said.

He added: “It’s true that we haven’t always played nicely or got the best scores, but we need time to improve. It’s just small things we will improve soon. We are in the right way to improve because the players understand the idea of playing even though we need to improve few things.

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Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid match preview
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid match preview

Real Madrid will seek to take revenge from their defeat at the Copa del Rey final against Atletico Madrid as they face their city rivals in a crucial match to continue Barcelona’s chase. A victory would secure the second position in the table for either side, while a draw would benefit the Azulgrana.

Marcelo has not made it on time to feature in the game, Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed. The Brazilian is not completely recovered from his injury. However, the Italian could pick Gareth Bale for the starting eleven, as it seems the Welshman is ready to make his return after suffering muscle fatigue.

The main doubt for Real’s manager is whether to play Alvaro Arbeloa or Fabio Coentrao on the left-back. Elche’s experiment of trying both of them in defence didn’t work, and it seems that Daniel Carvajal will return to the right-back while Arbeloa has more chances of returning to the left.

If Bale plays from the start, Ancelotti will also have to seat either Isco or Angel di Maria, who are both having a brilliant performance in the start of the season. Los Merengues will once again miss Xabi Alonso due to injury. Luka Modric and Sami Khedira are the expected centre-half pair.

Meanwhile, Diego Simeone has the only doubt of Mario Suarez, who suffers from a sprained knee and could not recover for the derby. However, he will have David Villa back after the Spanish international missed their previous clash against Real Sociedad.

Los Colchoneros sit second on La Liga after having won all their six matches, but with a worst goal record that Barcelona. Their main threat will be Diego Costa, who is in the best moment of his career, having scored seven goals so far in the league.

Atletico ended a 14-year and 25-game run without victory against their arch-rivals when they beat them last May in the Copa del Rey final at Santiago Bernabeu. They will certainly be looking to make it two in a row as they return to their neighbours’ stadium.

Los Blancos trailed them for two points in the table and a win would put them five points away, confirming Atletico as a candidate to win La Liga’s title.

Possible line-ups:

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

Atletico Madrid: Courtois; Filipe Luis, Godin, Miranda, Juanfran; Koke, Tiago, Gabi, Turan; Villa, Costa.

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The main focus in the press this morning is on the derby between Real Madrid and Atletico de Madrid which takes place tonight.

In previous years, such was Real’s dominance that the match mattered little to Los Blancos as their main objective was to get one over Barcelona. But Atletico under Diego Simeone have become much more competitive in La Liga, and had success in the domestic cups and abroad too in recent years.

Both Marca and AS are looking forward to an explosive and competitive match tonight – the last time these two met back in May, Los Rojiblancos defeated Los Blancos 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu to lift the Copa del Rey. It was also Atletico’s first win over Real in any competition in 14 years.

Much of the focus is on the forwards. Cristiano Ronaldo has begun the campaign in blistering form and will be key tonight. He may even be helped by summer signing Gareth Bale, who is set to make his first appearance for Real Madrid at home after recovering from injury. In David Villa and Diego Costa, Atletico have two genuine goal threats – Villa has scored 10 goals in his 26 matches against Madrid, while Costa is leading the Pichici charts alongside Ronaldo.

Various players and both managers have been talking, and calling for focus, drive and determination to win the game. They’ve talked the talk, now it’s time to walk the walk.

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Real Madrid goalkeeper Diego Lopez has said his side must give 100% for the whole 90 minutes if they are to get anything from the match against city rivals Atletico de Madrid.

The two side go head-to-head in La Liga for the first time this season, and the match with be the first time the teams have played against each other at the Santiago Bernabeu since Atletico won the Copa del Rey final 2-1 back in May. Los Rojiblancos have made a perfect start to this campaign and sit top of the table alongside Barcelona, with Los Blancos two points behind.

Speaking to the official website, Lopez said his team mates must give their all in attack and in defence if they are to win the match, and hailed their opponents as being a ‘great side’.

He said: “The derby is a game of maximum rivalry and we are really looking forward to it. You can really feel the passion and the fighting spirit in these matches. It’s a game where we have to battle, give it one hundred per cent and come away with the three points. In Real Madrid it’s all about winning, we can’t slip up in any game and especially when we’re playing at home.”

Talking about Diego Simeone’s men, Lopez stated: “We’re up against a great side and if they play their best cards they are very dangerous. The greatest danger is that they are a very closely knit group, they’re all in it together and they know exactly what they’re doing.”

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Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is preparing to return to the Santiago Bernabeu to launch a raid for Real Madrid players Sami Khedira and Fabio Coentrao, reports have suggested.

Intereconomia claimed the Portuguese boss wants to sign the pair, having missed out to Arsenal for another or Real’s former stars, Mesut Ozil. Mourinho has long been linked with Coentrao, who he signed for Los Blancos from Benfica in 2011. And he will look to make his move again for the left back, hoping to take advantage of the 25-year-old’s eagerness to move away from the Spanish capital in search of more regular football.

Mourinho also signed Khedira shortly after he arrived at the club in 2010 after the German international put in some fantastic displays for his nation during the World Cup in South Africa. But with the summer arrivals of Asier Illarramendi, Gareth Bale and Isco, there is more competition than ever for midfield places at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Coentrao has only featured once under Carlo Ancelotti this season after picking up an injury while on international duty. Khedira has featured six times for the Italian since the start of the campaign.

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Real Madrid will make a move for Bayern Munich forward Mario Mandzukic in the summer transfer window, it has been claimed.

Well known football insider François Gallardo told Spanish television show Punto Pelota that the nine-time European Cup winners wanted to bolster their forward line despite having the likes of Karim Benzema, Alvaro Morata and Jese Rodriguez already on the books. Gallardo rightly claimed Gareth Bale would move to the Spanish capital some nine months before the deal actually happened.

The move for Mandzukic may not come as a surprise, as the German champions may look to sell players to make way for the arrival of Robert Lewandowski, who announced this week that he will leave Borussia Dortmund for the Allianz Arena side. Gallardo said a fee of between 30 to 40 million euros would be enough to persuade the Bavarians to sell. Bayern are currently managed by former Barcelona boss, Pep Guardiola.

He said: “My understanding is that while Florentino said that Real Madrid were not going to sign, the coaching staff believe the club still need another striker. Accordingly, Real Madrid’s shopping list for next season, regardless of what happens in December, includes the name of a Bayern player. It’s Mandzukic.”

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