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The decision to name Diego Lopez in the starting 11 against Real Betis last weekend caught many Madridistas by surprise. Many had expected Iker Casillas to be named as the number one keeper in the wake of Jose Mourinho’s departure from the Santiago Bernabeu in May.

That was not the case however, and judging by Carlo Ancelottis history, the man from Mostoles has a difficult job to reclaim the gloves from Diego Lopez. The Italian is man man of strong and fixed ideas and statistics show that the keeper he picks to be number one in the first game of the season normally remains unchallenged for the rest of the campaign.

But Casillas should not give up hope however, and in Gianluigi Buffon, there is a precedent set regarding switching keepers during the campaign – in 1996/97. The current Juventus stopper, then of Parma, started the season as back-up to Luca Bucci – not just any old keeper, but an Italy international.

That wasn’t enough for Bucci though, who in the eight match of the campaign was dropped to the bench by Ancelotti following a disastrous performance in a 3-1 defeat to Inter Milan. The decision worked perfectly for the now Madrid manager and Buffon, as the keeper conceded just 17 goals in 27 matches, numbers that catapulted Parma to a second place finish in Seria A and the club’s first ever qualification for the Champions League.

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Premier League champions Manchester United are preparing a 45 million euro bid for Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Ozil, reports have said.

The Daily Express claimed new manager David Moyes is still keen to bring in a creative player ahead of the transfer deadline on September 2 having missed out on Cesc Fabregas.

According to the paper, the Red Devils will look to take advantage of uncertainty surrounding Ozil’s future should Gareth Bale sign for Los Blancos.

With the World Cup less than a year away, Ozil is reported to be concerned about falling down the pecking order at the Santiago Bernabeu – particularly having seen competition for his place increase already this summer with the arrival of Isco from Malaga.

Ozil was also unhappy with comments made by new Real manager Carlo Ancelotti over his performance in the La Liga opener last weekend against Real Betis. The German was hauled off with 20 minutes to go, and afterwards Ancelotti said he could improve his defensive duties.

“Between defense and midfield we have a big hole.  If we want to play good football, players like Isco and Ozil must also do defensive work,” the Italian said.

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Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has said star striker Luis Suarez will not be sold to Real Madrid in this transfer window.

Amid frenzied speculation the deal for Gareth Bale will be concluded in the next few hours, reports in the UK have again surfaced that Los Blancos will make a fresh bid to sign the Uruguayan international.

The 26-year-old was linked with the club earlier on in the summer, and was also subject of two bids from Arsenal, but Liverpool have so far managed to hold onto the player – who scored 30 goals in 44 appearances for the Anfield side last season.

With rumours suggesting Karim Benzema may be on his way out of the club, Los Blancos could go back  in for Suarez.

A defiant Rodgers was adamant his forward would not leave however. Speaking to the press ahead of this weekend’s round of matches he said: “There might have been a point [to selling Suarez] a few months ago where there was time to do it, but with 11 days to go it would be difficult to replace him.

“I’m sure there will be plenty of activity in these last number of days. It is what it is and we will deal with it like we have during the summer. It’s very difficult at this time [for a Suarez bid to succeed]. We are trying to get one or two more quality players in through the door, but selling Luis now is not an option,” he added.

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There are two main talking points in the press this morning – the signing of Gareth Bale and the return of Raul.

Marca goes with the former on its front page, claiming negotiations with Tottenham Hostpur have been concluded and the player will sign for the club for a world record fee.

The 24-year-old is expected to make his debut against Athletic Bilbao on September 1. Bale scored 24 goals for Spurs last season as the finished fifth in the league, narrowly missing out to Arsenal in the race for the Champions League.

AS opts for the other main story – Raul’s return. The legendary Real Madrid forward returned to the Santiago Bernabeu with his current club Al-Sadd last night.

The 36-year-old, who played a half for each side was given a hero’s welcome on his return, and afterwards described the experience as being emotional. Los Blancos ran out 5-0 winners.

Elsewhere, Xabi Alonso’s operation on his broken toe has gone well and he can now begin the road to recovery. He is expected to be out for around three months.

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Real Madrid legend Raul scored in his return to the Santiago Bernabeu as Los Blancos lifted the Trofeo Bernabeu after a thumping 5-0 win over Al-Sadd.

The 36-year-old, who played a half for each side, opened the scoring to the delight of the fans, when his wonderfully controlled a pass from Angel di Maria and fired his shot past the keeper.

In a fitting tribute to the man who scored 323 goals for the club, Iker Casillas gave Raul the captain’s armband for the night, while Cristiano Ronaldo vacated the number 7 shirt for him.

Overall, it was a comfortable evening for Carlo Ancleotti’s men as there were more goals to come – Isco, who scored against Real Betis in the opening match of the season, found the net, while French striker Karim Benzema made it three.

Jese Rodriguez, one of the youngsters promoted to the first team this season, did his best to remind Ancelotti of the impact he could make by scoring a brace. The 20-year-old could find opportunities hard to come by this year if, as expected, Real Madrid confirm the signing of Gareth Bale.

There were opportunities for the home side, but Los Blancos took their foot off the gas at 5-0, having secured the trophy. But the night will always be remembered for Raul’s return.

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Real Madrid pair Karim Benzema and Angel di Maria are wanted by Premier League side Arsenal, it has been reported.

A number or papers in the UK and Spain have claimed Gunners boss Arsene Wenger will offer 41 million euros for 25-year-old striker Benzema, and a further 17.5 million euros for di Maria.

Both players have been linked with moves away from the club this summer, although it was reported yesterday that Real president Florentino Perez was an admirer of Benzema and wanted him to sign a new deal at the Santiago Bernabeu.

With Champions League qualification all but sealed for Arsenal following their 3-0 win over Fenebache, Wenger is keen to bolster the side that is lacking in depth at the moment. He was linked with a move for former Los Blancos forward Gonzalo Higuain earlier this summer but lost out to Napoli in the end.

Benzema signed for Real Madrid from French side Lyon in 2009, while Argentine winger di Maria arrived in the Spanish capital a year later from Benfica.

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The drawn out transfer saga taking Tottenham Hotspur winger Gareth Bale to Real Madrid appears to be nearing completion with reports suggesting a fee of 105 million euros has been agreed.

The Daily Mail claimed Spurs chairman Daniel Levy met with Los Blancos representatives on Wednesday night to thrash out the final details of the deal, which will see Fabio Coentrao make the move to White Hart Lane.

Reports in Madrid say the transfer will be announced on Friday and the club wants Bale to make his debut against Athletic Bilbao on September 1, with the midday kick off allowing for a bigger television audience to watch his first match.

Bale missed almost the whole of pre-season with Spurs due to injury, and was not considered fit to play in part in their first Premier League game of the campaign.

Manager Andre Villas-Boas has seemingly prepared for life without Bale having signed a number of players including Roberto Soldado, Paulinho, Nacer Chadli and Etienne Capoue.

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There is only one place to start this morning in the Madrid press – the return of Raul.

The Real Madrid legend, who scored 323 goals for Los Blancos in his time with the club, comes back to the Santiago Bernabeu with current club Al-Sadd to play the Trofeo Bernabeu his evening.

The atmosphere at the stadium should be electric, as Raul is considered one of Real’s all time greats and is guaranteed a warm welcome.

The 36-year-old will play one half for Al-Sadd and another for Real Madrid, and both Marca and AS carry pre-match conference quotes from Raul saying how excited he is to wear the famous white shirt again.

“It’s going to be an emotional game as I’m coming to play with my current team. I no longer play at the highest level but I’m eager to pull on a Real Madrid shirt again. Three years ago I didn’t get to say goodbye to everybody as I would have liked to,” he said.

Elsewhere, both papers speculate as to who will start in goal – with Iker Casillas the favourite having been benched at the weekend.

The is also reaction to Xabi Alonso’s injury and who will replace the midfield enforcer. It was confirmed yesterday that the 32-year-old will miss the next three months due to a broken bone in his foot.

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Former Real Madrid manager Bernd Schuster has said he would understand if Iker Casillas starting considering whether to leave the La Liga giants after losing his place in the starting line up.

The European Championship and World Cup winning captain found himself dropped from the side last season under Jose Mourinho but was widely expected to take his place in the starting 11 under Carlo Ancelotti.

However, the Italian opted to stick with Diego Lopez in Los Blancos’ first league game of the season on Sunday – the first time in 13 years that Casillas has missed the season opener.

Speaking on new television show Tiki Taka, Schuster, who is now in charge of Malaga, said: “Iker went out due to injury, not for playing badly or letting in goals. After an injury, I think a player has the right to come back.”

He went on to state: “I would understand if he wanted to leave in December. It’s hard for me to imagine Iker playing for any other team than Real Madrid.”

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Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso will miss around the next three months due to a broken toe, the club has confirmed.

The World Cup winner, who had only just recovered from a groin injury that saw him miss the Confederations Cup this summer, broke the fifth metatarsal in his right foot, Real Madrid told the press.

An official statement on the club’s website said the 32-year-old suffered the injury in training on Wednesday morning. It is the same injury that left back Marcelo suffered last December that kept him on the sidelines for three months.

Although a blow for Los Blancos, the injury to Alonso could pave the way for summer signing Asier Illarramendi to stake his place in the side, or Brazilian midfielder Casemiro – who also joined the club on a permanent basis following a loan spell last year.

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