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Real Madrid travel to Barcelona to play El Clásico two months later than the date appointed for the clash. The independentist protests and riots make the authorities decided to postpone El Clásico for December. Now both teams arrive in a good moment of form, with the same points at the top of the table, and with the leadership open for whoever wins the clash.

However, the risk for El Clásico is still there. The violent independentists have threatened to interrupt the game and the security measures are much higher than in other circumstances. Actually, both teams will be in the same hotel and will go to the stadium earlier than ever, to avoid any security problems.

Talking merely about sports, Real Madrid arrive to the clash in good form and with good moral after the late goal scored by Benzema in Valencia. Zinedine Zidane can recover Mendy in the left back and Casemiro will be in the midfield, with Kroos and Valverde. Probably also Modric will start, so Isco will go directly to the bench. In the attacking line, Bale and Rodrygo fight for the last position available.

Zinedine Zidane has never lost at Camp Nou and will try to get the three points that will be key for the battle of La Liga. He has won twice and draw three times, and now his team is in a much better form than in October, where the game should have been played.

Nevertheless, FC Barcelona have also improved. The Blaugranas drew against Real Sociedad in the last game, but their performances have been much better in the recent weeks, with Griezmann, Suárez and Messi scoring goals very easily. The weakest part of the team is the defensive line, conceding too many goals for a big team like Barça.

Who will win this El Clásico?

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This Saturday, Everton is hosting Arsenal at 12:30. The game will be an opener of the 18th Premier League fixture. Two more games and it is season’s halftime. After nearly half of the season, the league table already provides some logical conclusions, although you never know what can happen. We have all witnessed amazing win streaks before, so football predictions might not be that precise.

Ferguson Always Makes a Difference

Yes, Everton has a new interim coach and it is none other than Ferguson. Of course, not Alex but Duncan, a former Premier League player who has played for Everton from 1991 to 1998 and again from 2000 to 2006. Duncan, also known as Big Dunc, was famous for his tackles and a record-holding eight red cards in the Premier League. It is no wonder that Silva left the club with the club at the lower part of the table. Duncan comes to the rescue of his old club just like he did so many times in the past. For his first two matches as the coach, Duncan needed to prepare and face Chelsea and Manchester United. Nobody believed Everton will be able to take four points from these two matches but Ferguson gave the club his old glow and the fans are full of optimism. Electricity can be felt at Goodison Park. The atmosphere is excellent. The only thing worrying the fans is the Italian striker, Kean. Moise came in the 70th minute against Manchester United and Big Dunc substituted him 19 minutes later in the 89th minute. This is rarely done. And this is worrying the fans because Kean didn’t leave the game due to the injury or cards, he just wasn’t on the field. Talent isn’t all, dedication is what Duncan is asking for and if a player doesn’t like it, he’ll get out of the game. Good job, Everton!

Watch For the Falling Giant

Arsenal is in the opposite position to Everton. In the last 5 matches, they won 5 out of the 15 possible points and four of those matches were against teams in the lower part of the league table. Yesterday, the already devastating atmosphere has been additionally destroyed with Manchester City winning 3:0 at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal had one shot on the goal with a total of 6 shots. Ljungberg is not doing the needed work and seems as if Arsene Wenger put a curse on the position of Arsenal’s coach, similar to what Alex Ferguson did on Manchester United. Arsenal conceded 27 goals so far and only six teams have conceived more in the Premier League. Sure, the Gunners have excellent players but the team is not clicking. Something is wrong.

Match Prediction

The last match between the two teams ended with a 1:0 win for Everton at Goodison Park. Head-to-head, Gunners lead with 33 wins, 13 draws, and 8 losses but considering the current condition of their team and the atmosphere within the Toffees it is quite possible to see another Everton win. Both teams are among the top in the worst defences with a lot of conceived goals so we are likely to see a lot of goals this Saturday.

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Manchester City's Argentinian forward Sergio Aguero warms up before the UEFA Champions League football match FC Barcelona vs Manchester City at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on October 19, 2016. / AFP / JOSEP LAGO (Photo credit should read JOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty Images)

Real Madrid will face Manchester City in the Last 16 Round of the Champions League in February with the first leg at Santiago Bernabéu and the second leg at Manchester Stadium. Pep Guardiola will cross paths with the great enemy Real Madrid after the semi-finals against Bayern Munich where Los Blancos thrashed the German team in Munich (0-4) with an exhibition.

Atlético de Madrid were very unlucky and got the champions Liverpool. Barcelona will face Napoli and Valencia-Atalanta are the other games for the Spanish teams. Mourinho and his Tottenham will travel to Leipzig; Bayern Munich could get revenge after the final lost at home against Chelsea and PSG and their stars will also visit Germany to play against Borussia Dortmund. Lyon-Juventus is the last clash in the round.

This is the second time Real Madrid will face Manchester City in the knock-out stage of the Champions League recently with good thoughts. Zinedine Zidane lead the team to his first final as a manager with a victory over Pellegrini’s City thanks to a goal scored by Gareth Bale at Bernabéu in the semi-finals.

Los Blancos will have a tough rival but this season they are weaker than before. In the Premier League City is 14 points behind Liverpool, which could be a disadvantage for Los Blancos because they will focus in the European competition, their challenge this season. City has never reached an European final and this is their goal of the season. Actually, Guardiola has been criticized for his low performances recently in Europe.

At the moment, Kevin de Bruyne is the leader of the team, with Bernardo Silva also being a key player for the citizens. Los Blancos avoid Liverpool, the toughest team, or Juventus and Cristiano Ronaldo. For this reason, the supporters can be reasonably happy, although it would be a very balance clash.

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Real Madrid got a point in the last minute (1-1) thanks to a goal scored by Karim Benzema after a header from Thibaut Courtois. Valencia got the advantage in the scoreboard in the 78th minute with Soler and were about to get the three points at home, but Los Blancos avoided the second defeat of the season in La Liga to arrive to El Clásico with the same points as FC Barcelona. The battle will be great.

And thinking about El Clásico, Zinedine Zidane gave some rest to Casemiro for the first time in the season, including Isco and Rodrygo Goes in the pitch. However, none of them played a good game. It was much better the performances of Valverde, Kroos and Modric, who controlled the game, especially in the first 30 minutes, where Los Blancos were much better than the rival.

However, this control of the game didn’t mean many chances. Only a header from Benzema and a shot by Valverde could mean the first goal of the game, but the clash was very balance and the goalkeepers didn’t have many work to do. This changed in the second half, when Valencia could have scored first but Courtois appear to save the one to one.

However, the Belgian couldn’t avoid the first goal, when Carlos Soler tapped in an excellent pass from the left side. Valencia took the lead and there was not many time to avoid the defeat. Bale, Vinicius and Jovic came into the pitch, but none of them made any difference. Only Jovic could score a goal but he was in offside. Even Valencia could score a second goal but again Courtois avoid it.

Luckily, in the very last minute, Los Blancos kicked a corner with Courtois in the box. The Belgian keeper head the ball and Jaume Domenech saved it, but Benzema caught the ball and scored another important goal this season. Los Blancos arrived to El Clásico with the same points as Barcelona so the clash at Camp Nou will be completely key in the season.

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Real Madrid finished the group stage of the Champions League with a victory (1-3) in Brugge with the Brazilian young couple shining in Belgium. Zinedine Zidane gave minutes to some players who were not use to play and the team respond positively. Now Los Blancos park the Champions League until February, when they will have to face a tough team, because their possible rivals in the Last 16 round are RB Leipzig, Liverpool, Manchester City, Juventus and Bayern Munich.

Los Blancos travelled to Brugge with nothing in risk and with the idea of giving some rest to key players and, at the same time, give opportunities to others use to be on the bench. However, Zizou risked with Casemiro, who played again the whole game, and might rest against Valencia thinking in El Clásico, because the Brazilian has 4 yellow card and will miss the clash at Camp Now if he’s booked again in Mestalla.

Zizou gave minutes to Luka Jovic, who looks completely lost at Real Madrid. The Serbian had some chances in the Jan Breydel Stadium, but was the worst player in the attacking line. His movements are completely different from the ones offered by Vinicius and Rodrygo, also youngsters but eager to show off their quality to the European continent.

We had to wait until the second half to see some action. Meanwhile, Areola made a couple of good saves showing that Courtois has a good substitute on the bench. It was Rodrygo Goes who opened the scoreboard with a perfect volley hitting the post. The former Santos player has something special with this competition. However, only two minutes later, Brugge drew thanks to a good shot by Hans Vanaken.

Real Madrid reacted fast and only 9 minutes later, Vinicius finally scored one goal with a good definition inside the box. The winger has completed two good games in the last three days, so he can be added to the troop of players available for Zidane for the next two important games. Zizou can also trust Modric, the best player in the pitch, who closed the game with a perfect shot outside the box in the injury time. Now Los Blancos need to forget about the Champions League and focus in La Liga, where the title is on edge with FC Barcelona also getting better every week.

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Even before playing against Brugge in the last game of the group stage of the Champions League, Real Madrid know their possible rivals in the last 16 round in February. Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Juventus and RB Leipzig are the clubs that Los Blancos could face in winter for a spot in the quarter-finals of the competition.

Real Madrid didn’t perform well in the group stage this year, so they ended up second, behind PSG. This is why they will have to face the top of the groups, which this year mean really difficult teams. Dortmund, Lyon or Napoli are in the second pot, dangerous potential rivals, but much easier than the ones Real Madrid could actually face.

The easiest one in that pot would be RB Leipzig. The German side is not use to play in this round of the competition, so it’s the favourite one for Real Madrid fans. However, last season Los Blancos faced Ajax, who was supposed to be a comfortable rival and they ended up thrashing Los Blancos at Bernabéu and reaching the semi-finals of the competition after beating Juventus.

The other rivals would be very tough. Liverpool are, of course, the worst rival as they are right now the best team in the continent and the trophy host. Manchester City, with the Premier League title almost impossible, will focus on the European trophy, but they tend to fail every year, so it wouldn’t be a terrible choice. Finally, Juventus and Bayern Munich are not at their best right now, but they are always very dangerous and with experience, so it wouldn’t be a pleasant journey.

However, it’s still very early to know how the teams will be in February. Real Madrid have experienced themselves this situation as they were a really poor team back in December and a strong team in February, able to kick PSG out of the competition to claim the title again. With Zizou everything is possible.

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Real Madrid travel to Belgium without any goals in the Champions League as they are second of the group no matter what happen. However, the club could earn more than €2M and Zinedine Zidane will have the opportunity to try new players before a crucial week, where Los Blancos will face Valencia and FC Barcelona away.

Zizou left Varane and Toni Kroos in Madrid, whereas some other players will rest. Casemiro is in Brugge, but the stopper should finally have some rest, especially because in La Liga he has four yellow cards and it’s a very important piece for the two clashes in the domestic tournament. Isco and Luka Modric could both start together with Fede Valverde in the midfield.

It is also expected to see Luka Jovic in the attacking line. Karim Benzema is also in Belgium, but the Frenchman should rest as well. It’s uncertain whether Bale will start or rest after his physical problems that prevented him to play against Espanyol. It’s also very important for the team to count on Bale, especially for the key games ahead.

Jovic could be surrounded by talented Brazilians. After the good game against Espanyol, Vinicius Jr. should also start the game, giving some minutes to Rodrygo Goes, who might start against Valencia, although Isco could be another solution there.

The other question mark is in the defense line. Mendy is suspended for La Liga, so maybe Zidane decided to try something new against Brugge. Nacho is available and he has played before as a left back, but also Militao could cover the position or even Carvajal. Zizou could try his defense line on Wednesday. Probably Militao is the best option there, given the circumstances.

Luckily, after a terrible start in the Champions League, Los Blancos could have some rest in the final game. They haven’t been able to top the group, but they are used to win the competition as a second of their group. The most important thing right now is to recover some players for the high competition and to be ready for the clashes in La Liga. The most important part of the Champions League will come in February.

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Real Madrid continued with his positive streak and got a comfortable victory (2-0) against Espanyol, one of the worst teams in La Liga. With some absences, Los Blancos got the three points without shining but without suffering and they kept putting pressure on Barcelona, only 10 days before a decisive El Clásico.

When Real Madrid host a team in the bottom three of the table, the normal situation would be a comfortable victory. And this is what Real Madrid fans got at Bernabéu. However, the team didn’t shine as much as they did in the past days and Los Blancos missed Eden Hazard, whose injury would be a major blow for Zidane’s men.

The manager decided to include Vinicius Junior in the starting eleven, and actually the Brazilian winger was one of the best players in the pitch. In the sunny afternoon, Vinicius played better than Rodrygo Goes, who also started this time. Zidane didn’t want to introduce many changes in the team, with Mendy in the left back because Marcelo was injured.

And Los Blancos had problems to create danger. We had to wait until the 38th minute to see the first goal. It was Varane who unblocked the game after an assist from Karim Benzema. Before, we didn’t see many interesting actions during the game.

The result was very uncertain until the end, because we had to wait until the 82nd minute to see the second goal. Again was Karim Benzema, who scored his 11 goal in La Liga and he showed again that he is able to fight this year to be the topscorer of the competition. The only bad news arrived with the red card shown to Mendy, who cannot play in Valencia. For that tough game Zidane doesn’t have any left back available, a problem for the manager.

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The first few months at Real Madrid have not been an easy job for Luka Jovic. The Serbian player has only started three games in La Liga, scoring one goal against Leganés. However, the striker doesn’t give up and is optimistic about his future in the club. He expects to have more minutes, but he’s working hard to take advantage of the opportunity, whenever it arrives.

Jovic has spoken with the magazine Gloria and had very keen words towards Zidane: “He told me he trusted me, that he is glad having me in the team, and that I did a great job to come to Real Madrid. I’m happy and I hope to have more minutes in the future”, Jovic said.

The reality is that Jovic has only played in 9 games in La Liga, with 291 minutes. Actually, his last minutes were against Betis at the beginning of November, so he has not been in the pitch in the recent games, where Real Madrid are achieving better results. His performances in the Champions League are even worse, with only 29 minutes. Last season, actually, he shone even more in Europe, where he scored 10 goals, leading Eintracht Frankfurt to the semi-finals of the Europa League.

Jovic admitted that the pressure at Real Madrid is very high, especially for his age -he is 22-: “For any youngster is not even easy to arrive here and even more start playing. However, I’m confident about myself, in my quality and I hope to have more minutes in the future”.

The Serbian striker has the recipe to have success at Real Madrid: “Working hard, but also luck. The most important thing is being hard worker, honest with myself and thankful to all my colleagues in the pitch and the managers that I’ve worked with”, Jovic said.

His situation is even harder having a look at his competitors. No one can dare to steal Karim Benzema his position in the starting eleven. The Frenchman is the best player right now in the squad, so Jovic can also replace him when Karim needs some rest. Besides, Rodrygo is a rising star, so he’s also above Jovic in Zidane’s list.

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Lionel Messi has received his sixth Ballon D’Or in the ceremony in Paris, beating Virgil Van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo, the other two finalists. The Argentinian player makes history being the only player in the world with sixth awards. This year, Messi won it only touching silverware once, thanks to La Liga title.

The terrible year played by Real Madrid in 2019 eliminated every possibility to be protagonist in the ceremony as Los Blancos were in the past three years. This time we only saw Karim Benzema shortlisted in the 26th position, clearly the best Real Madrid player during the last months. Besides, Eden Hazard lead Chelsea to the Europa League title and thanks to that he got the 13th position.

Liverpool were the European champions, but their players couldn’t win the award. Van Dijk was the closest one, with Saido Mané in the third position, Mohamed Salah fifth, Alisson was sixth, and Alexander Arnold or Wijnaldum were also in the first 30 players. In addition, Alisson Becker also got the Yashine Trophy as the best goalkeeper of the year.

Liverpool can feel a bit look down because they couldn’t get this trophy. On the contrary, Real Madrid players won the last three years, when Los Blancos conquered the Champions League. Cristiano Ronaldo brought the trophy home in 2016 and 2017, whereas Luka Modric was the winner last year. Actually, Modric travelled to Paris to hand the award to Leo Messi.

On the contrary, Cristiano Ronaldo was the great absence of the evening. The Portuguese player is not living his best moment in his career, being substituted by Maurizio Sarri and with Juventus struggling in Serie A. Besides, the Portuguese star won’t be very happy seeing Messi overtaking him in the list of winner of Ballon D’Or. Hopefully, next year we can see more Real Madrid players in this important ceremony.

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