Showing posts with label Real Madrid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Real Madrid. Show all posts

Friday, April 13, 2012

Pepe's five fiercest flashpoints at Real Madrid


Wayne Rooney called him an idiot; Bernd Schuster claimed his personality changes when he pulls on a Real Madrid shirt. But almost all are in agreement: Pepe has a problem.


The Brazilian-born defender made the headlines again on Thursday for all the wrong reasons, deflecting the attention away from what was actually a very good game of football.


Real Madrid and Barcelona met in the season's fifth Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu, with the Catalans coming out on top, 2-1, in the first leg of the sides' Copa del Rey quarter-final clash.


Pepe, as last season against Barca, was deployed as a destroyer in midfield, and the Portugal defender lived up to that name with a fierce challenge on Sergio Busquets which earned him a booking early on, before a vicious stamp on Lionel Messi which wasn't spotted by the referee.


If it had been, the official would have been left no other option but to produce the red card. As it was, coach Jose Mourinho spared his player the possibility of that humiliation with a substitution in the closing stages.


Most of Barcelona's players would not be drawn on the incidents, but Xavi called the actions 'shameful' and others such as coach Pep Guardiola and Andres Iniesta simply said that the images 'speak for themselves'.


They certainly do. And it isn't the first time, either. Pepe's career at Real Madrid has been plagued with polemic and here, let's look at the defender's most famous flashpoints.



Saturday, April 7, 2012

Jose Mourinho's red mist at Real Madrid - 22 players sent off in 103 games


Jose Mourinho doesn't want to talk about it. The Real Madrid coach refused to speak to the media after his side's 1-1 draw at Villarreal on Wednesday, in protest at a series of refereeing decisions that he believes went against his team at El Madrigal. And the capital club, at Mourinho's request, then took the unusual step of cancelling their pre-match press conference altogether ahead of Saturday's match against Real Sociedad.

Behind the scenes, however, the Portuguese will not stay silent.

Mourinho himself was dismissed on Wednesday night, along with Sergio Ramos, Mesut Ozil and fitness coach Rui Faria. Pepe, despite reports to the contrary, was not shown a red card in the tunnel after the game, but added another blemish to his growing list of misdemeanours as he reportedly told the referee: "What a robbery, you son of a b***h."



Madrid were angry after match official Jose Luis Paradas Romero appeared to book Villarreal striker Marco Ruben twice, but failed to send off the Argentine, although the referee's report later revealed that the first card had been for Marcos Senna, who went on to smash home a free-kick to claim a point for the hosts and subject the visitors to their second draw in the space of four days. But while Mourinho moaned on the sidelines and Madrid were unlucky with the dismissal of Ozil, who was shown a straight red card for applauding the referee, there could be few complaints overall - indiscipline had cost them once more.

The Portuguese appeared most unhappy with the foul committed by Hamit Altintop just outside the area with eight minutes left. It was an identical position to where Esteban Granero had conceded a free kick on Sunday against Malaga. And the result was the same, too, as Senna emulated his former Villarreal team-mate Santi Cazorla and beat Iker Casillas with a stunning shot to seal a 1-1 draw. La Liga, all of a sudden, looked back on, as Barca are now just six points adrift of Madrid with 10 games left and a Clasico clash still to come at Camp Nou next month.



Since arriving at Madrid in the summer of 2010, Mourinho has now seen 22 players sent off in 103 games - and seven in 11 matches against Barcelona. The biggest offenders are Pepe and Ramos, with four red cards apiece (although the latter's last dismissal has since been converted to a single booking), followed by Alvaro Arbeloa with three. Marcelo, Angel Di Maria, Ozil and Ricardo Carvalho have all seen red twice under the Portuguese, while Sami Khedira, Xabi Alonso and Iker Casillas complete the list with one dismissal each.

Wednesday's game was the third time Mourinho's Madrid have ended a game with nine men. The first of those, however, was a carefully planned exercise as Ramos and Alonso - on learning their coach's instructions via a message passed from Jerzy Dudek to Casillas and then to the Seville-born centre-back - both forced a second booking in the Champions League win at home to Ajax in order to serve suspension in Los Blancos' final group game in last season's Champions League.


The second time Madrid finished with nine players was against Barcelona in the Spanish Supercopa at Camp Nou earlier this season, when Marcelo and Ozil saw red at the end of an unsavoury encounter which will forever be remembered for Mourinho's eye-poking incident with Barca's assistant coach Tito Vilanova.

With Ramos' red card now reduced to a yellow by the RFEF, he can now play against Real Sociedad on Saturday, which represents a real relief for Mourinho as central-defensive partner Pepe has been banned for two games and cannot feature. The Portuguese will also be without Ozil, while he himself will be watching from the stands as Madrid look to return to winning ways on Saturday.

And with Barca closing in, they simply cannot afford to let any more points slip. Nor can they afford any more red cards.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

What happened next for Canales, Drenthe, Gago & Garay - how Real Madrid's summer exits are faring at their new clubs in 2011-12


For some players, Real Madrid is the pinnacle; the club brings out the best in their abilities and raises their game to a whole new level. For others, it's just too much of an ask and they are forced to search for success elsewhere.

Six players left the Spanish side last summer, be it to seek experience before returning for a second chance in the future, or to start a new chapter at a new club.

Here,take a look at the fortunes of those footballers who departed the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer.







Saturday, January 14, 2012

Monday, September 12, 2011

Champions League 11/12 Preview - Group D


Group D

Olympique Lyonnaise

Last season:

3rd Ligue 1
Champions League, Round of 16

Manager: Remi Garde

Key Man: Michel Bastos

Stadium: Stade de Gerland, Capacity 40,494



The dominant force in French football over the last few years, have struggled to recreate their strong domestic form on the European stage. Semi-finalists two years ago, and with new manager Remi Garde in charge, and a new sense of excitement around the club, Lyon will look to challenge once again. They qualified for the group stage by beating Rubin Kazan 4-2 on aggregate.

Lyon are quite familiar team around the world, Lisandro Lopez, undoubtedly their best striker, will miss the next month of action through injury, but should return to have an impact in the latter half of the group matches. Michel Bastos, the Brazilian flying winger, is the man to watch out for.

Best Starting XI:



GNK Dinamo Zagreb

Last season:

1st Prva HNL
Croatian Cup winners
Europa League, group stages

Manager: Krunoslav Jurcic

Key Man: Milan Badelj

Stadium: Stadion Maksmir, Capacity 38,923



The Croatian champions have reached the Champions League group stage for the first time in 10 years, making a long awaited return. They beat Malmo 4-3 on aggregate over two legs in the last round.

Players to look out for in the Zagreb squad include; 24 year old midfielder Sammir, who already has 3 goals in 5 Champions League games this season. Also promising full back Sime Vrsaljko, and deep lying playmaker Milan Badelj who has been watched by some English Premiership clubs. Familiar faces in the squad include club captain Igor Biscan, who won the Champions League as a Liverpool player. Jerko Leko, who used to play for Monaco and defender Josip Simunic who spent nine years playing in Germany, with Hertha BSC.

Best Starting XI:



Real Madrid CF

Last season:

2nd La Liga
Copa Del Rey winners
Champions League, Semi-final

Manager: Jose Mourinho

Key Man: Cristiano Ronaldo

Stadium: Santiago Bernabeu, capacity 81,254



The biggest club in the world, what we can automatically tell is that they have closed the gap on rivals Barcelona, and I expect them to reach this year’s final. A manager with a game plan, and two Champions League titles to his name, Jose Mourinho will look to formulate a plan to get Real’s hands back on the trophy, which has eluded them for nine years.

They’ve added Fabio Coentrao and Nuri Sahin to their current crop of fantastic players, and the nine times champions will look to match winners Ronaldo, Di Maria and Ozil to take them further than last season.

Best Starting XI:



AFC Ajax

Last season:

1st Eredivisie
Champions League, group stage

Manager: Frank De Boer

Key Man: Christian Eriksen

Stadium: Amsterdam Arena, Capacity 52,960



The four times Champions League winners last collected the title in 1995. Since then, major European teams in leagues with bigger budgets and greater competition have lured away some of their brightest talents, causing them to no longer be the major European powerhouse they once were. They returned to group stage last season after spending a couple of years in the Europa League, and have now secured back to back seasons in the group stages.

The current squad, as usual, feature some of brightest talent in Europe. The key men in this team include; Danish playmaker Christian Eriksen, who is just 19 years old and already, has represented his national team at senior level, and was instrumental to their first Eredivisie win in seven seasons.

Icelandic Kolbeinn Sigþórsson is the main striker at the Amsterdam Arena at the moment. He signed from AZ in the summer and at the moment has 4 goals in 4 games for his new side. He has fantastic movement, and as his record shows, an eye for goal.

They no longer have Dutch number one Marten Stekelenburg, who has joined Roma, so Kenneth Vermeer is the new number one. New club captain Jan Vertonghen is a quality left footed centre half, who partners fellow countryman Toby Alderweireld, another great prospect.

Best Starting XI:

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Who is Raphaël Varane?


Raphaël Varane is an 18 year old French centre back who currently plays for French Ligue 1 side Lens, and is widely expected to sign for Spanish giants Real Madrid within the next couple of weeks.

Varane signed for RC Lens at the age of just 9, made his way through their renowned youth setup for eight years before making his way into the Lens reserve team last summer. Barely two months had past with the reserve team saw him drafted into the first team squad, and he eventually made his debut aged just 17 years old, in the 2-0 victory over Montpellier.

He was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United over the past month, and records show that the English club first showed interest as early as January. However, a deal is in place for the youngster to sign Real Madrid, with football legend Zinedine Zidane having a significant influence on the deal, after he strongly recommended the defender to Real Madrid. Madrid eventually ended up paying more than €10million to Lens, fending off reported interest from Lille, Paris Saint Germain, Arsenal, Marseille and Borussia Dortmund, signing him down to a five year contract.

Imscouting.com reports that the 18 year old is “a powerful, robust defender who already boasts impressive physical attributes despite his young age”. Zidane has lauded Varane as having a “great future” and comparing him to France World Cup winner Laurent Blanc.

My view on the 18 year old is that he is a great talent and could certainly be the future of French football. He has received some outstanding comments and plaudits from some of the most respected people in the game. Going to Real Madrid at such a young age, is what concerns me about this deal. Real are not known for nurturing young talent and incorporating them into the first team duties, their known for singing establish class players at outlandish prices.

Already at the club are first choice defenders Ricardo Carvalho and Pepe, as well as Raul Albiol and Ezequiel Garay, so Varane is in great company but will have severely limited first team opportunities considering he has only completed his first full season at the highest level, playing for a side that were relegated from Ligue 1.

A loan deal may be an option, but again this may damage his development, and he could join the list of young players who are at Real Madrid, and have been either farmed out on loan or just forgotten about and thrown on the scrap heap; names such as Pedro Leon, Esteban Granero and Serio Canales come to mind. Although I hope Madrid have a plan for Varane and don’t just waste his talents. It would have been interested to see him play another three or four seasons in the French league, and see if he could actually live up to the hype. One thing’s for certain, he’s a player of great potential, will a large fan base already, and hopefully will get the opportunity to prove his worth.

Here’s all you need to know

Age: 18 years old

Date of Birth: 25/04/1993

Place of Birth: Lille, France

Height: 6ft 3in

Position: Centre Back/Defensive Midfielder

Appearances: 22 Goals: 2

France U21 Caps: 3

Here’s the only real video of him on YouTube, he’s tidy in possession and reads the play quite well. Varane Vs Auxerre.



Real Talk Football

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Rumour Mill - £15M Argentine Striker A Possibility?

An interesting rumour today can be found lurking in the Mail, since that particular paper is one step away from a tabloid, their rumours tend to be utter drivel, but I actually really hope there is some truth in this one.

According to the newspaper Real Madrid are ready to listen to offers for Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain, to make the story even more interesting they reckon that Jose Mourinho could be ready to let him go for as little as £15million...surely this a no brainer.

The striker would cost LESS than Jo, think about that for a second, the Brazilian striker supposedly cost £20million (how much of that we paid remains to be seen, much of that was apparently based on appearances and other criteria) and for the money he has provided 6 goals in 38 appearances, only 1 of those coming in the league, nothing more really needs to be said about the 24 year old.

Higuain on the other hand has a fantastic scoring record and has demonstrated himself to be a fine footballer.  After performing very well for River Plate in South America he made the move for Real Madrid, costing the Spanish side €13million.  His form there has been excellent, netting 77 goals in 166 games as well as providing 26 assists.

I think clearly he would be a great addition if he was willing to be part of a squad set up, there are question marks over that since his growing frustration at Madrid is due to a lack of first team opportunities.  He has only appeared in 17 La Liga games this season  due to a back injury but he did manage 10 goals in that time, I find it quite baffling why he isn't their first choice striker.  If he could be tempted to move however I think he would be a tremendous asset, especially if Carlos Tevez leaves.

In an extension to the story however, the players father has spoken out and claimed that his son would like to stay in Spain and fight for a place in the first team, he said:

"A lot of clubs like my son....We are honoured by their interest, but Gonzalo wants to remain in Spain with Real Madrid.".

Clearly this could make a deal more difficult to put together, but in the end money talks and if Madrid do really want to get rid of him the player may have very little choice.  An ideal situation would be a swap deal involving Emmanuel Adebayor, but there would still be the problem of assuring the player that there would be enough opportunities for him to play.  Arsenal and Tottenham are also interested and it is highly conceivable that they would be a more attractive option since they would offer him definite first team football every week.

If he could be convinced though this is one deal that I think would be fantastic, and would really help us going forward.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Champions League Quarter-Finals 1st Leg: What We've Learnt


After all four first legs in the Champions League quarter-finals were completed yesterday; Real Talk Football looks at what we have learnt from four ties, who were the stand out performers, who underachieved and what we can expect from an exciting round of matches.

Real Madrid v. Tottenham – 4-0

Tottenham fans got their wish of facing one of the tougher sides left in the competition, and ended facing up to the harsh consequences. A mystery illness to Aaron Lennon before the game as well as an early red card from Peter Crouch already meant the North London faced an uphill battle.

Emmanuel Adebayor put in a class performance, reminiscing of his best years at Arsenal, and he scored two goals on the night taking his tally to 11 goals in 10 appearances against Tottenham.


Angel Di Maria scored a wonder goal, while Cristiano Ronaldo added the fourth; finally getting on the score sheet after having 14 attempts on goal during the game.

There aren’t too many positives for Tottenham to take to the second leg, Real Madrid are yet to concede at home in the Champions League, and only have only conceded 3 goals altogether. All Spurs can do is go all out attack, and hope for the best.


Inter Milan v. Schalke 04 – 2-5

Inter Milan cannot defend. This is their biggest hindrance in this shaky defence (no pun intended) of their Champions League title. If you look at Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United’s defensive records so far in this campaign, you understand why they are all clear favourites ahead of the Nerazzurri.

Inter are missing their experienced and solid central defensive partnership of Lucio and Walter Samuel, upon which they built their Champions League win last season. During that victorious campaign, they only conceded 9 goals in 13 matches, where as this season they have already shipped 19 goals in just 9 games. They also have the worst defensive record of the last eight teams in the Champions League, conceding an average of 2 goals per game.

In a finaly note on Inter, Dejan Stankovic's unbelievable volley opened the scoring, and is too good to leave out of this review.


Schalke were seen as dark horses to make it into the latter stages of the competition, and thanks to the pacey powerful performance from Jefferson Farfan, the clinical finishing from Striker Edu, along with the fantastic attacking prowess shown by legendary striker Raul all led to thrashing Inter.

The final high point for Schalke, apart from the five away goals, was the performance of 19 year old centre back Joel Matip; who has played in all but one of Schalke’s Champions League game. His composed and confident performance, at such a young age against the likes of Samuel Eto’o and Diego Milito, was a joy to behold for the Schalke fans.

Inter need a big turnaround if they are to progress.


Chelsea v. Manchester United – 0-1

Manchester United has been labelled lucky this season, but I believe it’s time for this label to be relinquished. They have this never give up attitude and winning mentality, and now look favourites to progress after beating Premiership rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. As well as giving themselves that desired away goal advantage.

Despite the critics, Michael Carrick had his best appearance in a Manchester United shirt last night, making seven interceptions against Chelsea, at least three more the any other in the game.

Also Ecuadorian international Antonio Valencia had to fill in at right back during the second half and was excellent throughout the match. He created more goal scoring chances than any other player during the match.

Finally Manchester United’s evergreen goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar was also in great form, making two brilliant saves in the game. It’s noted that he has the best saves-to-shots percentage in the Champions League this season with 93%, followed by Petr Cech, 90%.


Chelsea are not completely out of the tie, but it seems older players like Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, who were instrumental in Chelsea performances last year, seem to no longer be the match winners they once were, with Chelsea distinctly lacking in the final third of the pitch.

The £50 million striker Fernando Torres, who’s price tag will not be shaken off until he starts putting the ball in the net, played okay, but just like this Chelsea side were just not clinical enough. Torres linked up well once the full backs (Bosingwa and Cole) got forward and got the ball into the opposition box. His partnership with Didier Drogba however, is somewhat non-existent.

Heading up to Old Trafford, Chelsea will need to take the game to Sir Alex Ferguson’s men, while there are murmurs that the Champions League is Carlo Ancelotti’s last lifeline. This is the closest remaining tie left in the Champions League, and should be another tightly contested game.


FC Barcelona v. Shaktar Donetsk – 5-1

First things first, you cannot give Barcelona an early goal. This alleviates any kind of pre-game nerves the Barca side would have had, and settled them quickly. Lionel Messi was phenomenal, as was Andres Iniesta. Sergio Busquets was solid at the back, while Adriano and Dani Alves were brilliant in the full-back positions, just as they were against Arsenal.

Shaktar had their chances throughout the game, as striker Luiz Adriano even hit the post and missed a one on one with Victor Valdes. But it was Barcelona who was potent in front of goal, and in all honesty always looking capable of exposing the Shaktar back four.

Iniesta, Alves, Pique and Xavi all took their chances in great team moves. The goal of the night came from Seydou Kieta who ran onto Lionel Messi’s pass and smashed the ball into the top corner and past Andriy Payatov. Barcelona showing they don’t need David Villa or Lionel Messi on the score sheet in order to put five past a side.
Shaktar’s record coming into this game was 39 wins in their last 44 games, so that gives you an idea of the quality of side Barcelona were taking on.


Finally: just a word on Barcelona full back Dani Alves. The Brazilian international, who recently signed a contract extension with the Catalan giants, if for me one of the best footballers in the world, but is overlooked for this acknowledgement for the simple fact he play’s a right back.

Last night apart from a few early wobbles in the first half he was vital in all of Barcelona’s attacking moves, and he was the first outlet for every single one of these Barcelona attacks. Also his no nonsense hard working style is something which also is really impressive, a hard worker, a team player and a great individual.


That wraps up the Real Talk Football’s views on what we learnt from the first round of matches, remember you can follow us on Twitter, www.twitter.com/realtalkfb to get all the latest football news, and remember to cast your vote on who you think will win the Champions League by voting in the poll on the right hand side.

Real Talk Football

Monday, March 21, 2011

Europe: Part 1 - Champions League Preview


Last Friday both the quarter-final draws were made for Europe’s elite club competitions, the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

Real Talk Football takes a look at the draws of both competitions, and previews the last eight teams left in each competition. Today we start with part 1 which features the Champions League draw.

Champions League

The four ties in the quarter final draw are as follows:

Real Madrid v. Tottenham Hotspur

Tale of the tape

Tottenham’s European adventure saw them top Group A ahead of defending champions Inter Milan, Dutch champions FC Twente and German side Werder Bremen.

Spurs defeated seven time winners and European heavyweights AC Milan 1-0 over two legs in order to book their place in their first ever Champions League quarter final. With their full throttle attacking football, nobody has begrudged the North London side their spot in the last eight.

Serial big spenders Real Madrid have reached the quarter finals of the Champions League for the first time in the last seven years. The Spanish giants are undefeated in their campaign so far, overcoming AC Milan, AFC Ajax and AJ Auxerre in the group stage.

With star man Cristiano Ronaldo and two times Champions League winner Jose Mourinho in charge, Madrid will feel they can go all the way this season.

Key Players

Karim Benzema – the French forward came under scrutiny in the first half of the season with his lacklustre performances in La Liga, however the 23 year olds form has vastly improved, and he’s been Real’s top goal scorer in the Champions League with 6 goals in 7 appearances.

While striker Gonzalo Higuain out for the season and Manu Adebayor breathing down his neck for a 1st team position, he needs to continue his rich vein of form.



Luka Modric – The Croatian playmaker has been instrumental in Tottenham’s campaign this season, and his link up play with wingers Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon, have been the key weapons in Spurs Champions League challenge.


Probable Line-ups





Chelsea v. Manchester United

Tale of the tape

The two English powerhouses have been ever-present competitors in the last six seasons in this competition, and contested the 2008 Champions League final.

Chelsea, who has struggled to regain the domestic titles this year, sees the Champions League as their main target this season. They topped Group F with 15 points, winning five matches while their solitary defeat came away to Olympique de Marseille. Chelsea beat Danish side FC Copenhagen comfortably 2-0 over two legs in the second round.

Manchester United haven’t been at their best this season, but have still managed to grind out results and maintain their stay at the top of the Premier League, reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup and of course, reach the latter stages of the Champions League. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side qualified top of their group, fending off competition from Bursaspor, Valencia and Glasgow Rangers.

In the second round, there 2-1 victory over Marseille was synonymous with many of their victories this season, a game where they had a lot of first team players missing, and still managed to grind out the result.

Key Players

Nemanja Vidic – The Serbian defender has been head and shoulders above the rest of the other centre backs in Europe, and has been the cornerstone of Manchester United’s solid defensive record, which has seen them only concede two goals in Europe this season.



Nicholas Anelka – the Frenchman has seven goals in his seven Champions League appearances this season, and has outshone fellow strikers Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres in Chelsea’s campaign.


Probable Line-ups






FC Barcelona v. Shaktar Donetsk

Tale of the tape

Shaktar Donetsk are favoured as the “Dark Horses” in this year’s competition, thanks to their immaculate home form (they are unbeaten at the Donbass Arena in almost two years, over 60 matches), as well as their array of talented imports such as attacking midfielders Douglas Costa and Willian, Striker Eduardo and Luiz Adriano, as well as established and experienced players including; Tomas Hubschmann, Razvan Rat, Darijo Srna and Dmytro Chygrynskiy.

They surpassed Roma comfortably 6-2 in the second round stage, beating the Italians both home and away. They recovered from a 5-1 thumping away to Arsenal to go on and win Group H ahead of the English side.

For Barcelona, progression into the latter stages is minimal of expectations for the Catalan club, and they progressed through as winners of Group D. On paper they were expected to dominate the group stage however it wasn’t all plain sailing for the Spanish giants as FC Copenhagen, Rubin Kazan and Panathinaikos all gave a great account of themselves.

In the second round, Barca overcame a first leg defeat by Arsenal to beat the Gunners 4-3 over two legs, in a fiery and intriguing contest.

Key Players

Xavi Hernandez – The Spaniard World Cup winner impressed with his sensational passing ability in the seven matches he’s played in. He is the heartbeat of the Barcelona side, while his experience and ball retention skills are valuable assets to the side.



Dmytro Chygrynskiy – the 24 year old is quite familiar with the Barcelona team having spent the 2009/10 season at the Camp Nou. He is a tall, no nonsense defender who was influential in both legs of the second round victory over Roma. His quality will be essential in dealing with Messi and co.



Probable Line-ups





FC Internazionale v. FC Schalke 04

Tale of the tape

Schalke have somewhat surpassed expectations by reaching the quarter finals, but with the experienced Raul and goal poacher Klass-Jan Huntelaar, plus an array of talented players, has helped the German side top a tough group that contained the likes of Lyon, SL Benfica and Hapoel Tel-Aviv. In the second round, they beat Spanish side Valencia in two competitive encounters, winning 4-2 on aggregate.

Defending champions Inter Milan reached the quarter finals by the skin of their teeth, after two fantastic matches against last year’s beaten finalist Bayern Munich. Only a late goal from Macedonian international Goran Pandev saw Leonardo’s team progress on away goals. During the group stage, they finished runners-up in Group A, behind Tottenham.

Key Players

Samuel Eto’o – The Cameroonian international has been in sensational form this season, returning to his favoured central striker role, after playing out of position for much of last year’s victorious Champions League challenge. This season, he is the joint top scorer in the competition with eight goals from eight games, with four assists.



Raúl – the legendary Real Madrid striker is the record highest goal scorer in Champions League history with 71 goals, if anyone can be the difference maker, he can. Despite being at the ripe old age of 33 he hasn’t missed a step on the European stage, and has chipped in with 3 goals in this campaign so far.



Probable Line-ups




All ties will be played on the 5/6th April, and the return legs played on 12/13th April

Who do you think will win the Champions League? Cast your vote on the right hand side and let us. Part 2 will be coming on Wednesday.

Real Talk Football