★ La Liga Season 2015-16 ★

[Emery]

Real Madrid confirm Pepe injury

25 September 2015 22:12

Pepe looks set to miss Real Madrid's game against Malaga on Sunday after the club confirmed he has picked up a muscular injury.

The 32-year-old centre-back missed Madrid training on Friday after sustaining a knock in the 2-1 midweek win at Athletic Bilbao.

And a statement from the Liga leaders read: "Following tests carried out on the player Pepe at the Sanitas La Moraleja University Hospital, he has been diagnosed with a muscular injury caused by a knock to his left leg. His condition will be evaluated."

Pepe's injury causes a further defensive headache for Madrid coach Rafael Benitez.

Captain Sergio Ramos is also out of action due to a shoulder problem, with Raphael Varane likely to partner Nacho Fernandez at centre-back on Sunday.

 

[Bartra]

Jordi Alba out of Barcelona squad for Las Palmas clash

26 September 2015 11:58

Barcelona have confirmed that Jordi Alba is not fit to face Las Palmas at Camp Nou on Saturday.

The Spain international has been struggling with a neck problem and was unavailable for the shock 4-1 defeat to Celta Vigo earlier this week.

The Liga champions have confirmed Alba remains sidelined for the visit of Paco Herrera's men, but Sandro Ramirez has been included in the matchday squad after recovering from a bruised leg.

Claudio Bravo, Rafinha and Thomas Vermalen are also out through injury.

Barcelona head into the game sat fifth in La Liga, having surrendered top spot to Real Madrid following their defeat at Balaidos on Wednesday.

 

[RealMadrid]

La Liga Review: Basque derby ends goalless as Joaquin nets for Betis

27 September 2015 22:58

Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao played out a goalless draw at the Estadio Anoeta as the 137th Basque Derby ended all square on Sunday.

The last three derbies between the sides in La Liga all ended as 1-1 draws but on this occasion neither side were able to break the deadlock - somewhat symptomatic of their respective struggles this term.

Both teams have won just once in the league this season, although David Moyes' Sociedad are now unbeaten in seven against their rivals.

Elsewhere, Joaquin scored his first goal since returning to Real Betis as his equaliser set the visitors on their way to a 2-1 success at Sporting Gijon.

Carlos Castro's opener gave the home side the lead before legendary figure Joaquin levelled a minute into the second half when he glanced home a Ruben Castro cross.

Betis forward Castro had the final say when he made the most of slack Gijon defending to fire home the winner before the hour.

Deportivo La Coruna eased to a 3-0 victory over 10-man Espanyol, with Lucas Perez continuing his fine start to the season.

An Alvaro Gonzalez own goal set Depor on their way before Perez struck prior to the half-hour mark to put the hosts in full control at the Riazor.

Perez took his tally for the season in all competitions to six after the break to move his side sixth as Espanyol were denied a third consecutive Liga victory - Papa Kouly Diop's late dismissal adding to the visitors' difficult outing.

Getafe were also 3-0 winners against Levante as Fran Escriba's side finally found their goalscoring form.

Escriba's men had scored only three goals in their previous five La Liga outings and looked set for another fruitless display in front of goal until Alvaro Vazquez's 81st-minute opener sparked a flurry of late drama.

Emiliano Buendia added a second after 90 minutes before Vazquez completed the scoring in injury time to leave Levante winless and in the bottom three.

 

[RealMadrid]

´We blindly trust´ Martinez - Simeone

27 September 2015 02:07

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone backed Jackson Martinez to find goalscoring form after his side were beaten 1-0 by Villarreal.

A 14th-minute Leo Baptistao goal was all Villarreal needed to secure their victory on Saturday, moving top of La Liga by a point.

Martinez, who joined Atletico in July, has only one goal in six league games for the club and he was substituted at half-time.

Simeone said he was confident the Colombia international would find the form that made him so prolific at Porto.

"Jackson is a very important player for us," he said.

"We blindly trust him and expect him to appear in the important and decisive moments."

Simeone said his team simply did not do enough in the second half, despite pushing for an equaliser at El Madrigal.

"The match was fairly clear. We knew from earlier matches that Villarreal is an ordered, worked team and that the details would decide the match," he said.

"They took advantage of the situation in the first half. We pushed in the second half, but couldn't do it."

 

[Torres]

Navas will be at Real for a very long time - Schuster

27 September 2015 04:50

Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas has the quality to continue at the Spanish giants for a very long time, according to Bernd Schuster.

Navas was all set for a deadline-day move to Manchester United before a protracted deal including David de Gea dramatically collapsed, and the former has since kept five clean sheets in La Liga.

The Costa Rica international also shutout Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League almost a fortnight ago, and former Real coach Schuster believes Navas has a bright future ahead of him.

"Keylor is doing enough to be at Real Madrid and that's important," Schuster told Marca.

"He doesn't have to play any better or any worse. Casillas' legacy will always be there.

"Keylor is just getting started. I like him a lot, enough for him to play at Real Madrid for a very long time."

 

[Stegen]

Messi will return in less than two months - Villani

28 September 2015 01:56

Argentina team doctor Donato Villani is confident injured Barcelona star Lionel Messi will return to action in less than three months.

Messi is set to miss the next seven-to-eight weeks after suffering a tear in the internal collateral ligament of his left knee in Barcelona's 2-1 win over Las Palmas on Saturday.

The 28-year-old's injury is a blow for both Barca and Argentina, but Villani believes the national team captain will return quicker than expected.

"For years I've known Leo and I have no doubt that he will be ready in the shortest possible time of the injury, perhaps before that period of six-to-eight weeks," Villani told Ole.

"He gets mad when you cannot play. The desire to play again and the will to heal can influence."

Villani added: "There is a break in need of surgery. It heals with rest as a first step and then kinesiology."

 

[ToniKroos]

Real Madrid great Ignacio Zoco dies aged 76

28 September 2015 15:13

Ignacio Zoco - a key component in Real Madrid's domestic dominance during the 1960s - has died aged 76, the Spanish club have confirmed.

Zoco, born in the Navarre region of Spain in 1939, played for Madrid between 1962 and 1974 and won a European Cup as well as seven La Liga titles and two Spanish Cups.

Part of Madrid's dominant 'Ye-ye' sides alongside Alfredo Di Stefano, Zoco made 434 competitive appearances for the club and scored 17 times, while also winning the 1964 European Championship with Spain.

Zoco went on to serve Madrid as a first-team match delegate and was later president of the club's association of former players.

First-team coach Rafael Benitez informed his squad of the news during training on Monday.

"With the session already underway, Rafa Benitez was given the sad news immediately out on the pitch, and paused training to inform the players of the club legend's passing," Madrid explained.

 

[Bartra]

Luis Enrique: Messi is irreplaceable

28 September 2015 14:30

Luis Enrique admits it will be hard for Barcelona to replace Lionel Messi as they prepare for Tuesday's Champions League match versus Bayer Leverkusen at Camp Nou.

The Argentina international faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after sustaining a knee injury in Saturday's win over Las Palmas and Luis Enrique realises his team faces a tough challenge to cope without its star man.

"It's a big challenge to play without Messi. It's an added incentive to win for Messi, but he is irreplaceable," said the Barca coach.

"It is always difficult to adapt. I am sure it will be an extra motivation for the players. Our philosophy will be the same and we'll do what we have to do. I won't ask a player to do more in order to make up for Messi's absence. Neymar will keep being Neymar, he does that well.

"We are missing our best player, but are still competitive. We will have to find a way to replace Messi and make sure we remain on track. We are motivated to do well.

"I don't know whether the absence of Messi will affect our opponents' motivation. We are just looking to get a good result against a strong opponent.

"Of course, it is a very important game, because we drew our first game against Roma. If you want to progress, you have to win at home. But it will be a difficult game."

Barcelona had to make do without Claudio Bravo and Jordi Alba against Las Palmas due to injury, but the duo is ready to return against Leverkusen.

"Jordi Alba and Claudio Bravo have both trained on Monday," he said.

"In theory, they are ready to play against Leverkusen."

 

[RealMadrid]

Simeone excited by Correa potential

30 September 2015 15:28

Diego Simeone believes Angel Correa has the potential to offer more to Atletico Madrid than former striker Sergio Aguero during his time at Vicente Calderon.

Correa has impressed Simeone in the opening weeks of the new season with his energy up front for Atleti, while also showing he can link up play by dropping deep.

The 20-year-old has had to wait for his time to shine at Atleti after suffering a heart problem last season, but – having opened his account for the new campaign against Eibar – he is beginning to show his potential.

And Simeone is so impressed he has suggested the youngster could prove to be a better all-round player than Aguero, who scored 100 goals in 230 appearances during his five years at the club.

"They seem different to me," he told Sport when asked about comparisons between the pair.

"One [Aguero] is more a pure forward, a number nine, and Angel breaks down the wings, moves between the lines, is improving and we hope that with this improvement the team will have different options.

"Angel can play in any part of the pitch, as a third forward out wide, or up front if needed. Kun is more a finisher of moves."

 

[Torres]

Valencia confirm hamstring woe for Abdennour

30 September 2015 16:05

Valencia defender Aymen Abdennour has suffered a hamstring injury, the Liga club have confirmed.

Tunisia international Abdennour sustained the problem during Tuesday night's Champions League clash at Lyon, where he was substituted just before the hour.

A statement on Valencia's official website read: "According to the tests that have been submitted this morning, Abdennour has a muscle injury in the femoral biceps of his left thigh, pending developments."

Nuno's side won the Group H encounter in France 1-0 thanks to a first-half strike from Sofiane Feghouli.

Abdennour joined Valencia from Monaco last month following Nicolas Otamendi's departure to Manchester City.

The 26-year-old started five of Los Che's past six matches, sitting out last Friday's 1-0 win over Granada.

 

[Chicharito]

Cristiano Ronaldo scores 500th career goal

30 September 2015 21:18

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 500th career goal in Real Madrid's Champions League encounter with Malmo on Wednesday.

Ronaldo scored the first goal of the game in the 29th minute as he finished off a swift Madrid counter-attack with a clinical strike after being played in by Isco to reach the milestone.

The prolific attacker scored five goals for Sporting CP in the early stages of his career, netted 118 times for Manchester United, added 55 more for Portugal and has now reached 322 goals for Madrid.

The 30-year-old started his professional career with Sporting and opened his account for the Lisbon giants on his league debut on October 7, 2002, scoring twice to help them to a 3-0 win over Moreirense.

He would go on to score five goals in all competitions for Sporting before leaving them for United after one season of first-team football.

The Portugal international failed to hit double figures in his first two seasons at Old Trafford, but would eventually go on to score 118 goals for United, 91 of which came in his last three seasons. He finished the 2007-08 campaign as the Premier League's top scorer with 31.

Ronaldo left United for Real Madrid in 2009 and only improved on his impressive goalscoring record at the Santiago Bernabeu, breaking the 100-goal mark after just three seasons in the Spanish capital.

He enjoyed arguably his finest season at an individual level in 2014-15, when he scored 61 club goals in 54 appearances across all competitions, although Madrid ended the season trophyless.

The attacker has amassed 322 goals in all competitions for Madrid following Wednesday's strike in Sweden, bagging three La Liga golden boot awards since joining the club.

Furthermore, Ronaldo is the all-time leading goalscorer in the Champions League ahead of Lionel Messi and Raul, being crowned top scorer in 2008, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

At international level, he scored his first goal at Euro 2004 in Portugal's 2-1 loss against Greece and has found the net at each major tournament since. Ronaldo has so far scored 55 goals in 122 appearances for his country.

 

[Stegen]

Ronaldo hints at future away from Real Madrid

1 October 2015 08:58

Cristiano Ronaldo is determined to win silverware with Real Madrid this season but says he cannot guarantee his long-term future at the club.

The Portugal star drew level with Raul's long-standing club record of 323 goals with his double against Malmo on Wednesday - his 500th and 501st strikes in his professional career.

Ronaldo was linked with a potential departure from the Santiago Bernabeu during the transfer window, with speculation of world-record bids from former club Manchester United and French champions Paris Saint-Germain rife.

And though the 30-year-old says he is eager to add to his trophy collection in the Spanish capital, he refused to rule out a departure.

"My future is at Madrid. I'm fine here. I want to win things here and I feel good," Ronaldo said after the 2-0 win in Sweden.

"But as I've said millions of times before, nobody knows the future. We'll see what happens.

"I have a good relationship with everyone, the president, the coaches, the kit managers... my relationships are good because I'm a professional.

"Nobody knows what will happen next year. I want to win things in Madrid because I think this club has the potential to win things, but in the future I don't know."

Ronaldo opted to break his long silence with the media on Wednesday but became irritated as one reporter persisted in asking for his views on Gerard Pique's inflammatory comments earlier this year.

Pique had publicly thanked singer Kevin Roldan as Barcelona celebrated the treble following the supporter outcry when pictures of Ronaldo's birthday celebrations emerged the day after a 4-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid in February.

"It's my decision. I speak when I want and the club doesn't pressure me. When you don't speak it's because something isn't right," Ronaldo said of his media blackout.

"Do you know why I don't talk? Are you clever? To do this work you have to be clever.

"I don't speak more often because the questions aren't good. He's talking to me about things that happened five months ago.

"Today you don't ask me for the good things about the team. Why do I want to get involved in what Pique said? Why does it matter?"

 

[RealMadrid]

Celta Vigo 0 Getafe 0: Berizzo´s men unable to take top spot

2 October 2015

Goalkeeper Vicente Guaita was in fine form as Getafe denied Celta Vigo top spot in La Liga, holding the hosts to a 0-0 draw on Friday.

Despite dominating possession at the Estadio Balaidos, second-placed Celta could not find a way past the on-song Guaita, and they have now drawn both games since their fantastic 4-1 win over Barcelona.

Iago Aspas came closest to opening the scoring early on – his venomous strike clattering off the woodwork.

Alvaro Vazquez did threaten for Getafe, while Pablo Hernandez squandered a great chance at the other end before the interval.

Former Valencia shot-stopper Guaita pulled off a string of terrific saves in the second half, denying both Nolito and Gustavo Cabral, before getting down low to parry away John Guidetti's goal-bound strike in stoppage time.

The draw leaves Eduardo Berizzo's Celta in second place, one point behind leaders Villarreal, and level on points with third-placed Barca.

 

[Postiga]

Sevilla 2 Barcelona 1: Messi missed in rare defeat

3 October 2015

Life in La Liga without the injured Lionel Messi got off to a bad start for Barcelona on Saturday, as the reigning champions lost 2-1 away to Sevilla.

Goals from Michael Krohn-Dehli and Vicente Iborra in the space of six second-half minutes at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan gave the Andalusian hosts a lead they did not relinquish.

Barca pulled one back from the penalty spot through Neymar with 16 minutes to go.

But, despite laying siege to their opponents' goal in the closing stages of the contest, the Catalan giants proved unable to force an equaliser.

It leaves Luis Enrique with work to do in the weeks and months ahead as talisman Messi recovers from the knee injury he suffered early in Barca's 2-1 win at home to Las Palmas in their previous league game.

Such a significant victory against the title-holders will do much to ease the pressure on Sevilla's under-fire coach Unai Emery, following a poor start to the domestic season and their Champions League hammering at the hands of Juventus in midweek.

Barca came within inches of opening the scoring in the 24th minute, when a Neymar free-kick hit the post, ricocheted off goalkeeper Sergio Rico and rolled across the goal-line before Coke was able to clear.

They hit the woodwork again six minutes before half-time, Luis Suarez striking the top of the bar with a curling effort from outside the area.

The visitors had already gone close on two previous occasions through Neymar and Suarez, but Sevilla more than held their own.

Iborra, Kevin Gameiro and Marco Andreolli all missed presentable chances inside the opening 15 minutes, while a dangerous whipped cross from Benoit Tremoulinas required the intervention of Sergi Roberto to deny the hosts what would have been a golden opportunity to break the deadlock.

With a minute remaining in the first half, Ivan Rakitic's delicate flick released Suarez in on goal, but Tremoulinas was on hand to clear the danger as the Uruguayan hesitated.

Having weathered the storm, Sevilla took the lead seven minutes after the interval as Gameiro's dangerous ball across the face of goal was met at the back post by Krohn-Dehli, who smashed past Claudio Bravo.

The hosts doubled their advantage just six minutes later. Krohn-Dehli received the ball at his feet on the edge of the Barca area, cut inside and delivered a lofted diagonal pass toward the penalty spot, where Iborra, who had managed to stay just onside, rose to head the ball down, beyond Bravo and into the corner of the net.

Finally jolted back into life, Barca mounted a sustained assault on the Sevilla goal just after the hour mark.

Neymar was denied three times in as many minutes by Rico, but finally had his goal from 12 yards after Sandro Ramirez's shot hit the arm of Tremoulinas on the very edge of the area.

Sandro went agonisingly close to equalising for the visitors in the 78th minute, meeting a Luis Suarez cross to smash a shot against the crossbar, but consecutive defeats on the road leave Barca struggling to replicate their dominance of last season.

 

[Torres]

Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid: Navas relishing derby test

2 October 2015

Keylor Navas says Real Madrid's players are relishing the challenge of travelling to the Vicente Calderon to face Atletico Madrid in La Liga on Sunday.

Rafael Benitez's side will be desperate to end their recent run of woe against their local rivals, particularly at the Calderon.

While their win last year in a Champions League quarter-final second leg ended a run of seven winless games in meetings with Atletico, Real Madrid have not managed to come out on top in their last five away derby clashes.

Failure to triumph in this clash would equal their worst ever run in the fixture. They have also been unable to score in their four most recent trips to take on their cross-city rivals.

Atletico have lost two of their first six league games in 2015-16 and will be eager to prevent another setback. They trail surprise leaders Villarreal by four points and third-placed Real Madrid by two.

Despite the motivated opposition and difficulty of the game, though, goalkeeper Navas is positive about the task at hand.

He told Mahou: "It is one of the most important games in La Liga, anyone would want to play in it.

"The fact it is a derby is added motivation. They have their fans, but ultimately it is 11 versus 11 and that is the most important thing.

"I approach every game with the same level of seriousness. All of the opponents deserve respect, but it is a nice and important game and fans really live it to the maximum."

One Madrid player who does have a decent record against Atletico is Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored eight times in his last seven appearances against Diego Simeone's men.

After passing 500 career goals with the first of his two goals against Malmo in the Champions League on Wednesday, a solitary strike will see him surpass Raul to become Real Madrid's all-time record goalscorer.

Atletico, who will make a late check on Koke's fitness, are without a key figure in suspended midfielder Gabi.

Madrid's Gareth Bale and Sergio Ramos are both expected to return for the game while Danilo, James Rodriguez and Pepe are more doubtful, although they are yet to be definitively ruled out of the match.

 

[Chicharito]

Bale and Ramos cleared to face Atletico Madrid

3 October 2015

Real Madrid coach Rafael Benitez has confirmed that Gareth Bale and Sergio Ramos have been passed fit to face city rivals Atletico on Sunday.

Wales star Bale has been sidelined since last month's Champions League victory over Shakhtar Donetsk, while Ramos was also injured in the same game, dislocating his shoulder.

With the duo having returned to full training in recent days, Benitez is confident both will be ready to play a part against Diego Simeone's side, though he is yet to make a decision on whether to risk them from the start.

"Gareth Bale and Sergio Ramos can play. I've spoken with them, they're fine, they're excited to return," he said on Saturday. "We'll make a decision tomorrow on whether or not they will start.

"They have the medical all-clear, the other thing is the rhythm of competition. But they're players who are still very useful when they're not at 100 per cent."

Benitez has ruled out James Rodriguez from Sunday's game, however, and insisted he will not be fit to feature for Colombia in the international break despite being given a call-up.

"He won't play in this game," said Benitez. "The doctor and the Colombian coach are in Madrid. He won't be there for Sunday and, almost certainly, he won't be ready for the national team, either.

"But the team looks good to me. There are things we can improve but the statistics, the feelings at the moment that we have suggest we're going in the right direction."

 

[ToniKroos]

Benitez wants ´many more years´ of Ronaldo at Real Madrid

3 October 2015

Real Madrid coach Rafael Benitez wants Cristiano Ronaldo to "increase his legend" at the club "for many more years" after he was honoured at the Santiago Bernabeu this week.

Ronaldo moved beyond 500 career goals for club and country as he scored twice in the Champions League win over Malmo, taking him level with Madrid's record goalscorer Raul on 323, according to official UEFA statistics.

Madrid, however, credit Ronaldo with a goal against Real Sociedad in 2010 which was officially awarded to Pepe, and the Portugal captain was given a special presentation in the Spanish capital on Friday to mark the milestone.

Ronaldo admitted after the Malmo victory that he cannot guarantee he will stay at the club in the future but Benitez is eager to see him add to his goal tally.

"The numbers are there. I hope he continues to score plenty of goals and that we enjoy him for many more years," he said.

"That CR7 is in Madrid history is something very important, but I hope his legend increases."

Benitez's side take on city rivals Atletico Madrid on Sunday and the former Napoli boss is expecting a game of high intensity.

"It will be a game of character and passion most of all. They will be organised, with intensity and players of real quality," he said.

"We know it'll be very difficult. We have to respond with character and personality and try to play our football.

"We don't have a fixed rule against Atletico. We face the game with the idea of winning but there are a lot of ways to get the result. "

Benitez has also highlighted the form of midfield duo Toni Kroos and Mateo Kovacic, adding: "Talking about Kroos and Kovacic is very positive for the team because it means they are doing well."

 

[Torres]

Poor Atletico form is ´no surprise´ to Simeone

3 October 2015

Atletico Madrid's disappointing week is "not a complete surprise" to head coach Diego Simeone.

Atletico were beaten 1-0 by surprise early La Liga leaders Villarreal last Saturday before suffering a 2-1 home defeat to Benfica in the Champions League.

The 2014 champions head into Sunday's derby with Real Madrid with a four-point gap to the top of the table but Simeone has insisted he fully expected a difficult opening to the season.

"We have to see the positive things from the last two games we've lost and correct the negatives. We're always thinking of the positive things," he said on Saturday. "We create quite a few chances and that's not easy, especially in the Champions League.

"Nothing of what's happening to us is a complete surprise to me. We knew the first 10 games of the season would be tough, with difficult opponents home and away, and we have a lot of young lads who we need to incorporate into the team in the best way possible.

"We're working very well. In that regard, the team is doing very well and we finish games better than our opponents."

Simeone went on to praise the impact of Rafael Benitez at Real Madrid this season, especially in improving their defensive record.

"They've still got the same line of attacking power, they're trying to protect themselves with greater defensive work, especially out wide," he added. "That's given them fewer goals against, an important factor for any team that wants to win. We'll try to be alert to counter whoever plays in these areas.

"In his history as a coach, Benitez has always worked in the same way. At Valencia, Liverpool - he has inherent characteristics, to have teams that work, are balanced and have a good defensive aspect."

Jackson Martinez has struggled for form since his move to Atletico from Porto during the transfer window but Simeone would not confirm whether the Colombia striker or Fernando Torres would start on Sunday.

"They trained very well and that's very good," he continued. "That's good for the team. Whoever players, although they have their own characteristics, will do well for the team."

 

[Pique]

Koke to miss out on Madrid derby

3 October 2015

Koke has been left out of the Atletico Madrid squad for the derby with Real Madrid.

The midfielder picked up a hamstring injury in Atleti's 2-0 win at Eibar last month and has not played since.

Atleti have lost two of the three games Koke has missed and will again be without the Spain international for Real's visit to the Vicente Calderon on Sunday.

Diego Simeone's men are fifth in La Liga, two points behind Real after six games.

 

[Stegen]

CAS rejects appeal over Neymar Brazil ban

2 October 2015

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has rejected an appeal to have Neymar's two-match ban for Brazil lifted.

The Barcelona star was handed a four-match suspension for competitive internationals following a red card against Colombia at the Copa America earlier this year.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) had asked for the remaining two matches of the ban to cover only Copa America fixtures, but CAS announced on Friday that it has upheld its initial decision.

"By rejecting CBF's appeal, the two remaining match bans will have to be served during the next qualifying matches for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia to be held on October 8 and 13 2015," read a CAS statement.

Neymar will consequently be forced to miss the games with Chile and Venezuela as South American World Cup qualifying gets underway this month.

CAS went on to confirm it would explain the decision to reject the CBF's appeal at a later date.