Daily Football

This is a fan blog dedicated to Real Madrid.

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Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo (front) attend the pre match training session at Valdebebas training ground in Madrid, Spain on April 13, 2015, ahead of the UEFA Champions League game against Atletico Madrid.

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Sergio Ramos interview with UEFA’s official media | 13.04.2015  Last season’s Champions League was wonderful for Real Madrid, and you played a key role in the semi-final against Bayern with two goals that silenced the stadium. What are your memories of them? To be honest, I didn’t get the chance to enjoy the moment as much as I should have. At that time, I remember that my friend’s mother had passed away and so I dedicated the two goals to her. I remember that there was a deafening silence in the ground that of course nobody had been expecting. If ever there was a result that nobody had been expecting, it was that one. In the final, things weren’t going very well for Real Madrid, but then you popped up with your goal. What are your memories of that moment?  I remember it with a smile, obviously. It’s a memory that will last forever, and when I’m in my old age I’ll be able to show it to my son and my grandchildren. At Real Madrid, you always have to fight to the last. The last thing you lose is your hope, and that’s what could be seen in our fans’ eyes: fighting spirit, commitment right to the final second, until the referee blows his whistle. You’ve become a cornerstone of the Real Madrid team. How do you view your role within the side? It’s a role that develops over time, as you gain experience. I’ve been at Real Madrid for 10 years and, as one of the captains, you know that you have a responsibility towards other players in terms of giving advice to those that maybe have less experience or have been at the club for a shorter time. It’s a privilege to represent the best club in the world. For me, it’s a pleasure to have the opportunity to transmit the values of the club. If there’s anyone here that knows them from the inside, it’s Iker and I.

[Full Interview : English | Spanish]

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Ancelotti’s press conference | April 13, 2015 Atlético: “We’re not obsessed with Atlético, we’re up for the quarter-finals, which could take us to the semi-finals and are close to the final. In the final you can win or lose. Our objective isn’t to beat Atlético, but to dream of winning La Undécima. What’s important is to get through the round against a difficult team, who like us reached the final last year. We come into this match in good shape. It’s nothing like February. We’re fresh and we can play with intensity and at a high tempo. Personality and courage are very important and this team has that”. Previous meetings with Atlético: “Every match has its own problems and every match brings different ideas. Each defeat was different. One was because of dead balls, the last one because of an attitude that wasn’t so good… It’s difficult to say what has gone wrong. We’ve evaluated it and this is another tie over two matches. We don’t need to win, because you can go through with two draws and what’s important is to go through. Atlético are very tough opponents. They are really well organised in defence, but they’re not a bogey team. They’re a team we have a lot of respect for”. Ramos’ goal (CL final 2014): “It’s an unforgettable memory that allowed us to win this cup, which is so important to the club. It’s in the past and it’s a good memory, but now we’re focused on the present and we’re dreaming of winning another”. The importance of Ramos: “It’s difficult to explain. He’s very important. I’m lucky to have a fantastic team, but there are many important players”. System of play: “It’s not an issue of the system. It’s very important to play a compact game, the whole team together with the personality, courage and attitude for these types of matches. Tomorrow I’d like to see a team that has control over the play and that competes throughout the whole match. [Defence] Everyone has to put a shift in defensively, not just Bale. In attack too. It’s not a issue of numbers. If I want to have numerical superiority in the midfield I’ll field seven midfielders and if Atlético field eight, I’ll field nine. But it isn’t an issue of numbers”. Going for a draw: “We’re going to play to win but we’re not obsessed with winning, because you can go through with two draws. It has happened many times. Favourites: “It’s a very evenly-matched tie. We have a 50% chance. That doesn’t change the attitude, mentality and idea that we have, which is to play to make the most of the quality of the players that we have”.

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Marcelo’s press conference ahead of El Derbi | April 13, 2015 “In a game like this there are no favourites. We’re going to give our all and fight tooth and nail to win. I think that we come into it in good shape. We’ve had players out that we don’t have now. We have to give everything out on the pitch and fight to the last. Matches like these are very difficult. The team looks in really good shape to me. We’re more confident and we’re in better shape than in recent months. The match comes at a good time; we’re in good shape and we’re confident.  Atlético are a great team, they fight really hard and are very intense. We’re not thinking about the other games against them. Now it’s totally different and we have two games to show that we can win. They’re two totally different games. We know what we have to do tomorrow and in the second leg. We’re confident and we’re starting to play like we were before.” His contribution to La Décima: “The coach decides the line-up. I was available to play. I didn’t lose faith in my ability to help the team at any time. I came on aiming to help out and thankfully I was able to. I’ve always felt very important to the team”.

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Carlo Ancelotti has called up all 23 players in the Real Madrid first-team squad for the quarter-final first leg against Atlético at the Vicente Calderón on Tuesday. Fábio Coentrão (knee) and Sami Khedira (back) are fit and could feature against their city rivals. Squad list:  Goalkeepers: Casillas, Keylor Navas and Pacheco. Defenders: Varane, Pepe, Ramos, Coentrão, Marcelo, Carvajal, Arbeloa and Nacho. Midfielders: Kroos, Khedira, James, Bale, Lucas Silva, Modric, Isco and Illarra. Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Chicharito and Jesé. Yellow card warning: - Coentrão, Marcelo and Toni Kroos will incur a suspension with their next booking. - [Atlético] Cristian Ansaldi, Gabi, Jesús Gámez, Mario Suárez and Fernando Torres are all a booking away from a ban. Godín and Tiago return from suspension. Match preview: head-to-head | background | key-players stats | Ramos

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Real Madrid during training | April 13, 2015

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Training | April 13, 2015

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Full squad completes the final session before the CL derby | April 13, 2015 All set for the Champions League derby at the Vicente Calderón. The Whites completed their last training session at Ciudad Real Madrid ahead of the quarter-final first leg against Atlético (Tuesday, 8:45pm CEST). Carlo Ancelotti was able to include all 23 players in the first-team squad, in addition to the Castilla goalkeeper Alfonso Herrero.

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