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Real Madrid have officially their squad to face Getafe on Saturday in La Liga.

Zinedine Zidane has decided to rest Sergio Ramos and Casemiro, who have played almost all minutes in the past few games.

Danilo will also miss the match through suspension. Thus, Raphael Varane and Daniel Carvajal are expected to feature in defence.

James Rodrigue could start in midfield replacing Casemiro, although Isco and Mateo Kovacic also have chances of playing.

This is Real Madrid’s squad for the Getafe match:

Goalkeepers: Keylor Navas, Kiko Casilla and Ruben Yañez.
Defenders: Pepe, Raphael Varane, Nacho Fernandez, Marcelo, Daniel Carvajal and Alvaro Arbeloa.
Midfielders: Toni Kroos, James Rodriguez, Gareth Bale, Mateo Kovacic, Luka Modric and Isco.
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Lucas Vazquez and Jese Rodriguez.

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Xavi Hernandez
Xavi Hernandez - STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images

Former Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez has denied he said Leo Messi is a better player than Cristiano Ronaldo because of the latter’s lack of intelligence.

The World Cup winner gave in interview with The Arab in which he allegedly suggested Ronaldo lacked intelligence at times and therefore his former team mate Messi is the best player in the world.

However, the midfielder spoke to Movistar+ to clarify his thoughts on who is the best n the world, adding that any quotes from him about intelligence were an incorrect translation.

“The translation of what I said was erroneous. I said that there are two types of speed in football. There is the physical side, and in this aspect Messi and Cristiano are at the same level. And then there is the speed at which you are able to connect with your team-mates, and in this aspect Messi is of the highest level, whereas Cristiano is not,” he commented.

And he added: “Cristiano does not seem like a player who excels at linking up with his team-mates. He is not a passer of the ball and that is why Messi is the best in the world for me. He has both kinds of speed, both the physical one and the one that allows him to link up with his team-mates.

“I never talked about intelligence and I never said Cristiano lacks intelligence.”

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Champions League trophy

Real Madrid will face Manchester City in the semifinals of the Champions League. Los Blancos were paired with Manuel Pellegrini’s team in the draw held on Friday at Nyon.

The former Los Merengues manager will have a chance to take revenge from Florentino Perez, who unceremoniously booted the coach out of the Santiago Bernabeu after just one season back in 2010.

Real Madrid have avoided facing city rivals Atletico Madrid, who are set to meet Bayern Munich. Should both Madrid teams go through, they would repeat the final from 2014, when Los Blancos conquered their tenth title after beating Atletico 4-1 in overtime.

The first leg of the semifinals will be played on Tuesday April 26th at Manchester, while the second leg will take place at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday May 4th.

This will be the first time in history that Manchester City compete in the semifinals of the Champions League. Los Merengues, on the other hand, reach this stage of the competition for the sixth consecutive year.

This is the complete semifinals calendar:

APRIL 26th:
Manchester City vs Real Madrid

APRIL 27th:
Atletico Madrid vs Bayern Munich

MAY 3rd:
Bayern Munich vs Atletico Madrid

MAY 4th:
Real Madrid vs Manchester City

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Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos says the ‘love and confidence from the fans was vital’ in the win over Wolfsburg on Tuesday.

Los Blancos booked their place in the semi final of the Champions League thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat trick which helped overturn the 2-0 defeat they suffered last week.

And speaking to the media after the game, Ramos said the home support, who roared on Real from start to finished, was key in keeping the momentum going in the player’s favour.

“It was special, from the first minute until the last. We have to be grateful that grounds like this don’t exist. The love and confidence of the fans was fundamental from the start, showing that it could be achieved. The team has put their heart and soul in to it, like we promised the fans we would and we’re deservedly in to the semi-finals,” he said.

And he added: “There we people who though that the comeback wasn’t possible. We knew how to manage the game, as it’s not possible to maintain the pressure for 45 minutes, we did it for the first 30. In the second half the idea was to go out with a high intensity and look for the goal.”

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Zinedine Zidane and Florentino Perez have been planning the Real Madrid squad for next season during the last few weeks.

The fans are expecting an overhaul, as many players are reaching the final stage of their careers and other have not performed at the expected level.

The latest reports from Spain suggested that Los Blancos could let up to ten players go in the summer transfer market. However, it seems that some of them will finally stay.

According to Spanish website Fichajes.net, the French manager has already decided which players he wants to keep.

Zidane wants the eleven players who started against Wolfsburg on Tuesday to remain in the squad. Those eleven men are Keylor Navas, Daniel Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo, Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema.

According to these reports, the Frenchman also wants to keep Raphael Varane, Danilo, Lucas Vazquez and Jese Rodriguez.

The rest of the players are not essential for Zidane and he wouldn’t mind to see them leave. Thus, James Rodriguez, Isco, Kiko Casilla, Nacho Fernandez, and Mateo Kovacic could be given permision to negotiate with other clubs. Alvaro Arbeloa will also leave as his contract is expiring.

The most surprising about these reports is the fact that Pepe could stay at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Portuguese has turned 33 years old and many expected him to leave, but it seems like Zidane believes he can still perform at a high level for at least one more season.

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Chelsea winger Eden Hazard says rumours he has agreed to join Real Madrid this summer are not true.

The Belgium international has long attracted the interest of the 10-time Champions League winners and this week reports in Spain suggested the 25-year-old has agreed a deal to sign for the Santiago Bernabeu side.

But last season’s PFA Player of the Year and Football Writers’ Footballer of the Year told ACTV that those reports are untrue and his is concentrating on his career with Chelsea.

– Read more Real Madrid rumours

The winger, currently sidelined with a hip injury, stated: “I don’t know who is saying that, but it’s not true. At the moment, I’m at Chelsea. First I have to finish the season and I still have a contract for four years. I’m there and I’m currently feeling good over there. I want to be on the pitch as soon as possible – with Chelsea.”

Despite denying the reports about a move to the Spanish capital, Hazard is just the type of player Real could be on the lookout for in the summer. With the futures of James Rodriguez and Isco both up in the air along with a potential two-transfer window ban that could come into force, Los Blancos are expected to bolster their squad significant in the close season.

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Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola says he is sorry for denying Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo a dream Champions League semi final showdown with Benfica.

After Los Blancos progressed to the last four on Tuesday evening – thanks to Ronaldo’s brilliant hat trick against Wolfsburg – the Portuguese was asked by reporters who he would like to face in the semi finals.

And he responded by saying he’d like to avoid the Spanish team involved – Atletico de Madrid – and would love to meet Benfica, who had to overturn a 1-0 deficit at home on Wednesday night. That wasn’t to be as Bayern secured a 2-2 draw at the Estadio da Luz to ensure their presence in the final four yet again.

Speaking after the match at his press conference, Guardiola joked that he was sorry for denying Ronaldo the chance to face a team from his country.

“I know that Cristiano would have liked Benfica in the semi-finals, I am sorry for him,” he said.

The draw for the semi final takes place on Friday and Guardiola, who will move to Manchester City in the summer, says he is not concerned by comments that his time in Germany won’t have been successful if he doesn’t win Europe’s top club competition.

“According to what I have read in Germany, if we do not win the Champions League my work will be incomplete in fans’ eyes. But in the end, us coaches are here to win titles and win as many games as possible. I have never won as many games in my life and I don’t think I can repeat it in the future,” he commented.

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Manchester United are determined to sign Real Madrid star James Rodriguez next summer. The Red Devils are ready to launch a 75-million-euro bid to bring the Colombian to England, according to British newspaper Daily Express.

The 24-year-old is reportedly seeking to leave the Santiago Bernabeu, as the manager doesn’t seem to trust him and the fans keep criticizing him. United are willing to take advantage of this situation, but they know Florentino Perez will try to recover the investment he made.

Perez is reportedly requesting 80 million euros to let the Colombian go, but he would surely agree to sell for 75 million.

The Daily Express has claimed that Jose Mourinho, who is set to become the new Manchester United manager, has requested James Rodriguez’s transfer. According to the latest Real Madrid transfer news, the former Los Merengues manager also wants to bring Raphael Varane to Old Trafford.

James Rodriguez has spent more time on the bench than on the field this season, and United have promised him he will be a guaranteed starter. A group of fans jeered at him after last Tuesday’s victory against Wolfsburg as he was leaving the Santiago Bernabeu with his wife. Moving to Manchester seems like the wisest choice for him right now.

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Karim Benzema will not be selected for France for the European Championships this summer after a decision by the French Football Federation, it has been confirmed.

The Real Madrid man was suspended from international selection last autumn after his involvement in a blackmail attempt against team mate Matieu Valbuena became public.

As part of the case, a judge in France banned Benzema from communicating with the Lyon midfielder, making his participation in the tournament this summer highly unlikely. But last month that order was lifting and the 27-year-old was hopeful he could be selected for international duty once more.

But FFF president Noel Le Graet and team boss Didier Deschamps have now decided that Benzema will not be included in the squad once and for all. France, who host the championships, are in Group A along with Romania, Albania and Switzerland.

Ahead of confirmation of the decision, Benzema took to social media to say that whatever happens, he will always support France. Writing on his Facebook page, the striker said: “Whatever happens… Once a Blue, always a Blue!”

The Los Blancos man has netted 27 goals for Les Bleus in 81 games. It is the second major tournament he will have missed in his career having been dropped from the national side for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

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Jose Maria Gimenez

Real Madrid are considering to pay Jose Maria Gimenez buy-out clause to bring the Uruguayan to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer, Spanish radio station Cadena SER has revealed.

Florentino Perez and Zinedine Zidane are seeking for a centre-back, given that Pepe seems set to leave the club at the end of the season.

The Atletico Madrid man is one of the most promising young centre-backs in La Liga and Los Blancos believe he could be the perfect man for the job.

Journalist Jose Ramon de la Morena revealed that Los Merengues are ready to bid high to sign the Uruguay international: “Real Madrid are determined to sign Gimenez. We’ll see if they get it, because Gil Marin will not make it easy for Real. Gimenez’s buy-out clause is 60 million euros and Real Madrid are ready to pay it.”

The young centre-back has become a guaranteed starter at Atletico Madrid, a team that has only conceded 16 goals in La Liga this season -11 less than Barcelona and 13 less than Real Madrid.

Many clubs will be interested in signing him next summer, but Atletico will do anything possible to keep him.

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