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Real Madrid couldn’t beat Atlético Madrid at Santiago Bernabéu for the seventh year in a row in La Liga and the derby finished in a goalless draw. Los Blancos had many chances and played better but Oblak was the main protagonist to keep his goal untouched. Real Madrid missed another opportunity to fly ahead FC Barcelona after his draw at home against Athletic Club.

Julen Lopetegui only introduced one change. He put in the pitch Nacho Fernández as a left back instead of Marcelo, injured. Carvajal was again in the line-up and he played a good game. Los Blancos, generally speaking, played quite good and they had many chances to open the scoreboard. Carvajal had the best one in the first half, but also Asensio or Bale could score.

Atlético Madrid also brought some danger with the counter attacks. Especially Diego Costa and Antoine Griezmann made Courtois work, but the Belgian goalkeeper showed once again his skill. Real Madrid have signed one of the top goalkeeper in the world, and he is already showing it in every game.

In the half-time, Julen Lopetegui had to substitute Gareth Bale, again with physical problems and Dani Ceballos was on the pitch. The former Betis player was one of the best footballers on the pitch, controlling the game and guiding the team. Los Blancos improved in the second half with Atlético Madrid locked down in their area. However, Real Madrid is already missing Cristiano Ronaldo and they couldn’t finish any of the chances they had.

Besides, Julen Lopetegui decided not to introduce Mariano Díaz. With the team looking for a goal and Benzema again out of the game, the coach didn’t think that the former Olympique Lyon striker was the best option. Instead, Vinicius made his debut with two minutes to go. Los Blancos missed another opportunity this season and Lopetegui hasn’t won Atlético in the two games he played against the city rivals. Four difficult games and no victories. There are many things to improve.

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Real Madrid v Atlético de Madrid is the best game of the 7th game in La Liga. The gap between the two giants of the capital is only two points, with FC Barcelona in the top of the table. After the tough defeat in Sevilla, Los Blancos need to bounce back and react with a victory against the city rivals.

Julen Lopetegui has failed the three most important exams this season. He couldn’t lift the first trophy of the season -the European Supercup- against Atlético Madrid, Los Blancos drew at San Mamés and they were thrashed at Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán. The only good news were against AS Roma in the Champions League debut. The supporters have already some doubts about the new coach.

It’s not easy to lead the team after Cristiano Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane’s departures. And Lopetegui has experienced already these problems, especially after the shame of the first half. The team didn’t react, with Mariano on the bench and the defence suffering a lot. Another bad result against Atlético Madrid will set all the alarms.

The manager cannot count with Marcelo, injured after a terrible game in Sevilla. Also Daniel Carvajal had some problems and he will be a doubt until the last minute. Isco is not available too, so what will Lopetegui do? Karim Benzema is showing a poor level again, so perhaps it’s the moment to see Mariano in the line up but it’s quite unlikely.

Besides, Atlético Madrid arrive in the best moment of the season. They’ve won three games in a row, bouncing back after a bad start of the season. Los Blancos haven’t been able to beat the city rivals in the last 6 games in La Liga at home. The last victory at Santiago Bernabéu in La Liga was the 1st of December 2012, with Ozil and Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the goals. Will Real Madrid break the run?

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MADRID, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 28: Daniel Ceballos of Real Madrid CF in action during the Copa del Rey, Round of 32, Second Leg match between Real Madrid and Fuenlabrada at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on November 28, 2017 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

Sevilla thrashed Real Madrid (3-0) at Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán thanks to a terrible performance by Los Blancos and a great first half for the Andalusian team. Machín’s team won the game in the first half, where they were able to score three goals and create many other chances to open a larger gap in the scoreboard.

Los Blancos set a foot at Sánchez Pizjuán knowing that FC Barcelona had lost (2-1) surprisingly against Leganés only minutes earlier. This doesn’t boost Los Blancos. On the contrary, they started the game like a ghost, still thinking in The Best ceremony award. They didn’t show up in the first 45 minutes and the result was 3-0 and thanks to Thibaut Courtois.

Julen Lopetegui didn’t know how to react. He introduced Nacho as right back, leaving Odriozola out of the list despite his good game against Espanyol. Benzema was also in the starting eleven, but he didn’t touch a ball again, with Mariano still looking for a new opportunity. But the biggest problem was the defender. In the first minute, Varane made a big mistake and André Silva almost scored the first goal. It was a hint of the match.

All the danger arrived from the attacking right wing of Sevilla. Jesús Navas seemed a young boy and he ate literally Marcelo. The Brazilian defender had one of his worst evenings as Real Madrid player, unable to defend a single attack. All the goals came from his side and, on top of that, he got injured in the 80th minute leaving the team with 10 players. By then, André Silva had punished twice Courtois and also Ben Yedder scored the third one. All the fights, rebounds, second plays were won by Sevilla.

Only Courtois, who made a couple of great saves, and Gareth Bale showed up in Seville. The Welshman hit the post with a great shot in the first half and could have scored in the second half in front of Vaclik, but the goalkeeper saved the clear chance. Modric was the only one who could score but VAR confirmed that he was in offside for 2 centimetres. The comeback was impossible and Los Blancos gave a poor image to their supporters.

Atlético Madrid is waiting for the derby on Saturday. Lopetegui has been unable to beat Atlético, Athletic and Sevilla in this start of the season. The final test will be the derby. If he fails, we have reasons to be concerned.

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Luka Modric

Luka Modric has been chosen as The Best Player of 2018 by FIFA. The Croatian midfielder wins this award for the very first time in his career beating Cristiano Ronaldo, who didn’t attend the ceremony, and Mohamed Salah. It’s the first time in a decade that Leo Messi or the Portuguese striker don’t want this kind of individual prizes.

After winning the UEFA Player of the year, Luka Modric continues taking prizes to his home and the next one might be the Golden Ball Award, given by France Football. Gianni Infantino, FIFA chairman, announced in the ceremony in London the winner. This time, Modric was chosen by a voting among all national teams coaches and captains, and a group of specialized journalist and the fans who voted in FIFA.com.

The Real Madrid player wanted to thank the club and the supporters in the winner speech. Florentino Pérez, Sergio Ramos or Raphael Varane also attended the ceremony This time Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi didn’t want to go to London and FIFA heavily criticized them: “They discredit football and they don’t realize”.

Mohamed Salah won the Puskas award to the best goal of the season for the one scored against Everton. He beat Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Leo Messi. It’s also hard to understand that the Welshman didn’t win this award after his stunning volley in the Champions League final against Liverpool. The prize for best coach was given to Didier Deschamps after lifting the World Cup in Moscow. This time Zinedine Zidane couldn’t bring home the award.

FIFA also chose the best starting eleven of the year. Real Madrid players were the main protagonists here with five positions. De Gea, Dani Alves, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Hazard, Modric, Kanté; Mbappé, Cristiano and Messi. It is also difficult to understand how De Gea could be the best goalkeeper after his catastrophic World Cup with Spain

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Real Madrid suffered to beat Espanyol (1-0) in the fifth game in La Liga, but Los Blancos got the three points and they are again on the top of the table, waiting for Barcelona’s game against Girona at home. Only a goal scored by Marco Asensio was enough to get the victory, although Lopetegui’s men risked to lose two points at the end of the match.

We knew that Lopetegui was going to make a few changes. Álvaro Odriozola was set to debut because Dani Carvajal was injured. The former Real Sociedad defender made a great game and he put some pressure on Carvajal. If the Madrid born right back has problems, this season Odriozola will be ready to take his positions. Also Courtois started again in the goal and Kroos and Gareth Bale had some rest.

With all these changes, the team didn’t work very well. Dani Ceballos was in the midfield, but the level of the team was far from the one showed against AS Roma only three days ago. Even Espanyol had a few chances, especially one after a huge mistake of Sergio Ramos, who hit the bar. Los Blancos only could take the lead in the minute 42nd, when Marco Asensio shot after a lucky pass. The referee needed to confirm if it was legal or not with VAR, but he finally conceded the goal.

Sergio Ramos showed a poor level and made some crazy mistakes. The captain is playing with too much confidence and Lopetegui should tell him that he is the best defender in the world, but he cannot shoot the free kicks, score the goals, give the assists… There is a big team and the team mates should share their tasks.

At the end of the game we had the opportunity to see Mariano Díaz again and also Lucas Vázquez, who is not having many minutes in this start of the season. However, Gareth Bale didn’t play a minute because Lopetegui decided to put Marco Llorente in the pitch at the end of the game to tie the result. It was a risky decision because Espanyol was close to draw at the end.

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Álvaro Odriozola is set for debut this Saturday (20:45, local time) against Espanyol at Santiago Bernabéu. The basque defender can finally start a game because Daniel Carvajal will miss the match after not being able to train on Friday. Julen Lopetegui confirmed that Carvajal has “some small problems”, so he will have some rest and the idea is to have him back for Seville, the next clash on Wednesday.

Julen Lopetegui has not put in the pitch the new signings of the summer. Only Thibaut Courtois has been protagonist in this start of the season. Mariano Díaz made his debut on Wednesday against Roma, Odriozola has not played a minute, whereas Vinicius is playing with Castilla. Fede Valverde is always out of the list.

This weekend there will be many changes in the line-up. Odriozola will start for sure, but there will be more surprises, because Dani Ceballos should start and also Mariano. Besides, Nacho can give some rest to Sergio Ramos or Raphael Varane. Lucas Vázquez, who hasn’t played many minutes in the start of the season, could have also his opportunity.

Lopetegui has also included Vinicius in the list. The Brazilian player is performing very well with Castilla -he scored a free kick last weekend- and could be on the bench this weekend. However, the manager has shortlisted 20 players, so on Saturday he will decide which players won’t be in the final list.

Another important piece of news will be in the goalkeeper position. Courtois seemed to be the goalkeeper chosen by the coach, but Keylor Navas played in the Champions League and he did a great job. The Costa Rican showed his skills and told everybody that he is able to fight for his position. This is an easy choice for Lopetegui because both are showing a great level.

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Real Madrid started the Champions League with a great victory (3-0) over AS Roma. Los Blancos deserved even many more goals, but they weren’t accurate when shooting to the target. Modric lead the team, showing that Lopetegui’s men are ready to defend their crown one year more. Even without Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid are candidates to touch silverware in June at Wanda Metropolitano.

Julen Lopetegui decided to give the opportunity to Keylor Navas and left Courtois on the bench, together with Marco Asensio because this time Isco had the chance to start. And the team started the game very well, passing the ball very fast and having many chances. However, Karim Benzema didn’t have his evening and Bale or Modric also had the opportunity to score in the first half. We had to wait until the minute 45th, when Isco kicked a perfect free kick to the goal.

It was Luka Modric the man of the match, leading the team and directing the game. Los Blancos should have scored many, many goals tonight, but Olsen or the bars prevented the thrashing. Even AS Roma had a couple of chances but Keylor Navas showed his skills and his name was cheered by the supporters.

We had to wait until the 58th minute to see another goal. This time Modric assisted to Gareth Bale who shot perfectly with his left foot while running. There was still half an hour to the final whistle and Julen Lopetegui put Asensio and Mariano in the pitch. It was Mariano’s debut after his signing in summer. In these 30 minutes, Los Blancos had 3 or 4 clear chances to increase the gap in the scoreboard, but they had to wait until the injury time to see Mariano’s goal. An amazing banana shot from outside the box. This striker has something to show.

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Antoine Griezmann shared in social media an image of Sergio Ramos putting a crown on his head after the European Supercup game. This week the French striker told the press that he was surprised for not being included in the shortlist for The Best Award and he admitted that he could be seated in the same table with Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Now Sergio Ramos wanted to reply him just one day before the Champions League debut.

The captain wanted to speak in press conference with Julen Lopetegui before the important game against AS Roma, in the Champions League debut. Sergio Ramos criticized Griezmann: “The ignorance is very cheeky. When I listen to this lad, I remembered Totti, Buffon, Raúl, Iker, Iniesta… They won everything and they didn’t win the Golden Ball. He should let Simeone, Koke or Godín advise him, people with values will be good for him”, Sergio Ramos replied.

Sergio Ramos expects a good performance of his team in the first game in the European competition after the victory in Kiev, the third straight title for Los Blancos: “Proud and responsibility. These three Champions League are not casual. We have to keep the ambition for winning”, the captain told the journalist in press conference.

Julen Lopetegui could make some changes in the starting eleven and Modric could have some rest. Also Vinicius or Mariano could make their debut with the team this season: “Mariano can play at any moment because he’s always called. He will help us. Vinicius is competing well with Castilla and we’ll decide when the moment arrives”.

Los Blancos start to defend the title against AS Roma, who have started quite bad the season. There are serious criticism around the Italian team after winning only one game in Serie A. Manolas will be cheered at Bernabéu stadium because Real Madrid fans don’t forget his goal against FC Barcelona last season. This is the most challenging game of the group stage for Los Blancos, with CSKA Moscow and Viktoria Plzen as the other rivals.

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Real Madrid Champions League
(Photo credit FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images)

FC Barcelona are already at the top of the table in La Liga after beating Real Sociedad at Anoeta and thanks to the draw at San Mamés (1-1) between Athletic Club and Real Madrid. Lopetegui’s men had won all the games so far but they couldn’t get the three points from Bilbao despite a great second half.

The Spanish coach decided to leave Casemiro on the bench in the first half and the result was losing the control of the game. Ceballos is not the right person for the stopper position and Los Blancos suffered a lot. As a result of this, Muniain opened the scoreboard before the halft time and Courtois, another time in the starting eleven, couldn’t do anything to avoid it.

Casemiro entered in the pitch in the second half and Los Blancos improved. They started to arrive with a lot of danger to Unai Simón goal, but the Athletic goalkeeper was one of the best players of the game. Asensio or Benzema had clear chances to score but Real Madrid had to wait until Isco came in -he was again on the bench- to get the draw thanks to a header after a great assist from Gareth Bale.

Even if Los Blancos needed to score another goal to get the three points, Lopetegui didn’t put Mariano Díaz on the bench, so the former Olympique Lyon player has still to make his debut with Los Blancos. Same situation for Álvaro Odriozola, who had to chance to play, especially with the good level showed by Daniel Carvajal.

This time, Los Blancos missed Cristiano Ronaldo, as the strikers weren’t that brilliant as they were in the start of the season. Despite the draw, Los Blancos knew how to play and improved a lt in the second half. There is no reason for being pessimistic, although Barcelona have already two points of advantage.

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The first important test for Julen Lopetegui will take place this Saturday (20:45, local time). Read here the preview of the game Athletic Club v Real Madrid, where Los Blancos will try to continue with their victory run in La Liga.

Athletic Club v Real Madrid Preview

Los Blancos have started very well the season but the calendar was quite easy. Getafe, Girona or Leganés are rivals that have to be beaten if the team wants to win the title. However, the first important test will be San Mamés, a tough stadium where Los Blancos were unable to win (0-0) last year. Besides, Real Madrid face a difficult part of the season with the debut in the Champions League -Wednesday against Roma- and they play against Sevilla and Atlético Madrid before the end of September.

Julen Lopetegui has all his squad available. Odriozola is fit after his injury, so he could make his official debut in La Liga with Los Blancos and give some rest to Dani Carvajal, who showed an excellent level with the Spanish national team. Mariano Díaz, who stayed in Madrid training during the international break, could also have some minutes but he should start on the bench. Besides, Thibaut Courtois is set to start defending the goal, with Keylor Navas as substitute.

Athletic Club haven’t started very well the season at home. They beat Leganés (2-1) in the last minute thanks to a goal scored by Muniain and they were surprised by the new promoted team Huesca (2-2) at San Mamés. They couldn’t play away yet in the competition because their game against Rayo Vallecano was suspended.

Probably Line Up Athletic Club v Real Madrid

Athletic Club: Unai Simon; Yuri, Iñigo Martínez, Yeray, De Marcos; Dani García, Muniain, Unai López; Susaeta, Williams and Aduriz.
Real Madrid: Courtois; Marcelo, Ramos, Varane, Odriozola; Casemiro, Modric, Kroos; Asensio, Bale and Benzema.

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