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Only 18 years old and Rodrygo Goes has become already in the best hope for Real Madrid supporters. The Brazilian is the second youngest player to score a hat-trick in the Champions League and he is breaking every record since his first appearances in the team. Now no one could dare about sending him to Castilla or to the bench, as the attacking line with Hazard-Benzema-Rodrygo looks immovable.

Rodrygo starting the season playing for Castilla but his first appearance against Osasuna, he’s fixed in the line-up. Rodrygo has goal and Real Madrid missed this skill. So far, he found the net twice in La Liga -Osasuna and Leganés- and the three goals scored against Galatasaray. But not only goals, he’s giving assists, participating in the game and fighting for every ball.

Now, Spanish press is saying that Rodrygo is the new Pelé, the new star for Real Madrid. It´s still very soon, so we have to be patient, especially having the experience of Vinicius Jr. last year. However, the comparison between Rodrygo and Vinicius is unfair but inevitable. Rodrygo seems that he’s been playing in Europe his whole life and doesn’t feel nervous while playing at Bernabéu. Perhaps Rodrygo is the star Florentino Pérez was looking for signing so many youngsters in the last years.

His way of playing is very mature and his skills towards the opposite goal is great. Against Galatasaray he scored the perfect hat-trick: one goal with the left foot, another with the right and a header. Especially good was the first one, controlling the ball with the chest and crossing it close to the post with the left foot.

The press, the club and the coach should protect him by not adding more pressure on Rodrygo Goes. He just arrived to Europe and he’s very young, so more good things are yet to come, but he needs more experience. In addition, his success shouldn’t crash with Vinicius performance, who still need more time to polish his skills.

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Despite the draw against Betis, Real Madrid are looking sharp with the line-up found by Zinedine Zidane. Los Blancos thrashed Galatasaray (6-0) in the Champions League, getting closer to the Last 16 Round thanks to a hat-trick scored by Rodrygo, the second youngest player to score three goals in this competition. A star is born?

Zidane has found his perfect starting eleven and he will insist on that. Again Casemiro, Valverde and Kroos lead the team in the midfield, with Rodrygo in the wing together with Hazard and Benzema. And Real Madrid worked perfectly against a very old Galatasaray, who lost the game already in the first 15 minutes conceding 3 goals.

The star of the game was Rodrygo Goes. Comparing him with Vinicius might be unfair for the second one, but it’s impossible not to do it. In the first two chances, Rodrygo got a brace, first with a great shot with the left foot and then with a perfect header after a great assist by Marcelo. He could have got the quickest hat-trick in the competition, but Sergio Ramos took the penalty and didn’t miss to solve the game in only 15 minutes.

If there was any doubt about the result of the game, Benzema scored the fourth one before the half-time tapping a perfect assist again by Rodrygo. In the second half we could see Mendy, Modric and Isco, but the team kept working perfectly. In the last 10 minutes, Benzema got his second goal thanks to Carvajal, whereas Rodrygo Goes closed his best performance with a goal in the last minute with a perfect touch.

Rodrygo Goes has become the best player in the last games for Los Blancos and now it’s impossible to imagine a game without him. Besides, the couple Casemiro-Valverde is perfect to control the game and enable Kroos more space to create and arrive to the goal. Now the team has a ticket to the Last 16 in their pocket, but they have still to receive PSG and travel to Brugge to qualify again to the knock-out stage.

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Gareth Bale is again a problem for Real Madrid. The Welshman was the best player in the start of the season, despite all the rumours during the summer about his departure to the Chinese League. Zinedine Zidane started to count on him and Bale was answering with goals and good performances. However, his injury against Croatia in the last international break changed everything.

Since then, Bale has not played any minute with Real Madrid. The Welshman has started to run with the group and he’s now touching ball. However, he won’t participate in the crucial game against Galatasaray on Wednesday and it’s very unlikely that he can play against Eibar during the weekend. Nevertheless, Ryan Giggs has included him in the list of Wales to play the last two games of the qualification to the Euro.

Bale has been heavily criticized in the last months because he seems more concerned about his national team than to the club paying his salary. He travelled to London recently even if he was injured and left the stadium before the game against Betis ended, showing a lack of interest in the team. Now, this new chapter is only adding wood to the fire.

Wales have to play two very important games to qualify to the next Euro. They have to play against Azerbaiyan away and Hungary at home in the next international break. Giggs’ men need to win both games to have any chance to qualify to the tournament because right now they are fourth, four points behind Hungary and two behind Slovakia. Therefore, Bale’s participation in these two clashes will be very important for his team.

Bale’s last game with Real Madrid was one month ago, on the 5th of October against Granada and he has only scored in one game in La Liga this year, a brace in Villarreal. Again, his performances and his injuries have been controversial, even more now if he only plays with his national team and not with his club.

In the middle of this situation, English newspapers published this week that Real Madrid have offered Bale and €85M for Raheem Sterling to Manchester City, although this bid looks very unlikely. Some other newspapers in Spain are reporting that Bale could left the club even in January. For sure, supporters and the coach cannot be happy about his last months with the club.

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Atlético de Madrid drew against Sevilla and Barcelona lost in Levante’s stadium, so it was the perfect opportunity for Los Blancos to get some advantage in the table, but Real Madrid missed again a good opportunity and were only able to draw (0-0) against Betis, a team struggling this year to stay out of the relegation zone. Now Real Madrid and Barcelona have the same points in the top of the table.

After the exhibition against Leganés, Real Madrid looked sharper and decided to get a good straight in November, with an easy calendar ahead. However, Los Blancos missed many chances and they lacked again of a topscorer to solve this kind of games. When Benzema doesn’t find the net, no one scores goal in this team, and this is a very dangerous situation.

Zinedine Zidane chose again Benzema, Hazard and Rodrygo in the attacking line, with Modric and Mendy as the main news in the line-up. The Belgian playmaker was the best player this time and he even scored one good goal, but VAR intervened to show the offside. It was the only time Real Madrid players could beat Joel Robles, the best player in the pitch.

Real Madrid played better in the first half, with good chances for Benzema or Sergio Ramos. However, in the second half the team lost the pace and Zidane couldn’t see it from the bench, not changing the game. Jovic or Vinicius came in to the pitch too late, even if the team needed one goal or something different to change the game.

Actually the Brazilian had a very good chance in the last minutes, but again Vinicius missed it. Even Betis could have scored some goals, with Fekir and Loren trying Courtois, but the Belgian goalkeeper kept a clean sheet for the third game in a row. Now it’s time to recover from this accident and be ready to host Galatasaray, in a crucial game to reach the Last 16 round in the Champions League.

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Real Madrid received at home the worst team in La Liga to follow FC Barcelona in the leadership of the table and Los Blancos didn’t miss the opportunity to have a pleasant evening (5-0) before Halloween. This time, there was not chance for any surprise and Zidane’s men thrashed Leganés with Benzema leading the team once again.

Real Madrid calendar during the month of November is ideal to gain confidence and recover players that are not giving the best of them. Also to clarify the importance of some others, like Rodrygo Goes and Fede Valverde who showed once again against Leganés that both should be included in the starting eleven.

Before the 10th minute of the game, Los Blancos were already leading the scoreboard 2-0, thanks to two assists from Karim Benzema tapped by Rodrygo and Toni Kroos, who keeps showing a great level this season. Before the half time, Sergio Ramos scored from the penalty spot, helped by the VAR because he missed the first shot.

The game was over, but we saw this story twice this year against Levante and Granada. However, this time there was option for any surprise. Benzema scored the fourth one from the penalty spot and even Luka Jovic had time to score his first goal as madridista with a good header. The result could be even bigger, because Leganés showed all the problems at Bernabéu stadium and Los Blancos could have scored many more goals.

Now Real Madrid host Betis during the weekend before playing a very important game in the Champions League against Galatasaray. It looks like Zinedine Zidane has found his perfect line-up, with Valverde in the midfield, even if Luka Modric was fit to play against Leganés. Rodrygo is also bidding to start the games, especially with Gareth Bale out of the pitch. All good news before starting the month of November, ideal to steal the leadership to Barcelona.

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Real Madrid have now more than week to rest after the important victory in the Champions League against Galatasaray (0-1) until their next match in La Liga. It will be at home against Leganés, the bottom of the table, so a good way to recover some confidence after the defeat in Mallorca. Perhaps the postponed El Clásico could have been beneficial for the squad.

A bad result in the clash against the big rival FC Barcelona could have had a really negative impact in the team. The Blaugranas are also very vulnerable, as they showed in the Champions League against Slavia Praga, but nonetheless the Catalan team is topping the table in La Liga.

Though the cancelled match would have proven to be definitive, a number of betting sites all have Madrid as the only team who could claim the title instead of Barcelona. Atlético Madrid odds to win La Liga are 21.0 and Simeone’s team is weakest than ever, even with the great signings they did during the summer.

Taking in consideration the strength of the rivals, Los Blancos could fight for La Liga title until the end. El Clásico was postponed until the 18th of December, and by then the team should have in their pocket the ticket to the Last 16 round of the Champions League. Besides, many important players are injured like Luka Modric or Gareth Bale, whereas others should recover the form: Isco, Hazard or Jovic.

All those factors give us some hope for improvements during the next weeks. Without El Clásico, Real Madrid calendar is quite easy, with three consecutive games at Bernabéu against Leganés, Betis and Galatasaray that should be three straight victories. Only two transfers to Eibar and Alavés -both team in the lower part of the table-, and one tough trip to Valencia before facing Barcelona at Camp Nou.

However, the team has been proven vulnerable no matter the rival this season. The defense line is not as its best -especially Sergio Ramos and Varane-, whereas Courtois has been inconsistent. Another problem is to convert the chances into goals because right now only Karim Benzema is keeping the level in the attacking line. With some improvements in all their lines, Los Blancos should finish the year with options open in all competitions, especially in La Liga, the biggest goal of the season.

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Real Madrid risked the Champions League and Zinedine Zidane the job in Istanbul, but the team reacted and beat Galatasaray (0-1) thanks to a goal scored by Toni Kroos in the first half. Los Blancos are now in the second position of their group, because PSG destroyed (0-5) Brugge, giving a hand to Real Madrid. With a victory at home against Galatasaray, the Last 16 round will be closer.

Despite the positive result, Real Madrid made again too many mistakes. Galatasaray had three clear chances at the beginning of the game to take the lead, but this time Thibaut Courtois held the team, with Andone trying several times to take the lead. Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane were a hole, and the Turkish team pushed hard in the first minute.

However, the midfielder Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Fede Valverde started to control the game and make the team play better. It’s difficult to imagine another three players for this position right now, clearly they should be the owners of those spots, with James Rodríguez as a third option. With this reality, Benzema started to have some clear chances but it was not his day. At least, he assisted Toni Kroos to tap in the first goal.

With the lead in the scoreboard, Los Blancos could kill the game in the second half. There were many chances, the most clear one was for Eden Hazard, who shot the bar after dribbling Muslera. We also have to highlight the game of Rodrygo Goes, the biggest surprise in the line-up, and the player who is overcoming Vinicius Junior, who looks stopped in his development.

In the last minutes of the game, Real Madrid suffered the last breath of Galatasaray, a team with many problems this season. Los Blancos again missed many chances and couldn’t kill the game. At least, the goal is done, now there are some days to recover injury players, and improve the performances because the team needs something extra from everybody.

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Real Madrid have a crucial game this Tuesday when they travel to Istanbul to face Galatasaray in the third week of the Champions League group stage. We are only in October but the team is facing already a final in the favourite competition after the defeat in Paris and the draw against Brugge. Another defeat would mean that Los Blancos are almost out of the competition.

However, a victory would open the window to the Last 16, especially if Real Madrid also beat Galatasaray in two weeks at Bernabeu. Therefore, everything is open in this group, with Los Blancos hoping that PSG get also the three points against Brugge. In this situation even a draw in Istanbul couldn’t be a bad result, but finishing the first three games with 2 points could be terrible.

Besides, the team doesn’t arrive at his best to the clash. Los Blancos suffered their first defeat in La Liga on Saturday in Mallorca and lost the leadership. Many important players are injured –Modric or Bale cannot travel to Turkey because they forced to play with their national teams-. It seems that the international break is more important for many players than their club, the one paying their salaries.

With this situation, the newspaper El Mundo published today that Zinedine Zidane’s position is in risk. Another defeat could end up with his departure from the Spanish capital some months after his arrival. In all this team, he’s been unable to build a team or show some improvements. That’s why some important people in the club are already thinking about alternatives.

El Clasico has been postponed, so now Real Madrid will have a break and more time to prepare the next game. Another defeat in Istanbul would make the atmosphere unbearable because we would be talking about the Champions League. The Spanish newspaper says that José Mourinho or Massimiliano Allegri are the two coaches with more odds to be the next manager.

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Real Madrid lost the leadership, the three points and the confidence in Mallorca (1-0) where they were unable to get a point against a new promoted team. Again, the worst face of this team was shown only few days before playing a crucial game in the Champions League against Galatasaray with a real risk to play the Europa League.

Zinedine Zidane didn’t include Fede Valverde in the starting eleven, even if the Uruguayan was one of the best in last games. Jovic, Isco or Odriozola were some of the new players in the starting eleven and no one of them showed a good level. On the other hand, youngsters like Brahim and Rodrygo only could enjoy few minutes in the last part of the game.

We only had to wait 7 minutes to see the first goal of the game. Lago Junior attacked Odriozola’s wing and Courtois had to see the ball touching the net. Los Blancos started asleep the game and they even received the second goal but was in offside. The only light shed in this first half was a great assist by James Rodriguez that Benzema put on the bar.

Zidane didn´t change anything in the halftime and the team didn´t improve. Only with the changes -Jovic and Isco were removed from the pitch-, Los Blancos showed some character. The referee didn’t see a clear penalty committed by Brahim in the last minute but this is no excuse for the poor game against a newly promoted team. Meanwhile, Los Blancos had to play with 10 players because Odriozola was sent off.

Real Madrid lost the first position in the table and now they are not unbeaten in La Liga. In only few days they have to play in Istanbul and a victory is needed to continue in the Champions League. The situation is critical and the team still shows weaknesses in every single game. Besides, the injuries are affecting the squad and Zidane is not accurate in solving the problems.

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Barcelona and Real Madrid are supposed to play on the 26th of October at Camp Nou. However, the current situation in Catalonia, with riots everyday trying to burn down the city and causing multiple incidents in the capital, might change the plans. La Liga asked to play at Santiago Bernabéu the first leg, but they are also thinking in changing the date.

On Monday, the Spanish Supreme Court sentenced to jail to some of the politicians involved in the illegal referendum that took part on the 1st of October in 2017. Soon after that, independentist radicals started causing riots all over Barcelona, difficulting the access to the airport, cutting down highways and burning down containers.

At the very same time, FC Barcelona published a press release asking for dialogue and showing their discrepancy about the sentence. Piqué said he was “proud” of his club, and legends like Guardiola and Xavi criticized openly the sentence talking about “shame” or “Spanish is not a democratic country”, even if both played for the Spanish national team and get huge sums of money from non democratic countries.

Now, the radical independentists have called to a general strike on Friday and a huge demonstration on the 26th of October, the day of El Clásico. The government is not sure that they could guarantee the safety of Real Madrid, and they don´t want El Clásico to be a show for the radical independentists.

La Liga and the RFEF (Spanish Football Federation) don’t want El Clásico to be played in that date, and Real Madrid don’t want to play the first leg in their stadium. Therefore, they are talking about moving the clash for the 18th of December, hoping that everything will be calmer in Catalonia.

The club of Barcelona is not helping to calm down the situation in the region, after the press release, especially having in consideration that the sentence was taken by a democratic and public court in an European country, with all the guarantees for the prisoners. Now, Real Madrid, who have never mixed politics and sports, have to suffer the consequences of irresponsible behaviour by the managers of the biggest rival.

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