Real Madrid News

Marcelo, Luka Modric, Karim Benzema and Diego Lopez were all hurt in Real’s 3-1 win over Betis and will be doubts for the club’s Champions League clash at Dortmund on Wednesday

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By Ben Hayward | Spanish Football Writer

Jose Mourinho knows exactly where his priorities lie. The Portuguese wants to win all of the time but he is aware that the rest of the 2012-13 campaign is all about the Champions League and the final of the Copa del Rey for his Madrid side. All of his thoughts are geared towards success in those tournaments, so injuries in La Liga represent an incredible inconvenience at this stage.

Madrid beat Betis 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday evening (with two goals from Mesut Ozil and one from Karim Benzema) as a number of youngsters and fringe players were used ahead of Real’s trip to Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday. But victory came at a price as Marcelo, Luka Modric, Benzema and Diego Lopez all picked up injuries.

ABI BACK AS MESSI SITS OUT

Eric Abidal was the surprise starter for Barcelona at home to Levante on Saturday. The Frenchman began his first match for the Catalan club since February 2012, having been sidelined for a long period following his liver transplant. And not only did he start, but he was perhaps Barcelona’s best player in their 1-0 win, helping the Catalans to a clean sheet alongside Adriano in central defence and providing an attractive alternative for Tito Vilanova in the team’s Champions League semi-final tie against Bayern Munich. “He gives us another option,” assistant Jordi Roura said afterwards. Lionel Messi, meanwhile, was left out on doctor’s advice, although sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta claimed he will be fit for Tuesday’s first leg at the Allianz Arena. “His recovery process is very good. We were thinking of him and the game on Tuesday,” he said after the match.

The Brazilian’s looked the most serious as he fell awkwardly and departed on a stretcher with a knee problem which will almost certainly rule him out on Wednesday and is a blow for Mourinho, who is already without the suspended Alvaro Arbeloa and the injured Michael Essien, while Fabio Coentrao trained alone late last week.

Madrid’s Group D defeat at BVB earlier in the season came as Marcelo and Coentrao both missed the game in Germany, and Dortmund exploited an out-of-position Essien. Mourinho must now hope his fellow Portuguese is fit for Wednesday as he is already short in the full-back positions. With Arbeloa also out, Sergio Ramos looks set to start on the right versus Jurgen Klopp’s men, with Pepe and Raphael Varane in the centre of defence.

With Xabi Alonso rested, Modric started alongside youngster Casemiro on Saturday. The Brazilian impressed on his first-team debut, but the Croat failed to pull the strings and was finally forced off with a muscle strain in the second half. “Luka has a muscle problem. We thought it was just a dead leg but he felt something, so we will have to see how bad it is,” assistant Aitor Karanka told the press after the match.

Benzema also went off with a knock, yet Karanka claimed he should be fit for Wednesday, while Diego Lopez looks likely to start in Germany too, even though the Galician was unable to take his goal kicks in the second half because of a hip problem, with Raul Albiol stepping in. The former Villarreal and Sevilla goalkeeper was able to complete the 90 minutes, however. “I don’t think it’s anything serious,” said Karanka.

This means, of course, that Iker Casillas is likely to have to wait for his next Madrid start. The club captain gave Lopez a peck on the cheek prior to kick-off to wish his team-mate good luck with a generous gesture.

It was later reported by some sectors of the Spanish media that Madrid’s ultras had insulted Iker during the game, although these claims turned out to be merely an Internet hoax on Twitter picked up by the local press at the game itself.

After Madrid’s match, Barca left it late to beat Levante at Camp Nou, with Cesc Fabregas’ 84th-minute strike separating the two teams after David Villa had seen a first-half penalty saved by Keylor Navas.

The Catalans can now claim La Liga if they win at Athletic Bilbao (where Madrid won the Primera Division last term) and Real lose at Atletico in the capital clash, althouth the team in red and white have failed to beat their city rivals in a competitive match since 1999.

Either way, Barca are on the brink of winning back the title, as Spain’s top two travel to Germany this week in their respective European semi-finals; Tito’s team face Bayern in Munich as the Catalans search for a fifth trophy in the Champions League, while Madrid will hope their Decima dream is not decimated by more injuries in Dortmund.

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The Borussia Dortmund CEO hails the quality of his side’s Champions League opponents, though admits that Cristiano Ronaldo would need to work harder defensively at his club

Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has welcomed the idea of any Real Madrid player joining his club ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League tie.

The two sides will meet for the third time in Europe this season when they take to the field for the semi-final first leg, with the Bundesliga outfit already having beaten los Blancos 2-1 at home and securing a 2-2 draw in Madrid in the group stage.

Speaking in an interview with German sports programme Sportstudio, Watzke admitted that any of Jose Mourinho’s players would be valuable at BVB, although he warned that Cristiano Ronaldo would need to improve defensively.

“Every Real Madrid player would fit in at Borussia Dortmund – they are all world class,” the 53-year-old stressed.

“Ronaldo too, of course. However, he would have to work a little bit more in the defence.”

Dortmund are a distant second to new Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich this campaign but their European ambitions are very much intact – something Watzke attributes to the strength of the squad underpinned by their transfer policy.

“If you invest in the quality, you automatically gain depth,” he continued.

“Our only limit is that we won’t agree to a monetary loan to sign players, but other than that, there are no restrictions.”

The starlet put in a solid shift for the senior side against Betis and stated his desire to continue featuring for los Blancos

Real Madrid youngster Casemiro has expressed his delight at participating in the first team’s 3-1 win over Betis on Saturday.

The 21-year-old looked assured on the night and underlined his willingness to continue learning by stating his availability to coach Jose Mourinho.

“I am very happy. It is a dream and I will continue to work hard to have more opportunities, both with Castilla and the first team,” the Sao Paulo loanee told reporters after the match.

“My debut has finished with a victory and it is important for my career to play with great players. Marcelo and Kaka have helped me, since I know them from the Brazil national team.

“I am a team player. I play where the coach tells me to play and I am comfortable in all positions. I just want to play.

“We only thought about the match against Betis, and needed to win three points. It was an end-to-end game and with the penalty it got a little complicated.

“Now we face Borussia Dortmund [in the Champions League semi-finals]. They will be very hard opponents, but we are Real Madrid and we need to go for the win.”

Defender Pepe echoed his young team-mate’s sentiments, stating: “The most important thing was to win and to carry on fighting.

“The injuries [to Marcelo and Luka Modric] are a shame because they are very important players for us, but we have a big squad. Now we have to focus on Dortmund, which is a very important match where the whole year’s work is at play.”

Madrid travel to Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday to face the former German champions, eager to avenge their defeat to BVB in the group stages of this season.

The Spaniard rued the enforced substitutions of several players, who will be in a race against time to be fit for the club’s upcoming Champions League fixture

Real Madrid assistant coach Aitor Karanka was left to bemoan the injuries suffered during their 3-1 victory against Betis on Saturday.

Mesut Ozil’s double and Karim Benzema’s strike secured the win at the Santiago Bernabeu, but it came at a cost with Marcelo and Luka Modric forced off.

And Karanka has admitted their possible absence for the Champions League semi-final clash with Borussia Dortmund has taken the gloss off the result.

“Injuries were the worst part of the game,” the 39-year-old told reporters after the match. “Marcelo felt a sharp prick, while Modric indicated he noticed a muscle issue.

“I do not think goalkeeper [Diego] Lopez has anything serious though. We’ll make changes as soon as we evaluate Marcelo’s condition, but the important thing was to win.

“[Cristiano] Ronaldo and Ozil played the full 90 minutes with no problem. For Ozil, playing the whole match was important. It was a good chance to gain confidence.”

The Spanish champions opted to start with Castilla midfielder Casemiro, and Karanka was left impressed by what he saw from the Brazilian and fellow youngster Nacho.

“The boy did really well and gave everything tonight,” he continued. “Casemiro is a player we know well, one who has played in Brazil’s first division and is an Under-20 world champion.

“We want players of personality and experience. Nacho always delivers too, and has shone for Castilla as well.”

Los Blancos consolidate second in the Liga with their latest win, sitting six points clear of local rivals Atletico Madrid, who have a game in hand.

The recently dethroned Bundesliga champions picked up three crucial points at Signal Iduna Park and, just as crucially, came through the game unscathed

Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp hailed a “perfect day” for his side after they came away from their Bundesliga clash with Mainz with the three points they required to ensure their place in next season’s Champions League, and without any fresh injuries ahead of Wednesday’s meeting with Real Madrid.

The recently dethroned Bundesliga champions were not at their brilliant best at Signal Iduna Park, but an early effort from Marco Reus and a late goal from Robert Lewandowski secured the hosts with the most straightforward of victories.

“We have rarely found the game as easy as we have today,” Klopp was quoted as saying by his club’s official website.

“Our first attack brought us the lead and for the next 20 or 25 minutes, we were really great. Then, we lost our way a bit, and Mainz were somewhat stronger. We were lucky that they did not equalise.

“But we have exprienced games like this before so we adjusted a bit during the break and then played an intense second half to win the game.

“Also, nobody got injured, so it’s been a perfect day for us.”

Defender Marcel Schmelzer was just as enthused by the win, primarily because it ensured Dortmund will be back in the Champions League next season, irrespective of the outcome of their semi-final showdown with Madrid.

“Yes, that is very important,” he told RuhrNachrichten.de. “We have always stressed that this was our primary goal for the season.

“Also, now we don’t have to read questions about how we’re supposed to beat Madrid when we cannot even focus properly on the league.

“It was always very important to us that we focused fully on the game immediately in front of us, and we managed that today.”

Dortmund defeated Madrid when the two sides met at Signal Iduna Park in this season’s group stages, before drawing at the Santiago Bernabeu.