Real Madrid Thread

CISCOEG6 · Novice

Goalkeepers: Casillas & Codina.

Defenders: Pepe, Ramos, Cannavaro, Marcelo, Heinze & Torres.

Midfielders: Diarra, Gago, Guti, Baptista, Sneijder & Robben.

Forwards: Higuaín, Saviola, Robinho & Raúl.

Left out: Soldado, Drenthe, Balboa, Dudek, Salgado, Metzelder & Van Nistelrooy.

CISCOEG6 · Novice

Metzelder: Plantar Fasciitis on the left foot. Medical treatment and physiotherapy. Underwent surgery on 13-02-2008. Gym and pool work.

Van Nistelrooy: Synovitis on the right ankle. Medical treatment and physiotherapy. Gym and pool work.

Dudek: Bruise on the left ankle. Medical treatment and physiotherapy.

CISCOEG6 · Novice

"Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster talked about the team and the League, amongst other things, before the clash with Mallorca.

You must be happy for Getafe...
Of course I am, especially because I know Bayern Munich well and can appreciate the knock-out stage isn't easy. Getafe earned a good result, but there is still one home game left.
Does the team want revenge against Mallorca tomorrow?
We've faced them in the King's Cup and La Liga. Their stadium is a complicated venue for us, but we have to learn from our good performance against Sevilla. We must have a streak of victories to stay at the top of the table until the end of the season.

Guti, Sneijder and Gago were together in midfield last week. Is that what you want for the team?
We played at a high level in practically every position last week. That's why some things seemed easier. We have the possibility of using different alternatives. We've played similarly in other fixtures. These three men create chances and give good passes... The strikers are taking advantage of that.

Will you greet Gregorio Manzano?
I still have a good relationship with him. It's as it was before the King's Cup. What happened is typical of knock-out stages, but I think we proved it was all over when the match finished. That's professionalism. This isn't to say that we don't get along. On the contrary, I admire him much because he's done a great job both at Mallorca and at other clubs. I will have no problem with shaking his hand and congratulating him after the match if need be.

Who would you chose for the Eurocup, Raúl or Güiza? You've coached both...
I am lucky to still have one of them. I think both should go because they have the best finishing touch out of all the Spanish players. They are the best at that. Dani has proved to have that gift and that's why he's played with Spain this year.

Would you like Real Madrid to sign Dani Alves?
I have nothing to comment on that matter.

Do you think your men are taking notice of Villarreal's results?
We should do that only if we lose. I don't mind others winning as long as we do too.

Will winning the matches at the Bernabéu be enough to win the League?
I'm sure that's not enough. Mallorca and Santander are very difficult venues to play in, but at this stage every game will be complicated, no matter where it takes place. There is something at stake for everybody. Every point is important, and that makes things very complicated.

You admitted you suffered when you watched the Betis-Barcelona fixture...
I don't like watching games like that because I receive messages like "What a game", "They are only two points behind now", and so on... That's enough. I don't like to get involved more than that. I don't like games like that. Nevertheless, you have to accept any result however good or bad it is. The important thing is to work well. Our cushion is good, but it isn't enough. We have to continue working well.

How large a cushion would you like to have for the Real Madrid-Barcelona game?
I don't even think about that, only about tomorrow. I don't care where we will have to win the League, be it in Zaragoza or against Levante... Anything can happen. We want to resolve the situation we are in to avoid suffering until the very last game.

Do you still have faith in Diarra for the remainder of the season and for the following campaign
He will be as important in the future as he is now. Diarra takes up the same position as Gago when the latter can't play. It is important for us to have two players for that position, even if only one of them plays. The fact that Diarra isn't a starter now doesn't mean he's lost his place on the team. The type of game determines this many times. He is still as important as ever.

What do you think of Kun Agüero?
I think that, like many other players, he's needed one season to adapt to Spanish football. He has benefitted from having Forlán as a teammate. He is very young and I am sure he has a bright future ahead of him.

Is Robinho 100% in form?
He hardly played against Sevilla and that affects a player much. It is nothing negative, but it is noticeable. I think he is in good shape, but I think Robben did a very good job the other day. I didn't want Robinho to do all that hard work against Alves. It's the same as the Gago and Diarra situation; we have two options. Having both men gives me peace of mind."

CISCOEG6 · Novice

Real Madrid's Raúl doesn't seem to stop breaking records. He is the all-time top-scorer in the history of the European Cup and tonight he netted his 290th strike for Real Madrid, equalling Santillana's record. He is only behind Alfredo di Stéfano -307 goals- in the Club's ranking.

CISCOEG6 · Novice

Mallorca-R. Madrid 1-1

CISCOEG6 · Novice

A 10-man Real Madrid held on draw Mallorca 1-1 and extend its lead in the Spanish league to seven points on Saturday. Wesley Sneijder's 43rd-minute goal put Madrid on top but Mallorca substitute Borja Valero equalized in the 72nd, seven minutes after the ejection of Madrid defender Sergio Ramos for the third time this season.
The defending champion, which has won only one of its past five away games, could see its lead cut to four points by Villarreal if it wins at Sevilla on Sunday.

CISCOEG6 · Novice

Saturday, April 12, 2008
Valencia vs. Racing Santander 2:00 PM
Recreativo de Huelva vs. Barcelona 4:00 PM

Sunday, April 13, 2008
Espanyol vs. Osasuna 11:00 AM
Deportivo La Coruña vs. Athletic Bilbao 11:00 AM
Mallorca vs. Sevilla 11:00 AM
Valladolid vs. Atlético Madrid 11:00 AM
Real Betis vs. Levante 11:00 AM
Getafe vs. Real Zaragoza 11:00 AM
Real Madrid vs. Real Murcia 1:00 PM
Almería vs. Villarreal 3:00 PM

All times are Eastern Time

CISCOEG6 · Novice

2007/2008 SQUAD

1. Iker CASILLAS
25. Jerzy DUDEK
13. Jordi CODINA
3. Kleper Laverian 'PEPE'
21. Cristoph METZELDER
16. Gabriel HEINZE
22. MIGUEL TORRES Gómez
5. Fabio CANNAVARO
2. MÍCHEL SALGADO Fernández
12. MARCELO Vieira Da Silva
4. SERGIO RAMOS García
15. Royston DRENTHE
6. Mahamadou DIARRA
14. José María Gurtiérrez 'GUTI'
19. Julio BAPTISTA
8. Fernando GAGO
23. Wesley SNEIJDER
11. Arjen ROBBEN
28. Javier BALBOA
18. Javier Pedro SAVIOLA
9. Roberto SOLDADO
7. RAÚL González
10. Robson Da Souza 'ROBINHO'
17. Ruud VAN NISTELROOY
20. Gonzalo HIGUAÍN