FC BARCELONA 5 REAL MADRID 1 | FLORENTINO PEREZ SHOULD BE SACKED BUT THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN

Spanish Football celebrated its "showroom match", "El Clasico", for season 2018 - 2019 between FC BARCELONA & REAL MADRID CF. The final result is a crushing 5 - 1 victory to FC Barcelona which is likely to have serious repercussion within the lossing Club with the almost certain sacking of Real Madrid Coach Julen Lopetegui. 

Let's get out of the way the technical details of the game with the following info:

Starting lineups & goalscorers:

FC Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Pique, Lenglet, Jordi Alba; Rakitic, Sergio Busquets, Arthur (Arturo Vidal, 83’); Rafinha (Semedo, 67’), Luis Suárez, Coutinho (Dembélé, 73’)

Real Madrid CF: Courtois; Nacho, Varane (Lucas Vázquez, 46’), Ramos, Marcelo (Mariano, 81’); Kroos, Casemiro, Modric; Bale (Marco Asensio, 77’), Benzema, Isco

Goals: 1-0, Coutinho (10’); 2-0, Luis Suárez, pen. (30’); 2-1, Marcelo (49’); 3-1, Luis Suarez (75’); 4-1, Suárez (80’), 5-1, Arturo Vidal (86’)


Man of the match Luis Suarez with a HAT-TRICK

Now to the tic tacs. Barça was supreme this afternoon which dominated the match except the 25 minutes of the 2º half where Real Madrid showed heroics & could have equalized had a shot from Modric not hit the post when the match was 2 - 1. However, that was all from Real Madrid & Barça regained control.

Real Madrid was overrun in the 1º st half by Barcelona, exploiting a a non-specialist wing defender like Nacho, & the lack of fire power up front by Real Madrid. LUIS SUAREZ was inspired this afternoon with three goals accompanied by a grand Arthur, Coutinho, Alba & company.

Real Madrid has problems, serious problems, dragged from the last weeks:

• Sergio Ramos is out of form & slow. In any other team his position would be taken over by someone else, should not be playing, 
• Varane is just as bad as Ramos not in his greatest moment,
• Marcelo attacks & scores but does not defend, again slow & leaves spaces, 
• Defensively, bad, tactically worst,
• Modric is nothing like the World Cup Modric, 
• Kroos is out of form, does not recover to defend, 
• Isco is not as "good" as he thinks, dribbles too much & halts team progression,
• Vinicius cost 45 M€ & has not appeared all season, Lopetegui is to blame here, 
• Gareth Bale has not taken the responsibility for his level, should be sold, 
• Real Madrid HAS NO Center Forward, no natural goalscorer.

I could add more, but this is enough for now. 

Real Madrid will most likely now sack their Coach Lopetegui, but is he the blame? NO, the responsibility of this disastrous situation is Real Madrid President Florentino Perez, if anyone he should resign, but this will not happen.

Florentino Perez sold Cristiano Ronaldo - who guaranteed 50 goals per season - without finding a substitute. Added to this he refused to sign in the transfer market a true goal area killer, & signed a band-aid solution in Mariano from Lyon, who quite frankly should never have been signed. 

The main Real Madrid problem is that it has no goalscorer & if a team cannot score then you have a problem & cannot win. Coach Lopetegui has played his part not being able to manage optimally the dressing room egos & placing on the field those who are out of form, plus the pressure has overtaken the man. This is natural, not given the right instruments to work with leads to things get difficult, extremely difficult & nerves set in. 

So what next; the sacking of Lopetegui, perhaps Real Madrid B Coach Solari as caretaker Coach while Real Madrid secures Antonio Conte, or even Mourinho. In the upcoming Winter Transfer Market Real Madrid will go into the transfer market & attempt to find a goalscorer, a real goalscorer, which will cost a fortune. All thanks to the "brilliant" Club management skills of the Real Madrid President Florentino Perez & his directive team, the true person responsible for the current Club situation.

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FC BARCELONA 2 REAL MADRID 2 | EL CLASICO | LA LIGA ROUND 36

Round 36 of LA LIGA celebrated its big match, "El Clasico" between FC BARCELONA & REAL MADRID with the final result a 2 - 2 draw. It was a "strange" derby as Barça was already mathematically confirmed Liga Champions while Real Madrid had their collective thoughts on the Champions League Final next 26th of May. 

However the rivalry is strong enough to give a very entertaining game & the sparks flew throughout the whole match. There were individual clashes, Ramos & Suarez was to note, Barça defender Sergi Roberto was sent off with a RED CARD for hitting Marcelo & sparks flew with Alba & every Real Madrid player he came across, example Modric. There was also a penalty to Marcelo in the second half not called & other actions not called like the Suarez pass to Messi that lead to the second goal that was a foul on Varane before the action not called, as said earlier, typical "clasico" game.

FC BARCELONA started stronger & scored first when Sergi Roberto found space on his flank to pass onto LUIS SUAREZ who scored in the 9th min. Marcelo left his area open after an attack that was exploited, an event repeating itself too much that will need to be rectified & solved as soon as possible.

However, while the defending of Marcelo can be questioned, his attacking is outstanding. His pass found the head of Benzema who placed the ball in front of CRISTIANO RONALDO who scored in the 14th min. In scoring Ronaldo received a knock on the ankle by Pique which caused some pain to the Portugués forward who managed to stay on the pitch all the first half but was substituted for Asensio for the second half. This looked a precautionary action by Coach Zidane to not risk his star player for bigger things in coming weeks. 

The first half end with Sergi Roberto being sent off with a RED CARD for hitting Marcelo. The game had been heated up by Suarez, Messi, Sergi Ramos & Marcelo, & Sergi Roberto fell into the "contextual trap".   

With 10 men Barcelona fronted the second half better than Real Madrid & dominated right up to their second goal in the 51st min by MESSI. The goal should not have been given as it came from a Suarez pass who previous fouled Rafael Varane.  More controversy later, when Barça defender Alba fouled Marcelo in the area & a penalty was not given.

Real Madrid equalized in the 71st min with a brilliant shot by GARETH BALE that beat Ter Stegan squarely. Both teams had their opportunities later to take the match but Real Madrid goalie KEYLOR NAVAS did his magic with a superb save from a Suarez attempt, while the Barça defence held out Real Madrid the last 10 minutes with their continuous attacks.

Shared points tonight.
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REAL MADRID - FC BARCELONA | POSSIBLE STARTING 11 TEAMS LINE-UPS

Spanish Liga Round 17 gives us the "Clasico", REAL MADRID vs FC BARCELONA. The game is down for Saturday 23rd of December at 13:00 hours local Sp time. Barça has an 11 point gap advantage over Real Madrid in the classification table & its a must win deal for Real Madrid if they are to keep their Liga title aspirations alive. A victory by Barça would be an almost "mortal" knock-out for their principal rival.

Already the atmosphere is being heated up locally with news & speculation on the possible starting teams line-ups.

Possible starting 11 teams speculations:

REAL MADRID: Kaylor Navas, Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo, Casemiro, Modric, Kroos, Isco, Benzema & Cristiano Ronaldo.

There is talk that Zidane may surprise with Gareth Bale over Isco, but its more likely that Bale will come on late in the 2º half to speed up things while Barça is tired.

FC BARCELONA: Stegan,  Semeda, Pique, Vermaelen, Alba, Busquets, Rakitic, Paulinho, Iniesta, Messi & Suarez. 

These are speculated line ups & things can change from here until Saturday. 

Top match , not to be missed!

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REAL MADRID 2 FC BARCELONA 3 | BARÇA KEEPS LALIGA ALIVE

REAL MADRID 2 - FC BARCELONA 3 is the final result of the "Clasico" celebrated tonight as part of Round 33 of LaLiga. Real Madrid managed to turn an adverse result with 10 men, after Sergio Ramos was sent off with a red card, when just on substitute James Rodriguez scored the draw. It looked things would end this way, however Lionel Messi got the winner in the last minute to pour cold water over the "Santiago Bernabeu" Stadium.

The result opens the Liga title race as both currently share top spot of the classification ladder, with Real Madrid still keeping a game in hand which gives them a slight advantage. However, Real Madrid will now feel the pressure as a slip from here till the end of the season could see Barça overrun them for the Spanish Liga title

Impressive game of Football that lived up to expectations. Tense & very competitive with both sides creating numerous goal opportunities. The goalkeepers from both teams were very active & played an important role for their sides as they stopped important goal chances.

As expected a match full of controversies with red cards ( Casemiro & Marcelo ) not given & possible penalties not seen ( Umtiti on Ronaldo in the 2nd min). Plus Sergio Ramos was sent off in the 77th min which put Real Madrid in a clear disadvantage.

But the man of the match was Lionel Messi who caused the yellow card on Casemiro ( later taken off mid 2º half) & was the person Ramos fouled to be sent off. However, it was his two goals that steered his team onto the victory, scoring the winner in the 92nd min of the match.

Real Madrid also had players to mention: on the negative side Bale was substituted in the 33rd min when he fell injured, positively Carvajal was outstanding on his wing along with Marcelo & Kaylor Navas was a multi goal saver. Real Madrid missed many chances including very clear moments from Benzema hitting the post, Kroos & Modric deflected by Stegen with an over anxious Asensio missing opportunities. These failed attempts turned out to be costly in the end. Lastly Cristiano Ronaldo was not the decisive element of past "clasico games" & was missed.

Deserved win for Barça for their pure perseverance, & decisive Messi, who tipped the balance towards Barça to keep the Liga title race alive for his Club.

Goalscorers:
Casemiro 28th min, 1 - 0
Messi 33rd min, 1 - 1
Ratikic 73rd min. 1 - 2
James Rodriguez 86th min, 2 - 2
Messi 92nd min, 2 - 3

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REAL MADRID - FC BARCELONA | POSSIBLE STARTING 11 LINE-UPS

Big day in Spanish Football with the REAL MADRID - FC BARCELONA clash tonight ("EL Clasico") which could decide the LaLiga title. Real Madrid has a game in hand still to be played & is 3 points ahead of Barça on the classification table. A win by Real Madrid would practically "shut the door" on Barça, while a win by the visitors would put pressure back on & make the final stretch of the season exciting.

Apart from the points issue, both team will want the victory as this is a traditional rivalry that goes beyond Football & is highly charged with emotion. 

The speculated possible starting 11 teams for Real Madrid & FC Barcelona are:

REAL MADRID: K.Navas, Carvajal, Nacho, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Casemiro, Kroos, Modric, Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo & Benzema.

Welshman Gareth Bale comes back into the line-up after injury. Many would have wanted Isco to start instead who is in magnificent form, but barring "last minute changes" Bale will start.

FC BARCELONA: Stegen, S.Roberto, Pique, Umtiti, J.Alba, Busquets, Rakitic, Iniesta, Messi, Suarez & Alcacer.

Neymar will be out due to sanction & it is expected that Paco Alcacer will fill in.

Match kicks off at 20:45 Spanish time with an expected potential Worldwide audience of 600-800 Million. 

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SPANISH FOOTBALL | ROUND 14 LIGA SATURDAY RESULTS

Spanish Football action back today with Round 14 Liga matches. The game that eclipsed all games was the "clasico" between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. We will be giving more space on the post to this encounter between the two best Clubs in World Football. Apart you can see below the final results of today´s other matches along with the goalscorers.

FC Barcelona hosted Real Madrid with a must win objective if they were not to allow the visitors a possible 9 point gap on the Liga classification table. The final result a 1 - 1 draw which keeps things as they were before "el clasico", with a six point difference between both on the Liga table with Real Madrid on top.

A game that went to Real Madrid the first half & to Barça the second half. The added note was that once again Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos did his heroic piece & headed the equalizer in the 90th min to save the match for his team.

Earlier in the 52nd min Luis Suarez managed to put Barça ahead with a header from a Neymar free.kick. 

The game was intense with lots of fouls and controversial referee decisions throughout the entire match. Possible penalties due to hand ball to both sides were not called, & some fouls perhaps deserved more sanction. Keeping apart these elements the match was also notable due the absence from the big stars. Messi was average for his team, while Cristiano Ronaldo intermittent and out of touch. Karim Benzema was "totally out" & zero effective, while Neymar, allow playing a part in the first goal, inaccurate & more on the floor than on his feet. Good match from Real Madrid defender Varane ( except the 1º Barça goal), Modric as always & Lucas Vazquez who sacrificed himself for Real Madrid. For Barça Sergi Busquets was outstanding, show again that in his position he is Best, Pique was good while Iniesta impressed in the 2º half.

The good news for FC Barcelona was indeed the return of Captain Andres Iniesta in the second half and to which he contributed positively to the good Barça play. The other side of the coin was James Rodriguez who once again did not get a run & was surpassed by Casemiro, Asensio & young Mariano, the three substitutes. Clear message that the Colombian is not an important piece in this Real Madrid team which now has 34 straight games without defeat. 

Conclusion: a typical Barça-Real Madrid game which was intense & physical. Barcelona is showing signs of losing its "total domination" aspect to their Football & maybe are on a slow slide to "normality", while Real Madrid had to do its usual heroics to comeback & save the day. In the end this draw result was more a victory for Real Madrid which saves points & even take one back to Madrid. 

Other Liga results:

• Granada 2 (Andreas, Lomban) - Sevilla FC 1 (Ben Yedder)

Sevilla FC misses a golden chance to cut the points gap with Real Madrid and FC Barcelona on the classification table.

• Leganes 0 - Villarreal 0

Surprise result for Villarreal which is losing steam after a great early start to the season.

• Atletico de Madrid 0 - RCD Espanyol 0

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BARÇA - REAL MADRID 2016 GAME | DATE & TIME

Its the most anticipated & biggest Football game in World Soccer, "El Clasico" between Spanish Football Clubs FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF. These are the games that habitually eventually settle the outcome of the Liga Championship. A victory over the eternal rival enables one or the other a sufficient points margin for the Championship title.

Today the first of the Liga 2016 - 2017 season "El Clasico" games has been announced. Take note:

FC Barcelona - Real Madrid
Date: 3rd of December
Time. 16:15 (4:15 pm) Spanish local time

There you have it. No excuses to miss the coverage.

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FC BARCELONA - REAL MADRID ROUND 31 LIGA

FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid, "El Clasico", Round 31 of Spanish Liga. Will these ( below picture ) be the possible starting 11 lines-ups for both Clubs? I think not, there will be surprises from both teams as Coaches always keep a card up their sleeve. 

FC Barcelona are currently hot favourite for this match. However, a surprise is never out of the realm of possibilities. Definitely a match no Football-Soccer enthusiast can miss.

Saturday 8.30 pm Spanish Time.

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REAL MADRID | POSSIBLE STARTING 11 TEAM LINE-UP AGAINST FC BARCELONA

Will this be the Real Madrid starting 11 line-up against FC Barcelona next Saturday for the big Liga match: "El Clasico"?

Keylor Navas, Danilo, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Casemiro, Kroos, Modric; Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo & Benzema.

Possible Real Madrid starting 11 line-up vs FC Barcelona

Things are beginning to heating up as everyone begins talking about next Saturday´s FC Barcelona - Real Madrid Spanish Liga game. Within those talks are speculation on which 11 players will field Coach Zidane from the start. As mentioned speculation as, for example, Rafael Varane, could be placed ahead of Pepe who is illustrated in the above team diagram 

Who looks in good conditions to start is Casemiro who has convinced & won over Zidane for the defensive midfield position. Two big names that continue to be absent, even at the "rumour level", are  Isco & James Rodriguez. Both seem that they cannot find a regular slot in the Real Madrid starting line-ups. Both continue to generate "noise" about being possibly on the transfer market, & a no participation this weekend could see sparks fly within the dressing room.

In any case, line-ups so early in the week are just what they really are at this stage, pure speculation.

The above photo is the last starting line-up against FC Barcelona under Coach Rafa Benitez. Put this up to see how the fate of some players has changed over time.

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SPANISH FOOTBALL - CLASICO | ROUND 12 SATURDAY GAMES RESULT

Spanish Football with Round 12 Saturday games which included the "World stopping" Clasico between Real Madrid - FC Barcelona of which more below. Here are all of today's final results along with all the goalscorers.

Real Sociedad sacked their Coach Moyes for Eusebio & today won 2 - 0 Sevilla FC. The match was decided by two tremendous defensive mistakes from Sevilla defender Krychowiak. Both goals for Real Sociedad - Agirretxe 72nd & Xabi Prieto 76th min - has a common denominator the defenders mistake. 

Tough blow for Krychowiak & Sevilla FC, vital win & 3 points for Real Sociedad. 

The big game of Round 12 & for Spanish Football with a global dimension, "El Clasico", ended with a FC Barcelona whitewash over Real Madrid. The starting line-ups were:

Real Madrid: Keylor Navas ; Danilo, Sergio Ramos, Rafael Varane, Marcelo; Toni Kroos, Luca Modric, James Rodriguez; Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema & Cristiano Ronaldo. 


FC Barcelona: Bravo; Daniel Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Jordi Alba; Busquets, Ivan Rakitic, Sergi Roberto, Iniesta; Neymar & Luis Suarez,

with Messi on the bench, & Real Madrid clearly with initial offensive ideas. However, Real Madrid failed to live up to their intentions or pre-planned strategy as the final score - result Real Madrid 0 - FC Barcelona 4 illustrated the "carnage". 

Real Madrid is in trouble. If the rumour of lack of symphony between Coach Benitez & his players was been a whisper, after tonight's result it could be common talk. Coach Benitez succumbed to player pressure to be more offensive & put aside his defensive discipline. His players were not up to the occasion & failed dismally their Coach who may have some harsh words for a few. Big names for Real Madrid like Cristiano Ronaldo (perhaps thinking already in PSG next season), Gareth Bale, Marcelo, Toni Kroos & Danilo to say a few could have stayed home. And to add to the disaster, substitute Isco gets a red card through pure frustration leaving his team with 10 the last 10 minutes. 

FC Barcelona is & was the better team. Way ahead of any Spanish Team at the moment & most possibly ahead of any at a World level. Disciplined, organized & finely tuned they dominated the ball making Real Madrid run after them & defended in block not allowing their opponents to play. Added to this Barça has incorporated the "counter-attack" to their Football to perfection which ripped apart Real Madrid too far up looking to score their goal & allowing spaces in their defence. 

Luis Suarez was grand tonight, two goals - 10th & 75th min - along with Neymar which did just enough with his own goal in the 39th min & a tap on in the 52nd to set up Iniesta for his goal. There could have been more goals for FC Barcelona but Marcelo saved off the line & Keylor Navas did some fine saves.

To end the match summary, tonight was the game FC Barcelona young player Sergi Roberto became a "Football Adult". Sergi Roberto was outstanding & has a brilliant future ahead that will give Barça plenty of happy & winning games. Vision, touch, pass & organization we witnessed the coming of age of another World Class midfielder-multi-position. 

FC Barcelona consolidates its Liga classification top spot & opens a two game margin over tonight's rival. Crisis at Real Madrid which will give plenty of news headlines & talk this coming week.

RCD Espanyol 2 - Malaga FC 0, both goals from Hernan Perez (5th & 19th min.) Malaga was unlucky & deserved a better result. But the Espanyol goalkeeper & the woodwork kept them goalless.

Valencia CF 1 - Las Palmas 1 final result with points being shared. The Valencia CF goal came early through Alcacer in the 7th min & the equalizer for Las Palmas through Jonathan Viera in the 56th min.

Local Valencia fans not happy with teams performance or result sending off team with whistles.

Intense Galicia Regional derby with Deportivo A Coruña 2 - Celta de Vigo 0. First opening goalscorer for Depor Lucas in the 22nd min & later the local hero Depor goalie Lux stopping a 26th min penalty. Depor then put the "icing on the cake" although unfortunate for Celta when their player Jony converted an own goal.

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LINE-UPS | REAL MADRID - FC BARCELONA | EL CLASICO

Most, if not all, Spanish Sports papers have on their front cover today this afternoon Liga Round 12 game "El Clasico", match between Real Madrid - FC Barcelona (kick off 18.15 local time). One of the big matches in World Soccer with the field full of the Best Football Players on the Planet & the first "punch-to-punch" encounter this season between Spains (& World) biggest Football Clubs

Spanish Sports paper "Sport" speculate with what they consider the most probable starting line-ups for the "Clasico". Both teams beforehand recover key players from injury, but it is not too sure whether some will be starting. Lionel Messi comes back with a question mark still around his knee, as with Ratikic & Busquets with their injuries. While Real Madrid recovers Benzema still fresh out of his wows & with Sergio Ramos still managing a painful shoulder injury. There is a debate as to whether Real Madrid Coach will start with Isco or James Rodriguez, the latter said to not be in symphony with his Coach. 

All is speculation at this stage, as both Coaches still keep some cards hidden up their sleeve. What is certain that we are all in for a top game of Football.

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REAL MADRID - FC BARCELONA SATURDAY 21 NOVEMBER 6.15 PM

This piece of Spanish Football news may interest readers around the World. The much looked forward to Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona game, also known as "El Clasico", has been announced today. Take note, Round 12 of La Liga Saturday the 21st of November 2015 at 18.15 (6.15pm) Spanish Time.

This game will be played in the "Santiago Bernabeu Stadium" in Madrid. For those travelers scheduled to be in town around this date, you may wish to reserve your ticket. The match promises to be exciting & will serve as a benchmark for the rest of the season. Traditionally hitting hard at this stage of the season with a victory gives a huge boost of confidence to the winner which sets then on course towards the titles.

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EL CLASICO | POSSIBLE REAL MADRID STARTING 11 LINE-UP

The upcoming FC Barcelona & Real Madrid Round 28 Liga match - "el Clasico" - next Sunday could well determine which of these two Club will be this seasons Spanish Football League Champion. Currently Barça has a slim 1 point lead over second placed Real Madrid, the winner would not only open up their lead but received a huge moral boost that should take them riding home for the rest of the season. 

courtesy of marca.com

Real Madrid is under pressure & comes into the "Clasico" out of form, questioned & with plenty of doubts. FC Barcelona are at optimum levels with their star player Messi currently on fire, along with Luis Suarez who seems to have found his place.

Real Madrid has few, if not, no cards up their sleeves in terms of their starting XI line-up against FC Barcelona. We are 4 days away & already Spanish Sports paper "Marca" has gone on to speculate what will be the more than likely Real Madrid line-up:

Casillas, Carvajal, Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo, Kroos, Modric, Isco, Benzema, Bale & Cristiano Ronaldo.

Three months ago this list of players would have sent shivers down any opponent, but today this teams needs to lift physically & mentally if they are to leave "Camp Nou" with any points. 

Top match ahead, worth circling in your Football agenda. Not to be missed : Sunday 22nd of March - 21.00 hrs Spanish time.

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FIRST REAL MADRID vs FC BARCELONA DATE & TIME | 2014-2015 SEASON

The Spanish Football League - Liga - has just commenced but already World Soccer fans are asking when will the first big "Clasico" be played. Well, it has just been made official, the game between Real Madrid & FC Barcelona is scheduled for Round 9 of Liga at the "Santiago Bernabeu Stadium". Real Madrid will host Barça the Saturday 25th of October at 6.00pm (18:00 hrs). 

What is significant with this first "Clasico" is that Barcelona forward Luis Suarez will be able to debut & play his first official Spanish Football match after his "biting sanction". His FIFA penalty ends Friday the 24th of October & all the training being put in by Suarez is totally focused on the upcoming Real Madrid Liga clash.

There you have it, now there is no excuse to miss this Spanish Liga game.


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EL CLASICO, THE BIG LOSER COACH CARLO ANCELOTTI

Yesterdays Round 29 Spanish Football Liga “Clasico” between Real Madrid & FC Barcelona has feed many headlines to the main communications channels (traditional & digital) with plenty of juicy issues to debate & squeeze into chewable media content for the masses. The 3 – 4 final result in favour of FC Barcelona not only brought Barça closer to Real Madrid in the Liga title race but puts a third contender firmly in the picture Atletico de Madrid which currently enjoys the Top position of the classification table. As the more "opened minded" Football observers are now saying…“we now have Liga”; an entertaining, emotional & competitive last 9 Rounds of the season that departs from the duopoly of past years.

Instead of rejoicing the spectacle witnessed yesterday of Football at its highest level & the 7 goals scored, everyone is talking about the legitimacy of the penalties given & those not called, the red card to Sergio Ramos & the shocking unsanctioned “step on the head” by Barça midfielder Sergi Busquets on Pepe. Real Madrid players, especially Cristiano Ronaldo & Sergio Ramos who voiced their opinion to media post match, see a “black-hand” over their Club & that referee Undiano purposely attempted to balance his mistakes throughout the match favouring FC Barcelona in his decisions.

While the crossfire smoke blankets the atmosphere in a dark unseeing haze, no one mentions that FC Barcelona won because they took their opportunities & were more effective. They simply outplayed Real Madrid without being brilliant, & being practical without being too theoretical. But there is another issue closer to home for Real Madrid, the bad tactical decisions of Coach Ancelotti & his assistants, once again.

Real Madrid Coach Carlos Ancelotti hailed pre-match that it was now time that he finally beat FC Barcelona, a feat he has not done under Chelsea, Paris St Germain or Real Madrid. The Italian has not calculated a “right way” yet with Barça, the last being the “Camp Nou” clash when he placed Sergio Ramos as a defensive midfielder that turned out a disaster & in the sending off Ramos leaving his team with 10 men.

The “tactical moment” yesterday night for Ancelotti came with the sending off with a red card of Sergio Ramos. Real Madrid was leading 3-2 & the equalizer from the given penalty was obvious & imminent. Coach Ancelotti made the decision to take off the best player on the field & for Real Madrid, Karim Benzema, to bring on defender Rafael Varane. The idea was correct but the choice of player was the error. Real Madrid Coach should have taken off Gareth Bale who was doing little & looked lost all night, instead of betting on pace down bought wings ( & a draw implicitly) . What effectiveness is there for wingers if there is not reference point upfront? That is, no natural forward to receive the ball, protect it, wait for the incorporation of other team-mates & continue play? The mistake was tacitly recognized when Real Madrid Coach Carlo Ancelotti brought on Alvaro Morata with a few minutes left. Why? Why take off Benzema beforehand.

The other mistake was not anticipating & finding a solution for Lionel Messi & the position he was placed. FC Barcelona Coach Martino turned Messi into a more traditional midfielder allowing the Argentine to find more space & worst, more “thinking time”. Although Messi played a relatively normal game ( to habitual standards ) his two passes (assists) were decisive; the first for the Iniesta opening goal & the second that found Neymar that lead to the foul that gave his team a penalty & Sergio Ramos a red card.

How could Real Madrid Coach Carlo Ancelotti not seen the danger & placed a man ( or shared duties ) to follow the Argentine? The physical efforts of Di Maria in the 1º half ( had came out of the flu days before ) caused a drop later in his performance in the second half as he was forced to apply more defensive actions. Would Isco been the appropriate solution perhaps? Help keep an eye on Messi allow with his freshness? 

The rest of the analysis for Real Madrid falls onto the playing field. They let off the “hook” Barça when they were up 2 – 1. They allowed a “knocked – out" Barça to pick themselves up from the canvass. Two clear misses by Benzema ( great saves from Valdes & Pique ) that if converted would have changed the course of the game & the final result. FC Barcelona is the last side in World Football to allow do a “Lazarus act” to rise from the dead, it is a dangerous action & a losing proposition. It was clear last night – as all season – that defensively speaking Barça are vulnerable,  & susceptible to lowering their heads if things get passed their control. It nearly did but the Barça experience of big time Football pulled them through & this is a merit that cannot be denied.

Big mistakes by Real Madrid last night, tactically & Football wise, that are being conveniently brushed under the carpet while the focus remains on the “crossfire” of “dirty dealings” , “suspicious referee behaviour” & the ongoing “conspiracy theory”.
Add in a woeful & shocking act of aggression by Barça midfielder Busquets on Real Madrid defender Pepe, & you have heated emotional debate guaranteed for days & days.

The two will meet again in the Final of the Spanish Cup, & may meet up in the Champions League semi-finals if both manage to shake off their quarter-final opponents. Will Real Madrid & their Coach Carlo Ancelotti finally learn their lessons? 

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SPANISH FOOTBALL LIGA ROUND 29 SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS

Sunday Spanish Football action with four games of Round 29 Liga including the "Clasico" - Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona - which basically absorbed all the attention. Below are all the final results - scores along with the goalscorers.

Osasuna hosted Sevilla FC & lost 0 - 2 as the visitors maintained their last Thursday night momentum after defeating Real Betis & going through to the Europa League quarter-final stage. The goals for Sevilla came in the 27th min through Jairo & via a penalty in the 46th min that Bacca converted. Osasuna managed a consolation goal in the 94th min thanks to Acuña.

Real Betis lost to Atletico de Madrid 0 - 2 & remain last on the Spanish Liga classification table. Atletico de Madrid grabbed another 3 points & maintain their candidacy as Spanish Liga title candidates staying in contention & in the race with Real Madrid.

Real Betis managed to keep Atletico under control until the 55th min of the match when Betis forward Braian Rodriguez was sent off with a red card. A stupid hand-ball won him his second yellow card which left his team in a disadvantage & handed the match over to Atletico de Madrid who took control. Was not too long before the chances appeared for the visitors & Gabi scored in the 57th min. The sealer & the 2º goal for Atletico de Madrid came through Diego Costa in the 63rd min putting things out of reach for Betis.

Atletico de Madrid sits at the top of the Spanish Liga table.

Valencia CF got back to winning ways defeating Villarreal 2 - 1. Intense match with Valencia losing goalie Diego Alves with injury early on that brought on Guiata who did a good job keeping Villarreal out of his net.

The two Valencia CF goals came from Javi Fuego with the first in the 35th min & second in the 43rd min. Villarreal put some emotion into the game late with a Giovani 83rd min goal.

Top match as expected between two giants of Spanish & World Football, Real Madrid & FC Barcelona. Intense game with a total of 7 goals between them, three penalties & a Hat-Trick to Lionel Messi. The final result a 3 - 4 win to FC Barcelona over Real Madrid which cuts back the previous 4 point gap to just one & puts the third title contender Atletico de Madrid leader of the Spanish League ( shared points with Real Madrid ).

The match had everything & it had lots of controversy. A penalty to Cristiano Ronaldo which was outside the area & another penalty called on Neymar which was not as the Brazilian "fooled" the referee with a dive. This action caused the red card to Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos which left his team down to 10 men & this obviously had a negative effect on Real Madrid which could not make an effective comeback.

The goalscorer of the game was Lionel Messi, who did little relative to the rest of his team-mates but converted two vital penalties & he knocked in another in a vital moment. The other goalscorer to mention was Karim Benzema with two goals & a couple of more missed that could have sentenced the game. He was the player sacrificed when Sergio Ramos was sent off & this took away some fire-power up-front for Real Madrid. More names to mention are Barça midfielder Andres Iniesta who was brilliant with his opening goal & the penalty given in the fourth, along with Real Madrid midfielder Angel Di Maria who was superb assisting the two goals that Benzema put in.  

The disappointing players were, Gareth Bale for Real Madrid who tried but never finished & Neymar whose only shining moment was a "dive" that gave his team a vital penalty & lead to the sending off of a Real Madrid player. 

Here are all the goalscorers in order:

• Iniesta 6th min, 0 - 1
• Benzema 19th min, 1 - 1
• Benzema 23rd min, 2 - 1
• Messi 41st min , 2 - 2
• Cristiano Ronaldo ( penalty ) 54th min, 3 - 2
• Messi 64th min ( penalty ) 64th min, 3 - 3
• Messi 83rd min ( penalty ) 84th min, 3 - 4

Summary, we have returned excitement in the Spanish Football League Title race with three Clubs At. Madrid ( 70pts ) , Real Madrid ( 70 pts ) & FC Barcelona ( 69 pts ) all up there separated by wins, goals & 1 point.

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SPANISH FOOTBALL | LIGA | EL CLASICO | ROUND 10 SATURDAY GAMES RESULTS

Spanish Football action today with Round 10 Liga matches scheduled including the big "el clasico" between FC Barcelona & Real Madrid. Obviously this game eclipses all others so we will begin the post summary of the Saturday encounters with "the clasico". Here is a brief summary of the main events, the final results-scorers & the goalscorers.

Another great & controversial match between FC Barcelona & Real Madrid which ended with a final result of 2 - 1 which allows Barça to open up an "important" gap of 6 points over their arch - rivals. This also is an important "psychological push" that will lift the confidence of Barcelona. Real Madrid on the other hand claim that they were harshly done by the referee who did not call what appeared a clear penalty on Cristiano Roanldo in the 26th min of the second half by Mascherano.  If the penalty would have been called & a goal may have been scored & the final result may have been totally different. Real Madrid claim that this decision changed the course of the match precisely when Real Madrid was dominating the game. 

Real Madrid started surprising us all by putting Sergio Ramos as a defensive midfielder indicating perhaps a more defensive attitude & a counter-attacking strategy. It looked this way as Gareth Bale started which indicated an emphasis on speed. However, as the match proved Gareth Bale was prematurely asked to performance at a top level as he was substituted for Benzema in the 60th min. The Welshman did not play badly but still needs to learn the "mechanics" of the team & how to find spaces which are of value for his team, this will surely come with more games. 

The first half was for FC Barcelona which was superior while Real Madrid was still observing & reluctant in their game. Barcelona with a grand Andres Iniesta was creating multiple opportunities & the first goal came from an Iniesta pass that found Neymar who scored in the 19th min. This put Real Madrid further on the back foot & with a reinforced defensive attitude allowed Barça to keep the initiative. But Real Madrid was not the some Real Madrid of past seasons to visit the "Nou Camp" & fought back to win the initiative & exploited the defensive weaknesses of Barça. The equalizer for Madrid nearly came in the last moments of the first half when Ronaldo crossed & Khedira had his knock-on stopped by Valdes, plus with a handball by defender Adriano which was not seen. This "incident" would be added later into the "controversial decisions bag" at the end of the match. 

The second half saw a turnaround with Real Madrid dominating & putting against the ropes Barça. The defensive problems of Barça this season were put on show,  & had not Victor Valdes intervened  decisively we may have had a different final result. Added to the Real Madrid opportunities foiled by Victor Valdes is a "power driver" from Benzema that hit the bar. Then the talking point & the moment of the debate, a foul on a Cristiano Ronaldo runaway sprint with direction towards the Barça goal that was cancelled out by a Mascherano intervention. At first glance it looked penalty, on the replays it was a clear penalty that was not called & with a 1 - 0 scoreline in the 70th min this decision may have changed the course of the whole game.

Barcelona reacted & made some changes to halt their loss of dominance which included Alexis Sanchez on for Fabregas,  & in the 78th min Alexis second the second with a superb chip over the Real Madrid goalie Lopez. Real Madrid did not fall apart & in a late counter-attack lead by Cristiano Ronaldo substitute Jese scored in the 89th min.

The match ended with victory to FC Barcelona, complaints from the Real Madrid players & history repeating itself in the sense that most "clasico" games end up with controversy. Barcelona did play well, Neymar had a clear chance stopped by goalie Diego Lopez & Barça did recover when worst they were playing. Barça will feel they deserved their hard earned victory which they are right, & Real Madrid perhaps feel a draw was just at least, which they too are right. The "revenge game" in Madrid next year.

Spanish Football Liga Round 10 started last night ( Friday ) with Madrid Club Rayo Vallecano hosting Valladolid. The final result was a victory to the visitors 0 - 3 which puts Rayo Vallecano back into its "season black hole". The goals for Valladolid came in the 30th min from Ebert, Javi Garcia in the 40th min & Larrson in the 48th min.  

Malaga FC have entered into a dangerous losing streak that is worrying the Club. They were firmly beaten today by bottom table placed Club Celta de Vigo 0 - 5. The victory for Celta gives much needed oxygen to the Club & especially to their questioned Coach Luis Enrique. The goals came from:

• Alex Lopez 5th & 64th min
• A Fernandez 23rd min
• Nolito 73rd min
• Charles 81st min

Some long faces tonight on the Malaga bench & from their Directives.

Elche hosted Granada & suffered a 0 - 1 defeat. Both Clubs aren´t having the best season so far & a victory tonight was vital to both. Granada managed to get the three points thanks to the 26th min goal by Iturra. Elche from here onwards did not have the solutions to turn around the match or to at least find the equalizer. Granada was very serious all night & showed again that they are currently better away from home. 

Levante returned back down to Earth RCD Espanyol in a very convincing manner winning 3 - 0. The match had its controversy with another decision by referee Muñiz that has caused a storm after he came back from being parted weeks for his last problematic match decision with Elche - Real Madrid. This time around Levante was given a penalty - that was not - in the 25th min that El Zhar converted as the opener. While Espanyol was foaming from the month in anger Levante got their second in the 27th min from Baba. Espanyol never recovered from the blow & Levante got their third in the 51st min from El Zhar. 

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SPANISH FOOTBALL PREVIEW | FC BARCELONA - REAL MADRID | POSSIBLE STARTING 11 TEAM LINE UPS

Huge day for Spanish Football & World Soccer with the Round 10 Liga match between FC Barcelona & Real Madrid. The biggest match in World Football - El Clasico - kicks off 18.00 Spanish Time with Barça currently in 1ºst position on the Spanish League table with a 3º point advantage over arch rivals Real Madrid currently in 3rd place. A victory to either side will give a huge psychological advantage; if Barça wins they escape with a 6 point margin & if Real Madrid wins they join Barça after being 5 points behind. 

However there are more novelties, it will be the first "Clasico" for Neymar & Real Madrid new signing Gareth Bale. The line-ups are still not confirmed & their is plenty of speculation on who will start in each team. Spanish Sports daily "Sport" has elaborated their usual "infograph" where they put forward what they believe will most likely be the possible starting XI line-ups of each team.

Acccording to "Sport" the possible starting 11 team line-ups for FC Barcelona & Real Madrid are ( those in doubt will have my bracket):

FC BARCELONA : Valdes, Alves, Pique ( under injury cloud ), Mascherano ( Puyol ), Adriano, Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas ( Pedro), Neymar & Messi.

REAL MADRID : Diego Lopez, Arbeloa, Pepe ( Varane ), Ramos, Marcelo, Illaramendi, Khedira, Modric, Bale (Isco), Di Maria & Cristiano Ronaldo.

Real Madrid comes in perhaps better but is the team which has more doubts about its starting line-up. The question if should Gareth Bale start or not is still up in the air. The inclusion of the Welshman has big implications in the Real Madrid forward area with many speculating that Cristiano Ronaldo would be "pushed" into the central forward position if Bale starts. What is obvious is that Real Madrid will want to exploit to the maximum its speed advantage upfront & may resort to the counter-attack to put under pressure & difficulties the currently "frail" Barça defence. Real Madrid also have their "weaknesses" & their midfield is "slow" & at times "out of place".

Either way the line-ups will be conformed around 17.00-17.15 Spanish Time & I am sure both Coaches will have last minute surprises for all of us. Make sure not to miss this match wherever you may be & if possible.

Good luck to both & may the better team win.

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SPANISH FOOTBALL - LIGA - CALENDAR | SCHEDULE FOR SEASON 2013-2014

This morning the Liga season 2013 - 2014 starting / finishing Calendar dates & match schedules were drawn 

The main highlights:

• Start 17th / 18th of August with the following first round

• Clasico : FC Bareclona - Real Madrid - Round 10 - 27th of Octubre (Camp Nou)
                Real Madrid - FC Barcelona - Round 29 - 23rd of March (Snatiago Bernabeu)

• Last Liga games with Round 38 - 17th/18th of May 2014

Full Spanish Football - Liga - Calendar for season 2013 - 2014 available in the following link ( Schedule 2013-2014) 

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SPAIN NATIONAL TEAM | ARBELOA - PIQUE OPEN UP CLUB WOUNDS AGAINST FINLAND ?

It is the national Sport in Spain - not Football | Soccer - to forget the past & the achievements quickly & criticise the failures in the present. The draw 1 - 1 by Spain with Finland has been received as a defeat by some observers & of course has unleashed the wagging tongues of criticism.

My intention is not to participate, but will inform on stories coming out today that highlight the discussion between Spanish International defenders Alvaro Arbeloa & Gerard Pique after the Finnish equalizer by Pukki in the 78th min.

The TV images show conversation, but the press today expose a heated argument. Alvaro Arbeloa was certainly not at his best with his coverage or "coordinated" in the Finnish equalizer, this is visible. However, Pique reprimanded Alvaro & apparently placed the error & the cause of the goal on the shoulders of Arbeloa . The discussion is written was "heated". 

This has lead some to highlight that the "rivalry & wounds" of the Real Madrid & FC Barcelona "clasicos" are still open & there exists a delicate balance at the National Team. Past stories from media say that Arbeloa, along with Xabi Alonso, are not to well regarded by the FC Barcelona players, after the two mentioned - according to the Barça players - showed excessive physical play & words during the numerous head-to-head Real Madrid - Barça clashes.

If this is true Coach del Bosque will have some work to do. Although I do think that the "on field interchange of opinions" is an habitual exchange between defenders of any team & under the circumstances,  of seeing how a clear victory slipped through the Spanish fingers, perhaps emotional. Arbeloa could have done more, or should have been more alert, but looked at closely, it is a collective defensive & team relaxation.  Experience shows that the Spanish National Team suffers theses late match lapses, perhaps this is the area that needs a rethink & solution.

Now the objective is France next Tuesday. To achieve it, Club rivalries must be put aside for the good of the collective, or else, if what some highlight is true, there will be difficulties for Spain in Paris.

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