Motra e Unikkatilit
Real Madrid looking to extend perfect home league record this year
La Liga action returns to the Bernabeu following a 20 day absence. It does so with the visit of the ever competitive Levante. After thrashing Galatasaray on Wednesday and taking a giant step towards the Champions League semi-finals, the Whites play their second consecutive home match with the aim of extending their perfect home league record so far this year. The Whites have six consecutive home wins and have gone 14 months unbeaten on home turf.
That is a great record to take into the match against the team from Valencia, who are themselves unbeaten in their last four league matches (18:00, C+ Liga & Gol T).The record reflects the union that the Real Madrid team have with their fans in the Bernabeu. The perfect record that they have this year in the league and the 14 months unbeaten on home turf show that. Today Levante, who have converted themselves from being the surprise package of the previous two seasons to become a recognised team will put this record to the test.
| RECORDS OF BOTH TEAMS BEFORE MATCH DAY 30 | |||||||||||
| HOME | AWAY | ||||||||||
| Pos. | Ptos | P | W | D | L | P | W | D | L | ||
| Real Madrid | 2º | 62 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 5 | |
| Levante | 10º | 40 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 7 | |
Real Sociedad (4-3), Getafe (4-0), Sevilla (4-1), Rayo Vallecano (2-0), Barcelona (2-1) and Mallorca (5-2) are the teams that have visited Real Madrid in 2013 and the results are overwhelming: six wins out of a possible six, 21 goals for and seven against. Today they can add a seventh and, as Karanka said at a press conference, the efforts of the players that have played fewer minutes this season will be key: "Real Madrid have players who play less minutes than others and for them there is no better motivation than to be able to give their all in matches like this".
Jose Mourinho has picked 19 players for the match. Club captain Casillas, who returns to the squad following a 72 days absence due to injury, is the main news. The Real Madrid goalkeeper suffered a fracture at the base of the first metacarpal of his left hand on 23rd January in the Copa del Rey match against Valencia which caused him to miss the Whites’ next 14 matches.
Levante have gone four matches unbeaten in the league
The Valencians, who have already nearly guaranteed their safety, will be fighting to play in the Europa League until the end the season. Their participation in this year's European competition was well deserved and they are just six points from Valencia, who are sixth, with 27 left to play for.
| MATCHES BETWEEN THE TEAMS AT THE SANTIAGO BERNABEU | ||||||||
| J | G | E | P | GF | GC | |||
| Real Madrid | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 6 | ||
| Levante | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 23 | ||
In aiming to do so they are in cruise control and have gone undefeated for four consecutive matches in the league. Valencia (2-2), Getafe (0-0), Granada (1-1) and Sevilla (1-0) have been their opponents. Juan Ignacio Martinez has picked 18 players. Barkero and Valdo, have got over their niggles, Ballesteros, Pedro Lopez and El Zhar are new inclusions, whilst the suspended David Navarro has not travelled to the Spanish capital, nor have Mate Simao, Dudka, Nikos and Hector Rodas.
Mourinho's Real Madrid have reached 300 league goals
Real Madrid picked up another league victory after beating Levante 5-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu. A win marked by goal number 77 of the season in the league for the team which means that José Mourinho's team reach the round figure of 300 goals in the league in the three seasons that the Portuguese manager has led the team.
José Mourinho took control of his 106th league fixture against Levante, in which he has registered spectacular figures: 81 wins, 14 draws and 11 defeats, 300 goals scored and 94 conceded. This represents an average of almost three goals scored per game (2.83) and less than one conceded (0.88).
The team managed by the Portuguese scored as many as 102 goals in his first season with Real Madrid (2010/2011). A landmark of 100 goals in a season that has only been surpassed on four occasions at the club, and which was again achieved last year with the 121 goals scored by the team, a record in the history of the top flight.
| THE 300 GOALS OF MOURINHO'S REAL MADRID IN LA LIGA | |||
| Season | Goals | Games | Won |
| 2010/2011 | 102 | 38 | 29 |
| 2011/2012 | 121 | 38 | 32 |
| 2012/2013 | 77 | 30 | 20 |
| TOTAL | 300 | 106 | 81 |
Diego López: "We got a good result, but the tie is not decided yet, and we will have to be alert"
The great result from the Bernabeu leaves the tie in Madrid's favour. The white team are facing their visit to Galatasaray with caution, although confident regarding their possibilities. Diego López analysed the quarter-finals away leg on the Bwin webpage: "The tie is not over because we know what football is like and we are going to a difficult stadium to face a team which, although they did not show their best side, are better than they were in the first leg, and we will have to remain alert. It is clear that 3-0 is a very good result for us, but I believe the key will be to score a goal there, and then the tie will be practically over".
The Madrid keeper was clear about their approach to the game in the Ali Sami Yen: "We must try to play as much as possible like in the first leg. They are a team who play well on the counter-attack, and they have very fast players up front who are always looking for depth. We have to keep calm in defence, keep everything tight and go for them. We mustn't think about the 3-0, although it is clear that this is a knock-out match and the 3-0 is there, but I see scoring a goal or looking for goals as the key. It is rare that this team leaves a nil on the scoreboard in any game, and one clear and definitive option is this".
Mourinho's side will have to fight against the atmosphere and pressure which the Turkish fans always create on their own turf. "I expect the game to be made difficult by the atmosphere, because it is a good team and they are going to give everything to try and knock us out. This side has a lot of experience in this type of match, and a goal would leave us in a great position because they would have to score five against us, and it would be an uphill struggle for them. Our mentality will be to go there and score, and not hide behind the 3-0 , because that would be a mistake", declared Diego López, who did not hide his wishes regarding this Champions League: "It is a dream to be able to reach the final, and in the first leg we took an important step towards the semis, but there is a lot of work left to do. It is a difficult competition, and we know that at this club we are good in the Champions League, but it is a dream for everyone and I hope to be able to be there fighting for the trophy".
The Galatasaray squad has a higher average age than the white team squad, but the keeper does not think it will be a significant factor: "Although here the people are very young, they have a lot of experience. They are all internationals , have played finals in world cups with their national teams and with other teams. I think that in that respect age is not a factor. The team is important, and the desire we have to show what we can do there, and try to stifle the atmosphere which will be in their favour , and all that".
Diego López highlighted the figure of Cristiano Ronaldo and, when asked if he was the best football player he had played with, gave a clear reply: "Yes, I suffered a lot as his rival during my time at Villareal, and now I enjoy training and playing matches with him every day. He is a player who can make all the difference, who is always there at key moments, which is when great players like him have to make their mark. We can see that in all the crucial matches he scores goals, he is there, and that is very important for the team".
Finally he analysed the other three ties from the Champions League quarter-finals. Regarding PSG-Barcelona he said: "It will be a tough match for the two sides. Barcelona come to the game with a result which gives them a slight advantage, but I believe it is one of the closest ties". Regarding Bayern-Juventus he declared: "It is a very good result for Bayern, but Juve is a great team. At 2-0 it leans towards Bayern, but Italian sides, and above all Juve, who are having a great season, I have my doubts about how thay are going to face the match". And regarding Málaga-Borussia: "Borussia is a great team, as they showed against us in the group stage, but Málaga is a tough team and a draw with goals would send them through. I hope Málaga are in the semi-finals as they are a Spanish team, but it is going to be hard for them".
Real Madrid are at the team hotel, the Ciragan Palace Kempinski
Real Madrid are at the team hotel, the Ciragan Palace Kempinski. It is where Jose Mourinho’s team will rest and it is located near to the Bosphorus, which separates the European part of Istanbul from the Asian part, and is just a 10 minute drive from Besiktas Stadium where, at 14:30 (15:30 local time), the Whites will complete their last training session prior to the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Galatasaray which will be played tomorrow (20:45, La 1).
The hotel is located right next to the old Ciragan Palace, on the European side of the Bosphorus, and was built by Sultan Abdulaziz. It served as a prison for his successor, Sultan Murat V, who was deposed after ruling for only one year, and as a parliamentary building in 1909. It had to be rebuilt following a fire.
Real Madrid to play for the first time in the new Ali Sami Yen
It is just over two years old, but the Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi Turk Telekom Arena stadium, the full name of Galatasaray’s stadium, has become one of the gems of European football. It is adapted to changing times and gives the assurance of being a Category 4 UEFA stadium (like Europe’s great stadiums) but retains the essence and atmosphere of Turkish Hell, as their previous ground was known. With a 52,650 spectator capacity, it is considered one of the loudest arenas in football. It will be the first time that Real Madrid play a match there.
On 15th January 2011 Galatasaray left behind them the nearly 50-year history of the old Ali Sami Yen to move to a new home, with all modern comforts and twice the capacity. Located in the north of the historic centre of Istanbul, the new stadium keeps the name of the club’s founder alongside the name of its main sponsor. Able to accommodate different sports and other events, the sports complex was built as part of Turkey's bid to host Euro 2016, which will take place in France.
If something has not changed from the previous stadium it is the atmosphere that their fans create. For example, the 131.76 decibels reached in March 2011 in a match against Fenerbahce, went into the Guinness World Records. Football in Turkey is a passion, and proof of this is the way they live every moment of the matches with the stands usually filled hours before kick-off. The Real Madrid players will be presented with one of the most hostile environments that will have experience on a football field. After sealing their passage to the quarter-finals in the legendary Old Trafford, Mourinho's team are now looking for a semi-final spot in the Ali Sami Yen.
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