Real Madrid to face Galatasaray (Champions League)

Real Madrid will face Galatasaray in the Champions League quarter-finals. The Whites will play the first leg at home in the Santiago Bernabeu stadium on April 3 and the second leg away at the Ali Sami Yen stadium the 9th of the same month. A new way of organizing the draw means that, should Real move on to the next round, for the first time in Champions League history they won’t know their semi-final opponent until a new drawing is held on 12 April.

Real Madrid vs Galatasaray (Champions League, Quarter-finals)

Galatasaray is having an impressive season: top spot in the League with a four-point lead on Fenerbahçe and classified amongst the eight best teams in Europe's top competition. Galatasaray ousted Schalke 04 in the Champions League round of 16 after finishing second in Group H (led by Manchester United) in a point tie with Cluj. Drogba, one of Chelsea’s most important players in last year’s tournament, and former Real Madrid player and European champion Sneijder have strengthened a squad that already has outstanding offensive power. Elmander, Spanish Riera and Burak Yılmaz, who ties Cristiano Ronaldo for top scorer in the competition, round out Galatasaray’s attacking potential, as well as Altintop, former Real Madrid player until last year.

Radamel Falcao: 'Anti-Real Madrid' clause

When Radamel Falcao opted to stay at Atletico Madrid last summer for another season, despite being the subject of dizzying offers of over 45 million euros, he did so conscious of the fact that he owed something to the club with whom he had reached global fame. He insisted he was staying because he was enjoying himself at the Calderón, and the board and coach Cholo Simeone wanted him to stay on for another season so they could buy some time to prepare for his eventual inevitable departure.

Radamel Falcao

The president, the coaching staff and players are now resigned to the fact he will depart the club this summer for greener pastures, leaving a hole in the squad but filling a gap in their accounts in times of need (they still owe Porto two installments for Falcao which they are unable to pay at the moment.)

According to sources from one English club interested in signing the player, Falcao has done something else to help Atletico. His contract is believed to contain an 'anti-Real Madrid' clause that will please fans of Los Rojiblancos and soften the blow of seeing the Colombian in a white shirt if he does end up at the Bernabéu. Falcao will cost any club 60 million euros (Chelsea made a bid for 55 million in the summer and Atletico will not sell the player for any less than 60m). But, if Madrid do come knocking on the door, his price will rise to 75 million euroos. However, sources from Atleti consulted by AS maintain that Falcao will not be playing for Real Madrid next season, and do not even rule out the possibility that the Colombian will still be at Atleti in 2013-14.

Aguero to sign for Real Madrid this summer?

Aguero could back to be Real Madrid target for next summer. The Argentine striker is not comfortable in Manchester City and the white club is considering the signing after the irregular season of Benzema and Higuain. In addition, the Argentine, who already flirted with Madrid, has always shown his desire to wear the white shirt.

Kun Aguero

In the Bernabeu not forget his statements last September, after the match Real Madrid vs Manchester City of the group stage of the Champions League: "If Real Madrid had wanted to sign me, I would play for them. If I am in the City is because Real Madrid did not show real interest in me. I take the opportunity to deny the report in which I supposedly said I would never play for Real Madrid according to my past as Atletico player."

Real Madrid's pre-season 2013: Los Angeles

It is planned, Real Madrid will make the pre-season 2013 in Los Angeles. Everything is planned and closed in the absence of the rivals in the friendly matches. With or without Jose Mourinho ahead of Real Madrid, Real Madrid will begin the pre-season on American soil for the fourth consecutive year: it will be the USA Summer Tour 2013. The club is working ahead and anticipating and all is already advanced.

Real Madrid pre-season 2013 will take place at Los Angeles

The preparation will take place on the campus of UCLA, which is where Real Madrid will train every day. It has very modern facilities according to Mourinho's taste. Located in Westwood, near Beverly Hills. The extensive sports complex has a baseball field and two soccer fields, a gym with the latest equipment and even has a hospital at the campus to deal with any eventuality. They will be about ten days and then Real Madrid will travel around the country to play several friendly matches. The idea is, in addition to Los Angeles, repeat match in Las Vegas and even in New York, but that will depend on the rivals and the competition management, the World Football Challenge.

The friendlies in USA will not be the only matches to play before the start of the official competition. Real Madrid, in principle, plans to participate in the Audi Cup, to face Bayern Munich that always disputes this summer tournament. It will be a single match and still must be decided the field to play; in the Allianz Arena (Munich) or in a Chinese stadium, as happened last season.

The first days of the pre-season 2013, Real Madrid squad will not be complete. The Spanish and the Brazilian international players, who will play the Confederations Cup from 15 to June 30 will not join the white team at the beggining. Depending on the success of their national teams, they will have an exact date to return to Real Madrid.

Update

Iker Casillas is back

Iker Casillas was a lone figure on the number 1 pitch at the Valdebebas Sports City on Tuesday. Mourinho had given his players the day off, but there is no rest for the Real Madrid goalkeeper. Since undergoing surgery on January 25, he has visited the training facility every single day. He had already done some lighter ball work on Monday, but it was on Tuesday that he put on the gloves for the first time since being injured. The doctors had predicted a three-month absence, but Casillas is about to perform a new miracle, cutting that short by a month.

Iker Casillas at Valdebebas

The first team of Real Madrid returned to training at Valdebebas after the league match in Vigo, under the command of coach Jose Mourinho. Real Madrid squad completed its first closed-door session of the week, for preparing the next league match against Mallorca on Saturday (8.00 pm CET) at the Bernabeu. The novelty of the week comes from Casillas who is in the last step for the recovery and return to the collective work: the countdown in the last phase of the Casillas' recovery, sidelined with a broken left hand since late January.

The Real Madrid goalkeeper set foot on the grass last week in the preparatory sessions, but has already begun training with hands, although under preventive measures such as lower weight and solidity of balls. Casillas trained for almost two hours with Silvino Louro - first in the gym and then out on the field. He was back between the goal posts and blocking the balls the goalkeeping coach fired at him without any problem. The chance that Casillas might train this week with the rest of his teammates has not been ruled out.

About Mourinho's future (3): "I do not base my decisions on whether I win or not"

The British newspaper 'The Sun' published today on its website an exclusive interview with Jose Mourinho in which the coach says has been a good week of results for Real Madrid but he has better in his career, for example with Inter. Mourinho also talks about his future: "I do not base my decisions on whether I win or not."

Jose Mourinho

A victory at Old Trafford and wins home and away against Barcelona — most managers dream of such a run. But the Real Madrid boss just shrugged and smiled at the suggestion that it was a remarkable set of results. It started with a stunning 3-1 triumph over arch-rivals Barcelona in the Nou Camp to reach the final of the Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup) quickly followed by a 2-1 La Liga (Spanish Laeague) win over Barca back at the Bernabeu. And finally came the 2-1 Champions League victory at United courtesy of the Red Devils’ former hero Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo: Real Madrid's lifeguard in Spanish League

Cristiano Ronaldo is invincible when scores in the Spanish league. Since he joined Real Madrid, the Portuguese international has never yet lost a Spanish League match in which he's scored a goal. It all started during his debut match with Real Madrid on August 29, 2009 against Deportivo at the Bernabeu, when he scored and they won. Three and a half years later, he's still advancing victoriously. And that's no mean feat.

Real Madrid is undefeated in the Spanish League when Cristiano Ronaldo scores

When CR7 scores in La Liga (Spanish League), Real Madrid never loses. The only teams who have managed to scrape a draw in a match where he scored are, Barcelona (twice), Villarreal and Espanyol. The results are impressive: 75 wins and 4 draws. Thanks to the goals Cristiano Ronaldo has scored, Real Madrid has achieved 229 points. Or, to put it another way, white team has only conceded 8 points of a possible total of 237.

During his first season, the Portuguese scored in all 19 games and Real Madrid won each time: 19/19. It doesn't get better than that. In his second year at Real Madrid, CR7 scored more goals but did so in the same number of matches, 19. However, that season Barcelona crossed his path, and the end result was 18 wins and 1 draw. Last season not only did he continue to uphold 'Cristiano's Law', but the prolific striker was the undisputed master of the Spanish League. He scored on 27 matchdays and Real Madrid won on 26 occasions. This season it's been more of the same. He’s scored in 14 games and Real Madrid hasn't been beaten in any of them.

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