Preview: Sevilla - Real Madrid (Spanish League Day 4)

The Spanish League calls for its time after two weeks of national team matches, and does so with one of the highlighted matches of the championship: Sevilla vs Real Madrid. And this time also seems to come with more force than ever because Sevilla is in good shape, which adds a little more excitement and drama to a clash that has everything in itself. And, although Sevilla has not started the best course of its history neither Real Madrid is doing. For though White team won the Spanish Super Cup against Barcelona, in the League has offered its most vulgar face, losing against Getafe and winning against Granada what could not wash completely its poor image.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Furthermore, these FIFA dates have greatly benefited Sevilla. Because they had a less compressed preseason and they have not had to play more games than the league (Real Madrid played two more matches against Barcelona at the Super Cup). Michel, a former Real Madrid player and current Sevilla coach) has only lost four players during these two weeks, while Real Madrid has lost 17 players. Thus, the white team has trained only three days at full strength while the Seville was able to play two friendly matches to continue to find its best pace.

And if all this was not enough, the Real Madrid gets immersed in one of the biggest problems in recent years. Cristiano Ronaldo went to Portugal to play with his national team after saying he was "sad" for professional reasons, and since then have not stopped appearing rumors on the possible causes of his sadness; he had a bad relationship with Marcelo, he did not feel beloved, Real Madrid did not pay him enough, or he had an opened war against Mourinho. Each worse, obviously.

And not just by the problem itself, whatever it was. But because since then it seems that everything in the Real Madrid turns solely on that. What is one more problem to add to the lack of concentration that can exist after the national team matches. Not surprisingly, this Thursday Iker Casillas, Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa participated in several promotional events before taking the official photo of the course 2012-2013, and Cristiano Ronaldo was the only theme in all these meetings.

By the way, Cristiano Ronaldo will go back to Sanchez Pizjuan after scoring seven goals in the last two games there. What is certainly the best news for Real Madrid, that on the one hand wants to know what happens to its best forward, but otherwise is wishing forget to re-view the best version of Cristiano, the player who led the last two 2-6 against Sevilla in the Andalusian capital.

A result that Michel is confident that will not be repeated again this Saturday: "Now at last, we are a team. If I have to bet, I would bet that we will beat Real Madrid", he said this week. Sevilla coach will have Fazio and Perotti under his commands. Both players already exercised on Thursday's training with the rest of the group. At Real Madrid Fabio Coentrao is banned so Mourinho will play with Marcelo. Nacho Fernandez, the youth team player, played yesterday with Castilla.

Expected Starting Lineups

• Sevilla: Palop, Cicinho, Botia, Spahic, Navarro, Rakitic, Medel, Trochowski, Navas, Negredo, Manu.
• Real Madrid: Casillas, Arbeloa, Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo, Xabi Alonso, Khedira, Cristiano Ronaldo, Özil, Di Maria, Higuain.