Pablo Foley Elias & Tim Stannard preview Getafe v Real Madrid in the latest edition of “THE MATCH” on Real Madrid TV.
La Liga
When Atletico Madrid sold Sergio Aguero to England’s Manchester City during the summer, there was all sorts of rumors that Aguero really wanted to move to city rivals Real, but that Atletico refused to sell him to their bitter rivals.
There were also rumors at the time that Aguero was only heading to Manchester for a season and that in 2012 he would be heading back to the Madrid, this time to play for the the white side of the capital.
So I found it really interesting to read the Daily Mirror, and English newspaper today that says that Real Madrid will be willing to sell Gonzalo Higuain in order to help fund a move for Aguero.
It was a depleted Barcelona side that turned up in Valencia tonight, but it was also a team that does’t give and they got a credible 1-1 draw in their Copa del Rey semi-final first-leg. Barca will be heavy favorites now to finish this tie off at the Camp Now.
Barca were given an early scare when Roberto Soldado raced onto a through ball, but Pinto came racing out of his goal to slide in and clear the danger, appearing to use his hand as he did so, only for play to be waved on. He could easily have been given a red card for a deliberate red card.
Two goals from Fernando Llorente has given Athletic Bilbao a 2-1 first-leg advantage in their Copa del Rey semi-final against giant-killers Mirandes, and seriously dented the Cinderella dreams of the third division team.
Llorente scored twice in the first half to seemingly put Athletic firmly in control of this tie. But the minnows, who have dumped out Villarreal, Racing Santander and Espanyol to reach this stage, gave themselves hope of yet another upset with a last-minute goal from substitute Ander Lambarri.
Mirandes coach Carlos Pouso predicted that next Tuesday’s second-leg match at the San Mames stadium will not be easy for the Rojillos.
Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has criticised the performance levels of Spanish referees this season.
Rosell’s club felt aggrieved by the decision of the Spanish federation’s competitions committee not to punish Real Madrid utility man Pepe for appearing to stamp on Barca forward Lionel Messi’s hand earlier this month.
Rosell said in quotes reported by marca.com:
“I like to assess [referees] at the end of the season but this year it doesn’t look good. If [the competition committee] does not work well then we will have our say, because football is supposed to be based on fair play.”
Atletico Madrid‘s revival under new coach Diego Simeone continued on Monday as Diego Godin fired the winner in a battling 1-0 victory at Osasuna that lifted Atletico up to seventh in La Liga.
The Uruguay defender bundled in from close range at a corner just before the break and forwards Adrian and Radamel Falcao missed gilt-edged chances to extend the lead.
Belgian keeper Thibaut Courtois, on loan from Chelsea, kept the visitors in the game in the closing minutes with string of excellent saves as Osasuna piled forward in search of an equaliser.
Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes says that his side cannot afford to drop any more points if they are to successfully defend their La Liga title this season.
Barca were held to a 0-0 draw against Villarreal on Saturday, a result that now leaves them seven points behind league leaders Real Madrid, who recorded a 3-1 win over Real Zaragoza at the weekend.
“We have no more room for error,” Valdes told Sport. “We have dropped two important points against Villarreal. We have to win all the points that remain. And that’s what you get. If we want to fight for the league, we cannot fail anymore because there is a rival in front of us that is very strong.”
Real Madrid midfielder Kaka has revealed that his future with the club has been assured by club president Florento Perez and coach Jose Mourinho.
Kaka has struggled with injuries since joining Real Madrid in 2009, but has periodically displayed his old skill in recent matches and had one of his best games games in a Real Madrid shirt in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Zaragoza.
Despite that, Kaka has admitted that he had been troubled by speculation that he would be sold during the winter transfer window.
Third-tier club Mirandes’ improbable run in the Copa del Rey continues as they will meet Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday in the Copa del Rey semi-final
Mirandes has already eliminated topflight clubs Villarreal, Racing Santander and Espanyol to become only the third team below the second division to reach the last four.
The only other third-tier clubs to reach the semifinals were Figueres in 2002 and Deportivo Logrono, 81 years ago.
In the other semi-final Barcelona will be looking to shake off its recent woes away from home at Valencia on Wednesday.
Barcelona might have won the latest el clasico, but it is Real Madrid who are threatening to run away with the La Liga title.
Real Madrid are now seven points clear at the top of the Liga after their 3-1 win over bottom side Real Zaragoza while Barcelona’s poor away form continued as they were held to a scoreless draw at Villarreal.
Madrid must have feared that their bad week was going to continue as they fell behind to an 11th-minute strike by Ángel Lafita at the Santiago Bernabéu. However, Mourinho’s side rallied from a goal down for the third league match running as Kaká levelled terms on 32 minutes before Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 31st goal of the season and the Mezut Özil then early in the second half.
