Hala4Madrid

Better numbers than in year of last promotion

2012-02-23T03:22:00.000-08:00

RM Castilla currently have more points at this stage of the season than when they were promoted to the Second Divison in 2005

Julian Avilero / Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell

RM Castilla (then called Real Madrid B) were promoted to the Second Division in June 2005 in a match at the Bernabeu attended by 60,000 fans. The reserve team had taken an impressive 48 points 25 games in the championship, but this has been improved on by this year's side with an incredible 53 points in the same number of games. Castilla have a six-point lead over the runners-up in the Second Divison B's Group I and are the top scoring side in their group, as well as the best team on the road in the championship.

RM CASTILLA BY WEEK 25 IN RECENT SEASONS
Season	Place	Points	W	D	L	GF	GA
2011/12	1st	53	16	5	4	52	23
2010/11	3rd	42	13	3	9	44	27
2009/10	9th	35	9	8	8	40	35
2008/09	5th	43	12	7	6	41	24
2007/08	4th	41	12	6	7	41	27
2004/05	1st	48	14	6	5	35	17
2003/04	2nd	48	14	6	5	37	22

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Benzema, two weeks off

2012-02-22T08:12:00.002-08:00

He will miss the game against Rayo, France's friendly against Germany and, almost certainly, the party's March 4 against Espanyol

Malas noticias para Karim Benzema y para el Real Madrid. El delantero francés sufre una pequeña lesión muscular en el abductor derecho. No hay rotura, aunque la lesión que se produjo en los primeros minutos del duelo ante el CSKA le mantendrá alejado de los terrenos de juegos unas dos semanas. Por tanto, será baja este domingo ante el Rayo, en el amistoso del próximo miércoles en Bremen entre Francia y Alemania y, muy probablemente, en la visita del Espanyol al Bernabéu.

El objetivo es recuperar al delantero francés para el duelo de la 27ª jornada de Liga, que enfrentará a Betis y Real Madrid en el Villamarín. No hay que olvidar que el siguiente partido es el de vuelta de octavos de final ante el CSKA.

Benzema, que fue examinado en la clínica Sanitas La Moraleja a primera hora de este miércoles, voló después a Francia, para disfrutar del día libre concedido por Mourinho a la plantilla tras el viaje a Moscú. El Real Madrid vuelve a entrenarse mañana a partir de las 15.30 horas, a puerta cerrada, en Valdebebas.

Reyes: "It's special to celebrate a title we haven't won in such a long time"

2012-02-22T07:46:00.000-08:00

"We're proud to celebrate the title with you all and to see you enjoy it us much as we do"

Realmadrid.com / Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell

The Real Madrid roster and staff thanked fans for their support in their Copa del Rey success during the celebrations in the Spanish capital.

Felipe Reyes

"It is very special for us to celebrate this with the Mayor and the President because we haven't won it in 19 years, which is a lot for Real Madrid. We're proud to celebrate it with all of you and to see you enjoy it as much as we do."

Pablo Laso
"We're proud to bring you this Cup title and we're delighted to celebrate with you all. There's even greater merit to winning the title against a great opponent like Barcelona. To win this tournament you have to defeat three teams and we played a high level in all games."

Sergio Llull
"Nineteen years were too many. It was about time we won this title. We deserved to and we expect to return at the end of the season to celebrate more titles."

Carlos Suarez
"We'll play a very important game on Thursday against Unicaja in which our future in the Euroleague will be at stake. We want your support in such an important clash."

Emiliano Rodriguez, Presidential Aide for Basketball
"We were so excited about winning the title that it may not have sunk in yet. It was an amazing game in which the coach devised a great system. We deserved to win from the opening minute. It was key to have a solid defence."

Clifford Luyk, Technical Advisor
"The victory was important because we had three important handicaps in the game: playing three games in three days, not having the home advantage, and having a much younger roster. We gave a great performance. All our players performed at a high level. This is symbolic and we should use it to make people aware of the greatness of this club. We're optimistic about our chances in the Euroleague despite having an average start to the Top 16. We hope to overcome this with the morale boost the Copa del Rey has given us."

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Ozil in his Ferrari 458 Italia in the streets of Madrid

2012-02-22T06:40:00.001-08:00

The Real Madrid player next to his Ferrari 458 Italy in a central street in Madrid. The sport has a powerful V8 engine of 4,499 cc with 570 hp at 9,000 rpm. with unrivaled torque of 540 Nm at 6,000

The registration of Ferrari's German midfielder has meaning: GE (Gelsenkirchen), MO (Mesut Ozil), 10 (his number at Real Madrid) and 88 (year of birth).

The bad thing was that Özil ride a mobility agent put a parking ticket.

Mou complained about the referee: "Before the goal was lacking Cristiano

2012-02-22T05:15:00.000-08:00

"I'm a little frustrated, but a 1-1 is not a drama. We can win at home"

Mourinho believes that CSKA was too prize draw, but praised his effort: "It is the result with which we have to play the second game, they have made us a tough game, but have done little to get a tag and tie. They have made a serious party, hard, have worked hard, have achieved that goal that gives them lots of joy and nosostros that leaves us a bit frustrated. But it is a good result, I would like to finish all the heats were tied 1-1 " .

The Luso said Albiol after the entry: "I saw it as a good choice against an opponent who gets a player to two meters in attack and Albiol could close in the final minutes and check the balls on defense in pieces. I liked Albiol much by how he interpreted what he had to do and that we had already rehearsed set pieces. "

Despite the late draw. Mou is confident in meeting at the Bernabeu: "I do not expect an easy match in Madrid, but I hope to win, of course. Today we have put it complicated."

The coach does not have grounds to assess whether both CSKA comes from a failure of its equipment and other pieces that reported a lack of pre-play goal in CR7 not whistled: "There are goals set pieces which identifies an error, a player who fails, poor organization ... but I do not know if it was because he was away. But I've seen that before the play is a very clear lack of Christian that neither the referee or fourth official, who was next, they have seen. But it is football, the referee makes a mistake sometimes on one side and those of another. I thought it would make arbitration like he did in the Super Cup in Monaco, but has not been. "

Moreover, the Portuguese always remember that CSKA has put in difficulty: "It was same with Chelsea and Inter 1-0, but always difficult. Today looked to be well and has been a bumpy ride."

Finally, Mou declined to comment on Benzema's injury and roundly criticized the harshness of Wernbloom, "I know you have Benzema, thought that if a player would adversely affect it in action number 3, but in the end was injured alone. "

Benzema, injured groin

2012-02-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

The misfortune was primed with Real Madrid and more specifically with Karim Benzema. The French had to be replaced by Higuain after injury in the groin after a shot on goal. The Frenchman felt a sharp pain and quickly had to ask for the change to be unable to continue on the pitch

Xabi Alonso: "We are confident to win the tie in the return leg"

2012-02-22T04:09:00.001-08:00

Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa talked to the media in the mixed zone at Luzhniki Stadium.

Alonso
"We clearly expected a better result seeing how the game unfolded. The draw isn't a bad result, but it could have been better."

"The cold wasn't much of a problem. The turf was different. I felt we didn't fully adapt to it, especially when passing the ball."

"We all saw Ronaldo was fouled before their equaliser, but we shouldn't dwell on it. Our opponent also did a good job and practically had no trouble until they scored. We are confident to win the tie in the return leg."

Mourinho: "Their goal was frustrating, but we earned a good result I'd be happy to have in all knock-out ties"

2012-02-22T04:03:00.000-08:00

"Our opponents made things very hard for us; they played a serious and tough game"

Alberto Navarro (Moscow) / Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell

Jose Mourinho analysed the draw against CSKA Moscow in the press conference following the match.

"Their goal was frustrating, but we earned a good result I'd be happy to have in every knock-out tie in which we play the return leg at home."

"Their strike has made them very happy and we were frustrated by it because we played for more and had chances to score more. Our opponent made things very difficult for us, but they did little to score or draw the match. They played a serious and tough game. They worked very hard."

"Every game here has been the same for me. I won 1-0 with Chelsea and Inter Milan, but it was very hard in both encounters. It's always complicated over here. It seemed we would win 1-0 today, but they eventually drew a difficult fixture."

"Some goals come from set pieces and others don't. It's easy to see the mistakes you make by conceding some strikes, but it's harder in others. I don't know what was the case tonight. What I did manage to see was that Cristiano Ronaldo was clearly fouled upon before the equaliser. It's part of the game. The referee made mistakes for both sides."

"Bringing Albiol on was a good option when they made a two-meter tall man play alongside Doumbia up front. It was a solid option to mark him in set pieces and seal the game. I very much liked his attitude on the pitch and how he interpreted what he had to do. I'm very happy with him."

"I actually thought that if we were to sustain injuries we could have sustained up to three, but in the end only Benzema was injured."

CSKA Moscow 1-1 Real Madrid

2012-02-21T13:58:00.000-08:00

Mourinho's men were far superior to the locals, who drew the match in injury time

Only bad luck and the strange things that sometimes happen in football prevented Real Madrid from winning tonight in Moscow. The Whites perfectly adapted to the stadium's synthetic grass and to the city's low temparature, dominating the match from the start, but unfortunatley leaving without a much deserved victory due to a defensive mistake in injury time. The tie will be decided at the Bernabeu.

Mourinho decided to use Callejon, Khedira, Arbeloa and Coentrao in his starting lineup, ready to play a more tactical game against CSKA. Real Madrid found it a little hard to adapt in the opening minutes and the Russians used this to their advantage. Bad luck struck the Whites when Benzema injured himself attempting a long strike and had to be replaced by Higuain (13'), who had the first chance in the game with a shot that was cleared by Chepchugov. The ball fell at Khedira's feet, but the keepr saved the day again for the local side.

CSKA hardly reached Casillas' goal, but they were well positioned throughout the match. They also fouled whenever they had a chance, but Real scored their goal after Higuain stole the ball, crossed it and Ronaldo netted it with a crossed shot (27'). Only Doumbia troubled the Madrid defence occasionally with his speed after the strike, but no real danger came from CSKA.

The Madridistas tried to seal the match as soon as the second half began, and Callejon missed a couple of good chances (50', 51'). The locals started to look for a goal of their own and left room for Madrid to attack in. Musa shot on target in the 61st minute, but Casillas grabbed the ball easily as it lacked force. Real Madrid continued to dominate the encounter and looked for a chance to counterattack.

Mourinho made Kaka come on for Callejon on the 74-minute mark and a Ramos header was saved by the keeper one minute later. Ronaldo nearly scored again the minute after that, but Chepchugov cleared the shot by an inch. Honda led his side in reaching Casillas' goal more often and Mourinho decided to strengthen the defence by replacing Ozil with Albiol (84'). CSKA tried hard for a draw that would ease things for them in the return leg and eventually found it through Wernbloom in a messy effort in injury time.

CSKA Moscow 1-1 Real Madrid C.F Photo

2012-02-21T11:47:00.000-08:00

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CSKA Moscow-Real Madrid

2012-02-21T06:47:00.000-08:00

Whites return to the Champions League as the only

side to keep a clean sheet on the road thanks to having the best run in the history of the group stage

Alberto Navarro (Moscow) / Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell

Real Madrid return to Russia three years after their last match in the country. They are set to face CSKA Moscow this evening at 18:00 CET, looking to keep a clean sheet on the road in the UCL and to keep up the excellent streak that allowed them to have the best run in the history of the group stage. Real Madrid have the best undefeated run in away games in the championship out of all sides in the Last 16.

TEAM RUNS IN UCL
REAL MADRID	CSKA MOSCOW
D. Zagreb 0-1 Real Madrid	Lille 2-2 CSKA
Rel Madrid 3-0 Ajax	CSKA 2-3 Inter Milan
Real Madrid 4-0 O. Lyonnais	CSKA 3-0 Trabzonspor
O. Lyonnais 0-2 Real Madrid	Trabzonspor 0-0 CSKA
Real Madrid 6-2 D. Zagreb	CSKA 0-2 Lille
Ajax 0-3 Real Madrid	Inter Milan 1-2 CSKA

Real Madrid earned three victories, scored six goals and kept a clean sheet in their away games against Dinamo Zagreb, Olympique Lyonnais and Ajax Amsterdam.

Jose Mourinho has included 21 men on his squad list for the match; only the injured Altintop, Lass and Di Maria stayed in Madrid. Assistant coach Aitor Karanka, Iker Casillas and Cristiano Ronaldo have previously played at Luzhniki Stadium. Mourinho, Pepe and Carvalho have faced CSKA in the past.

The manager coached Inter Milan through to the 2009/10 semis against the Russian side, while Cristiano Ronaldo won the Champions League with Manchester United at the stadium and scored one goal. Karanka and Casillas (then a substitute player) faced Lokomotiv there on 7 November 2000, losing 1-0.

Tickets have sold out for the match, with fans anxious to see their team play their first official game since 7 December 2011 against Real Madrid. CSKA Moscow signed midfielders Wernbloom and Kim In-sung, as well as striker Musa, in the winter transfer window. Following the departure of Vagner Love to Flamengo, Doumbia became their main man in attack; he has just returned from playing the African Cup of Nations final with Cote d'Ivoire and has scored five of CSKA's nine strikes in the Champions League this season.

The Russian side has the second best away record in the competition behind Real Madrid. They have taken three points after the 85-minute mark - the last two gave them their ticket to the Last 16 with a 2-1 win over Inter Milan at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium. CSKA have scored four of their nine goals (44%) in the final five minutes of either half, which shows Real Madrid will have to

concentrate hard throughout the encounter to avoid surprises.

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Real Madrid are the only side to keep a clean sheet on the road in the Champions League

2012-02-21T04:39:00.000-08:00

Conceding only two strikes also makes them the least scored upon team in the

championship

Alberto Navarro (Moscow) / Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell

Real Madrid's reliability on the road is clear from their three victories away from Madrid in the Champions League. The Whites are also the least scored upon side in the competition with only two conceded strikes.

Real Madrid have scored six strikes on the road in the UCL this season, averaging two per encounter; they tallied one against Dinamo Zagreb, two over Olympique Lyonnais and three against Ajax.

LEAST SCORED UPON SIDES IN UCL
TEAM	GOALS	GAMES
Real Madrid	2	6
Chelsea	4	6
Olympique Marseille	4	6
Barcelona	5	7
Bayern Munchen	6	8
Napoli	6	6
Manchester City	6	6
Ajax Amsterdam	6	6
Olympiacos	6	6

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Tenth official Real Madrid match in Russia

2012-02-21T04:14:00.000-08:00

The match against CSKA Moscow will be Real Madrid's tenth official fixture in Russia, previously earning two victories, three draws and four defeats. Real defeated Zenit 2-1 in their last match in the country in the 2008/09 season

Real Madrid don't just play football, they inspire... The Champions League returns

2012-02-21T04:00:00.001-08:00

Real Madrid don't just play football, they inspire... The Champions League returns

The Champions League returns and, with it, Real Madrid's fight to win their tenth European Cup title. The squad is earning sensational numbers this season and they had the best run in the history of the UCL group stage by winning all six games. Madrid have earned 20 victories in 23 La Liga encounters and top the league table with a 10-point lead over the runners-up. These impressive numbers go hand-in-hand with a spectacular, vertical and offensive football that has allowed them to tally an impressive 116 goals this season.

Two years undefeated on the road in the Champions League

2012-02-21T02:29:00.003-08:00

Real Madrid lost their last away game in the competition on 16 February 2010 in Lyon

Real Madrid are currently the side with the longest undefeated run on the road in the Champions League of all those still alive in the competition. They lost their last away game on 16 February 2010 in Lyon and are set to face CSKA Moscow, who have the second best away record in the championship.

EL CAMINO HACIA LA FINAL DE LA COPA

2012-02-20T11:21:00.000-08:00

Coentrao: "We'll have to forget about the cold and play to win"

2012-02-20T09:49:00.001-08:00

"I don't think the temperature will be the only thing that'll complicate things for us; I'm more concerned about CSKA Moscow's quality"

"We'll have to play, forget about the cold and work to win. I don't think the temperature will be the only thing that'll complicate things for us; I'm more concerned about CSKA Moscow's quality."

"We are a quality side and we have the best players in the world. All teams are favourites from now on in the championship, and so are we."

"I want to play and I work hard every day for that. We've got a quality side regardless of who plays. I'm ready for anything and the coach decides who plays. I want to play in any position to help the team win and be successful."

"I hope CSKA Moscow lose for the first time against a Spanish team tomorrow

Moscow afternoon with the presence of Real Madrid and a temperature of -10ºC

2012-02-20T08:56:00.000-08:00

Training session in Moscow / Entrenamiento en Moscú

2012-02-20T08:23:00.001-08:00

Los 21 futbolistas convocados por Mourinho tomaron contacto con el césped del feudo del CSKA en la última sesión previa a la ida de octavos de la Champions

Mourinho: "We won't kid around against CSKA; we will give our all in the match"

2012-02-20T06:35:00.000-08:00

"We'll have to be stronger than the adverse conditions we'll face" Fernando Porrero / Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell Jose Mourinho analysed tomorrow's match against CSKA Moscow in a press conference given in the Russian capital. "Fabio and I wish to congratulate the basketball team for winning the Copa del Rey after so long. They broke a negative streak in the championship just like we did. We send them our best." "CSKA's squad have been together for a long time and that makes them very dangerous. They should be respected. We will not kid around against them and we will give our all in the match." "We'll have to be stronger than the adverse conditions we'll face. The grass and the temperature will be tough to deal with. These are new conditions for us, but mentality and ambition are stronger than all those factors." "CSKA have a similar team to the one I faced with Inter Milan. They've lost Vagner, but they have Doumbia and Musa. They are a strong side financially and a strong opponent." "I will not say who's going to play because my men don't even know yet. We've analysed CSKA, but we haven't analysed our own strategy yet. We'll miss Lass, but we have Xabi, Kaka, Granero, Sahin and Khedira with us. We'll try to earn a good result to reach the quarterfinals. The tie is won in two games." "This match is too important to make changes to the team or reserve players. We have a solid squad and changes are made according to the characteristics of a game rather than quality. I've chosen the men I think will do better tomorrow against a team that has good tactics and is used to playing in the cold." "My first match in the Champions League was ten years ago against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. I like this championship because it's based on knock-out stages. The best teams play it; they all like to be here. We'll take one step at a time and think about reaching the quarterfinals before we contemplate any other scenario." "I don't like to talk about individual players, but Benzema is working well for the team. His game has improved, he scores goals and works for the team both in attack and defence. He is becoming one of the great European players. I don't want to talk about the Ballon d'Or. I just think about the team. We have a chance to win one title this season and that's the general idea. That's what we're all focusing on. We don't care about individual efforts." "My men have a great psychological attitude in every championship. Their mentality is very good and professional, giving serious performances in every match. I'm sure we'll win an important title this season by working this way, but we have to focus on one game at a time."

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Real Madrid land in Moscow

2012-02-19T12:17:00.000-08:00

The team was greeted by close to 250 fans at the airport

Realmadrid.com / Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell

Real Madrid landed in Moscow's Sheremetivo airport and were greeted by close to 250 fans. They headed for their hotel, where they will remain until Tuesday's 18:00 CET match against CSKA Moscow.

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