Real Madrid vs Villareal

27/1- Real Madrid have been in sublime form this season and their leadership in Laliga has been an undisputed one. The side has managed to build a 7 point gap between themselves and the second placed Barcelona which puts them in a sort of a comfort zone. As they prepare to take on third placed Villareal at home they would not like to be complacent. Real Madrid enter this match after 8 back to back victories and the team appears to be in red hot form as well. Villareal also have a reason to fight as they are in a rat race for the third position and a chain of good performances may also get them the second place. Villareal have won their last two matches and would hope to carry on their form as they get ready to take on the champions and the current league leaders. A look at the history between the clubs would make Real Madrid more confident about their chances as real have won 10 of the 17 matches played while 6 have been draws.

Real Madris come into this match after they thrashed Athletico Madrid last week in a Madrid derby. They are virtually unbeatable in current form and with the likes of Van Nistel Rooy, Raul and Robinho firing on all cylinders the home fans would be hoping for a series of goals at home. Another noticeable fact is that Real Madrid have won all the 9 matches played at home this season and to change it would be a real difficult task for the third placed team.

Villareal would go to Madrid with the knowledge that they would have to pull out a rabbit from the hat in order to earn some points or they can only hope that the champions are in a gifting mood but without that the chances of Villareal scoring a few points look negligible.

Prediction: Real win 2-0

Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid

20/1- The most interesting match of the week takes place as the two Madrid teams clash home in a derby at the home grounds of Atletico Madrid. The league leaders are in tremendous form and have won all of their last 5 matches, they also have a buffer of 7 points between themselves and the second placed Barcelona and that will keep them relaxed as well. Atletico Madrid are also a team to look out for this season and placed 3^rd they would like to give it their best shot to try and close down on the second placed Barcelona. Both teams enter this tie after deserving victories last week, while Real Madrid beat Levante 2-0, in an away tie, Atletico Madrid beat Valencia 1-0 in a home tie. Atletico have been good at home and they would like to see to it that they can maintain the same against the city rivals.

Real Madrid have been riding high on the form of their prolific strikers, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Baptista, Raul, Robinho and company have displayed great skills and ability to produce magical moments in various matches. Guti has also responded to his new play maker role and the team is looking to be an unstoppable unit. Their away form also has been decent and most importantly they have got into the habit of winning and would not like to lose it.

Atletico Madrid on the other hand have been good but probably not as good as the league leaders, they have more or less relied on Aguero who has created and converted opportunities. They would like to close on to Barcelona and fight for the second Champions League spot, it would be great if they can achieve it instead of having to go through the qualification rounds. Whatever be the results the match is set to be thriller.

Prediction: 1-2, Real win

Real Madrid vs Real Zaragoza

6/1- The first half of the season was magical for the league leaders and the defending champions and they are already 7 points clear of the second placed Barcelona, hence their aim in the beginning of the new year and the second half of the season would be to continue this form and further increase the gap to ensure a comfortable position at the top. They have won 5 matches in a row before the holiday break and the last one being the all important match against Barcelona, where Real Madrid defeated the home team inn style with a score line reading 0-1. On the other hand Real Zaragoza standing at 9th place on the points table were having a rough time and have not been able to register a win in the last 7 matches. In fact they have drawn 4 and lost 3 of their 7 encounters. Their last match ended as a home draw against Valencia.

Real Madrid are running high on form and have won all matches playing at home and this looks to be no different, with all their strikers fit and in form the champions should not be worried about anything more than their own game. It should be a regular day in the field and the home team would end up with all the points in the kitty. Raul, Van Nistel Rooy and Robinho would be expected to score and the threat from Baptista cannot be ignored either.

Real Zaragoza on the other hand would be more than happy if offered a point in advance as they would be aware that in their current form they might not even be able to get that as well playing against a side like Real Madrid. The tie between the two Reals should be a more so one sided affair.

Prediction: 3-0. Real Madrid win

Barcelona vs Real Madrid

23/12- This would probably be the match of this Laliga season with Real Madrid marching ahead by 4 points, Barcelona would be looking to cut it down to just a point when they host Real Madrid. The teams being placed 1st and 2nd on the points table are the two biggest competitors in the Spanish region. While Barcelona are entering this home tie after three consecutive wins, Real Madrid are visiting after recording 4 wins in as many matches. The thing that might work in the home team’s however is that Barcelona have not lost a point at home this season but the fact is that they might have not faced a side as good as Real Madrid and the visitors are the 3rd best team when it comes to away matches in Laliga.

Barcelona would be supported by a strong home advantage however they would be missing two of their top three scorers as Thiery Henry and Lionel Messi are likely to miss out on this tie. This leaves them with Ronaldinho as their only regular attacking option, though on his day he can be difficult to handle, as of the current scenario it would not appear that he alone would cause too much concern for the Real Madrid defense. The only hope the Barca team management and supporters would have is Samuel Eto who is on a comeback streak.

Real on the other hand appear to be a confident outfit and have managed to build a 4 point advantage over their closest rivals, Barca. With Raul and Van Nistelrooy in great scoring form they would be looking to extend their lead or at least maintain it. Even if Real lose the match they would retain the top spot and that would help the club to relax before an otherwise tense away tie, but the fun begins with the whistle when it kicks off at Barcelona.

Prediction: 0-1, Real win

Real Madrid vs Osasuna

16/12- In the last match of the weekend Real Madrid take on 14^th placed Osasuna. Real Madrid are the defending champions and the current leaders, they have been in great form at home this season and carry a 100% win record with themselves and hence the match with Osasuna can be an addition to that. Going by the past encounters between the two sides Real Madrid has won 4 of the last six encounters while the others were drawn. As per current form Osasuna will be going into this match after a couple of draws, the last one being last week against Valencia at home while Real Madrid are on a winning streak with the last two games won and would like to make it three in a row after they beat Athletic Bilbao in an away tie last week.

 

Real Madrid are not only a confident and well performing side but they can also demoralize their opponents with the kind of performance they give on field. The trio of Raul, Van Nistelrooy and Robinho has been doing exceedingly well for the club and they have all scored more than 5 goals each this season and over all are combining pretty well to create opportunities and convert them into goals. They are already 4 points ahead of second placed Barcelona and would be looking to extend their lead or at least maintain it and anything less than 3 points would be disappointing looking at their current form.

 

Osasuna would rather struggle to overcome the threat of Real Madrid in this away tie and would hope that the likes of Gomes Dady and Garcia can push in a goal and then the defense can stop any attack from the home team, even a point of this match would be a bonus for them.

 

Prediction: 3-1 Real Madrid win

   

Champions league: Group C: REAL MADRID vs. LAZIO

Real Madrid are flying at the moment. They come into this final group C match at the Bernabeu stadium as confident La Liga leaders, and at the weekend notched up their eleventh league win in fifteen league games with a very complete performance away to Athletic Bilbao. At home their results have been even more impressive. They have won their last fifteen games in front of their own fans and I can’t see Lazio doing much to change this. The Italian side needs a win and hope the other group match between Olympiacos and Bremen ends in a draw.

I can’t see Madrid throwing away this opportunity to qualify for the next round of the Champions League. They should really have secured passage in the last game away to Bremen, but their away form in the year’s competition has been a bit frustrating where they have only earned two points from a possible nine, including a two-two draw against the Italians. However, I doubt if Lazio have the fear power to win this match, especially when Madrid have Iker Casillas in goal. His form this season has been a key factor in Real Madrid’s return to form, pulling off some breath taking saves and helping maintain the team’s conceded goals to a minimum. But it doesn’t stop with Casillas; practically the whole squad has responded and is in their best moment of form, especially Pepe, Van Nistelroy and the ever present Raul, who is La Liga’s top scorer at the moment.

Lazio are having a scrappy season so far. They are twelfth in the Serie A league and seventeen points from leaders Inter after fourteen games, as well as being bottom of their Champions League group at the moment. I doubt very much whether Lazio has it in them to beat Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. The Spanish club’s home form has been astounding and they should win with ease.

Prediction: Home win (3-1)

Athletic Bilbao vs Real Madrid

08/12- After a wonderful away victory that has catapulted Athletic Bilbao on the edge on the top half of the table, they will be looking to continue the winning streak at home. The 3-0 victory over Valencia last week would have given Capaross’ men some much needed confidence and self belief, the best part being that it was an away victory for the side against a opposition that the best team have found quite difficult. This week the only problem Athletic will face is that their opposition is the top most team in Laliga.

 

Last week’s victory was how a determined side defeated a strong but depleted side as many of Valencia’s key players were missing but unfortunately for Athletic, Real Madrid would be having a virtually full strength team except for defender Hienze however the home side will be without some important names, Cuellar and Tiko in the midfield and Gorka at the post are likely to miss out on participation in the game. Real Madrid also have been in good form and are just fresh of defeating Racing Santander 3-1 at home last week. They are at the top of the league table and would look at extending their lead from second placed Barcelona.

 

Raul remains the most prolific scorer for the Spanish giants while Robinho and Van Nistelrooy are ever threatening as well. History also supports a Real Madrid victory as they have left a victorious mark the last 3 times they have been here. The return of Guti will also add more natural talent in the side and on paper Real look to be far stronger but both teams are fresh off convincing wins as well and hence are on par with their form. Real just need to be cautious as there can be a surprise fight for them this weekend.

 

Prediction: 2-1, Real Madrid win

 

Champions league: Werder Bremen vs. Real Madrid

Real Madrid arrived in Germany and for once the players weren’t the center of attention. All the media were following coach Bernd Schuster, who is one of the most famous, or infamous, figures in German football.

Madrid need a point to qualify to the next round, and I am pretty certain a point is all they are going to get from this match. Their away form in this year’s competition hasn’t been that impressive, with a two-two draw at Lazio which they should have won easily, and another draw, this time goalless, in Greece against Olympiacos.

Werder Bremen will also find hope in Madrid’s historically dismal away record in Germany. The Spanish side have played in the country twenty one times but have only won once, losing fourteen others. Added to this, The Spanish giants can only boast one away win in the Champions League from the last eight tries.

Bremen meanwhile, are bottom of Group C with three points and need something of a miracle to pass the group stage. Beating Madrid at their stadium would be a good start, but they will have to hope the other game between Lazio and Olympiacos ends in a draw. This is in sharp contrast to their domestic form, where they are second in the Bundesliga and just one point behind leaders Bayern, who aren’t even qualified for the Champions League this year.

The first game between Real and Bremen earlier this year at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium ended in a narrow win for the home side, where Bremen put in an impressive display and were unlucky to go home empty handed.

Real Madrid will be without Argentinean defender Heinze, who is out with a knee injury, as well as Sneijder, Drenthe, and Soldado. As for Bremen, their attack force will be dealt a huge blow by the suspension of their Brazilian star Diego, who received a red card in the last Champions League game against Lazio.

I don’t think Real Madrid will be able to pull off a win here as Bremen at home are extremely strong, but I can’t see the host side picking up the three points they so desperately need, either. A draw then, I think will be the most probable result. Good for Madrid, who face Lazio at home in the last match, but bad for Lazio, who will have to say goodbye to the Champions League again this year.

Prediction: Draw (1-1)

 

Real Madrid vs Murcia

A very crucial match for Real Madrid as it will help them better their away record  and there is no better way to beat a team lying in the bottom half of the points table. Murcia was drubbed 3-0 by Valencia last week and the coming tie looks no easier. Real Madrid though was able to maintain a 100% win record at home, were a bit scratchy against Mallorca last week. Defense seems to be a major concern for the defending champions and current league leaders as too many goals are being given away.

 

On the brighter side Real Madrid have been thundering oppositions with the services of Raul, Van Nistelrooy and Robinho in the front and Iker Casillias has been ever so dependable. Also the mid field looks strong and only the defense needs to be a little more alert. On the other hand Murcia was flattened last week by Valencia and will be looking to get something out of the match. But they need to capitalize on the fact that Real’s away form has been no where close to their home form and the same Valencia had defeated them 5-1 not too long ago. Pablo Garcia and Velez can be the men to look out for from Murcia’s end when the action starts.

 

A look at the points table would suggest that if Real Madrid can convert this tricky tie they will be surely in the lead of the points table but if they fail to convert Villareal might just be able to push them out of the leader’s spot. However on the other side, one more loss would mean close to the relegation zone for Murcia. So the stage is set, it will be a test of nerves for the minnows in Murcia when they take on the big REAL boys of Laliga.

 

Predicted score line: 2-0 in favor of Real Madrid.

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