Real Madrid

Real raced into a 1-0 lead in the first game when Cristiano Ronaldo scored early on before second-half goals from Carles Puyol and Eric Abidal gave Barca their narrow advantage.

The quarter-final is finely balanced then, so it’s likely to be another closely-fought battle between the old foes at the Nou Camp but, with home advantage and a first-leg lead, Barca should have enough to go through.

As is often the case when these two heavyweights go head-to-head, the first leg was overshadowed by fiery clashes on the pitch, with Real defender Pepe the villain on this occasion as he appeared to stamp on Lionel Messi’s hand.

Pepe has insisted it was purely an accident but he can expect a rough reception from the Barca fans – if he is selected for the second leg.

Mourinho has said he is yet to finalise his starting XI amid reports Pepe will be left out, while Lassana Diarra remains a major injury doubt for the visitors ahead of the game.

Following the controversy at the Bernabeu, a spiky Mourinho was coy at his pre-match press conference as to his plans for the second leg but he insists Real can secure a win and progress through to the last four.

“I will not answer [any question related to what team I will pick]. I’m the coach and I do not have to explain what approach I choose publicly,” he said.

“I think my team has a chance to play the semifinals, so we will try our best. But we know against our opponent we lost 2-1 the first time, so there is also a chance we won’t make it.”

There have also been claims that Barca counterpart Pep Guardiola will make changes for the second leg but he is still likely to field big guns Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi and co as he aims to guide his side through to the semi-final stage.

Real know they will need to strike early to get back into the game and it’s worth backing Ronaldo to open the scoring again at 11/2 but, overall, another Barca win looks on the cards with a 3-1 home win in the correct score market at 10/1 worth a punt.

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And, perhaps surprisingly, that difference is in the favour of the capital side despite them suffering a defeat earlier on this season, although Barcelona remain marginal favourites at 5/6 to win a fourth league title on the bounce, with Real priced at 10/11.

On the face of it, Jose Mourinho’s men would have the trickier of the two matches as they take on city rivals Atletico Madrid at 19:00 GMT, although they do have home advantage at the Santiago Bernabeu – and a rather impressive recent record.

It has been a huge 12 years since Atletico managed to overturn their illustrious city rivals, coming away from the Bernabeu with all three points following a 3-1 win in October 1999, which at the time made it back-to-back wins after victory by the same scoreline at the Vicente Calderon at the end of the previous season.

Two successive draws followed but Real have been dominant in the head-to-head record, winning 15 of the 21 games since their last defeat – and it is hard to see anything changing on Saturday.

Not withstanding the fact that there is a vast difference in the wealth of the two clubs, Real have scored 24 goals in five games at the Bernabeu in La Liga this season with their only blemishes coming on the road, drawing at Racing Santander and losing at Levante.

Their Champions League form has been equally impressive, winning five out of five, and they will go into the match on the back of a 6-2 drubbing of Dinamo Zagreb last Tuesday.

It is hard to see Real being overturned by Atletico at the best of times, particularly with the visitors enduring something of a transition having lost Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan last summer – so it is no surprise to see Real installed as 1/5 favourites, with Atletico on offer at 12/1 and the draw at 11/2.

That may seem like a massive price on the visitors getting something from a derby game where ‘form goes out of the window’ but Atletico have been awful on the road this year, with just one draw and four defeats from five games.

Los Colchoneros also find it nigh on impossible to find the back of the net with just two goals from those five games, with both coming in the same match, so Real winning to nil has to be considered – last year’s 2-0 home win in this fixture is priced up at 11/2.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been prolific again this season and needs to be considered in the goalscoring betting, having notched 14 in 12 in the Primera Liga this season – although that is reflected in the betting as he is the 9/4 favourite to score first.

It looks as though the pressure will be on Barcelona when they take to the field at 21:00 GMT to keep within three points of the leaders when they take on Getafe – but they are not expected to run in to trouble, priced at 1/5 in the match betting, with the hosts available at 12/1 and the draw at 11/2.

There is not much to say about Barcelona and how good they are and can be, particularly with the world’s best footballer in Lionel Messi (7/4 to open the scoring) in their ranks, but this season they have run into one or two problems on the road.

The Catalan giants remain unbeaten this season but are behind Real in the table because they have suffered four draws, three of which have come on their travels.

Scoring on the road has not been as easy either with eight away goals dwarfed by a huge unanswered 30 at the Nou Camp, with opposing teams’ game plans proving hard to break down.

It is worth noting that although Getafe are lying in 15th place in the table, they have only lost one at home this season – also picking up two wins and three draws – and have proved no easy beats at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez this term.

Messi on his own could make a mockery of the form if he has one of those days, and he is by no means the only talent in the side, but Getafe might be able to do their near-neighbours Real a favour this weekend by replicating their 2007 success.

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The Catalan giants have been the outright favourites throughout the competition and are currently Evens to lift the trophy, with Real Madrid available at 10/3 after being handed the toughest of draws.

Despite suffering a 5-0 hammering at the Nou Camp earlier in the season, which meant a run of five straight defeats against Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona, Real have turned the corner and will go into the first-leg clash at the Bernabeu in an ideal position – perhaps reflected in the betting as they are slight favourites at 8/5 to Barca’s 13/8, with the draw on offer at 12/5.

Los Merengues managed to salvage a point in La Liga 10 days ago at the Bernabeu, despite being reduced to 10 men, but then won their first trophy under Jose Mourinho and first since 2008 when they beat their arch rivals in the Copa del Rey last Wednesday, winning 1-0 after extra-time.

Cristiano Ronaldo had struggled to find the net against the Blaugrana but appears to have turned the tide after scoring in both those encounters and should be looked at in the goalscoring markets (4/1 First/Last Goalscorer, Evens Anytime) – particularly as he takes free-kicks and penalties.

Mourinho of course managed to steer Inter Milan past Barcelona at this stage last season and has adopted what appears to be similar tactics aimed at stifling the likes of Xavi and Andres Iniesta in midfield.

Nobody out-Barcelona’s Barcelona but by employing Pepe in midfield alongside Xabi Alonso and Sami Khedira, Real playing an aggressive, counter-attacking style certainly made life difficult for Barca – and expect more of the same on Wednesday.

Despite the wealth of attacking talent on both sides, those last two games have been very tight, cagey affairs and with a second-leg to come, the same is expected as Under 2.5 goals is priced at 4/5, with Over at 10/11.

As well as the tonic of Copa del Rey success, Real will certainly be buoyed by the performance of their ’second-string’ who routed third-placed Valencia at the Mestalla 6-3 on Saturday with Kaka and Gonzalo Higuain scoring five goals between them.

Ricardo Carvalho’s absence through suspension from Wednesday’s clash could be a problem as he has been a rock at the back and potential replacement Raul Albiol, who was sent off in the La Liga clash after hauling down David Villa, looks a weak link.

Sami Khedira’s absence through injury looks less of a blow with Lassana Diarra expected to fill in but it is Barcelona who are struggling more on the injury front.

The left-back position looks problematic with Eric Abidal, Maxwell and Adriano all ruled out and that is certainly an area Real can exploit – be it through Ronaldo, Higuain, Mesut Ozil or Angel Di Maria.

Carles Puyol and Gabriel Milito have both been included in the travelling squad but are on the way back from injury and Guardiola may have to employ a midfielder out of position defensively to cover.

Of course, there is no getting away from the fact that Barcelona have the world player of the year, Lionel Messi, in their ranks and have the potential to beat anybody – with Xavi and Iniesta also pulling the strings.

However, with a second-leg at the Nou Camp to come, Guardiola is sure to play it more cautiously given recent results and would be happy to take them back home still in contention.

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Here is a look at both matches: Real Madrid v Tottenham and Inter Milan v Schalke 04.

Spurs have enjoyed a tremendous first campaign in the competition, surprising many on their route to the last eight. However, they take on the biggest of the big boys in a mouth-watering clash against nine-time winners, Real Madrid.

The Spanish giants are second favourites in the outright betting at 19/5 so it is no surprise to see them installed at 4/11 in the match betting to take a lead to White Hart Lane, with Spurs available at 7/1 to cause yet another surprise. The draw is on offer at 7/2.

Jose Mourinho’s men have been a different class domestically to most of their rivals but have run into the obvious problem of Barcelona, while Los Merengues have put recent European troubles behind them on their march to the quarter-finals.

Mourinho lost his nine-year, 150-match unbeaten home league run (accumulated as coach of Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Madrid) at the weekend with a shock 1-0 defeat to Sporting Gijon at the Bernabeu which may tempt some into taking the 7/1 on Spurs, who did of course triumph 1-0 at the San Siro against AC Milan in the last-16.

However, the Gijon defeat will surely sharpen the focus for the Champions League, not least because Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona potentially await in the semis and as the saying goes, lightning never strikes twice.

Real have won all four games at the Bernabeu in the Champions League without conceding a goal, which included a 3-0 win over bogey-side Lyon in the last-16 clash when the wheat had been sorted from the chaff.

They also finally ended their last-16 hoodoo, reaching the quarters for the first time in seven years, and will be keen to make amends for the weekend loss which has all but ended their hopes of usurping Barca in La Liga.

Harry Redknapp’s men have of course given huge entertainment to anyone who has seen them in Europe this season, with the possible exception of Arsenal supporters, but in the last-16 clash against AC Milan there appeared to be a change of focus, with less emphasis on the all-guns blazing approach.

Spurs sneaked the away goal at the San Siro to win 1-0 but they had struggled in the group stages with defensive frailties undermining their obvious goal threat. They scored eight goals in three away matches but did not win a game.

There has been much talk about Gareth Bale’s heroics in the second-half against Inter but it should not be forgotten they were played off the park in the first half and went in at the break 4-0 down.

The 1-0 win against AC Milan probably says more about the Italians than it does about Spurs, who have recently let in three goals each to Premier League strugglers Blackpool and Wolves, while they have not won in five matches since that San Siro success.

Injuries have also not helped Spurs and although Redknapp believes Bale will be fit for the first leg, perhaps more worryingly for his side is that Cristiano Ronaldo (3/1 to be First/Last Goalscorer) is expected to turn out for Real.

Real certainly have the pedigree to come up with the goods and the best Spurs can hope for is an away-goal to keep them in the tie, with the return-leg at White Hart Lane on April 13.

Defending champions Inter are 1/2 favourites to make home advantage count in the night’s other encounter but they go into the match on the back of a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of arch rivals AC.

The Italian giants did of course lose 1-0 in the home leg of their last-16 clash against Bundesliga opposition Bayern Munich, only to win 3-2 away and go through on away goals.

Schalke are available at 11/2 to cause a shock, with the draw on offer at 11/4, but backers will be hoping that the Germans can keep their European form going because they have been anything but consistent in their domestic campaign.

Ralf Rangnick recently took over the reins at Schalke but it was Felix Magath who steered the side past Valencia in the last-16, with a 1-1 draw at the Mestalla before a 3-1 success at home sealed progression.

It looks a tall order for the German side to follow in Bayern’s footsteps with a win at the San Siro and Inter are fancied to edge a tight contest.

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Lyon

Real had been closing in on a first win at the Stade de Gerland three weeks ago after former Lyon striker, Karim Benzema (7/2 to score the first goal on Wednesday), scored what could be a vital away goal in the 65th minute, just 60 seconds after coming on as a substitute.

However, Lyon were able to salvage a draw thanks to Bafetimbi Gomis’s goal seven minutes from time and they do have history on their side going into the return fixture.

Lyon have made three previous trips to the Spanish capital and on each occasion the match has finished all square, although they will know that they need to score at least one goal to stand any chance of progression to the quarter-finals (Real 5/6 to keep a clean sheet).

The clubs were drawn in the same group in both the 2005/06 and 2006/07 seasons with Lyon dominating at home, winning 3-0 and 2-0, with the reverse fixtures finishing 1-1 and 2-2.

And at this stage last year, a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu ensured Lyon’s progress following a 1-0 home win in France.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored Real’s goal last term and has been in sensational scoring form for the nine-times winners of Europe’s elite competition, but he remains a doubt for tomorrow’s clash after suffering a thigh injury in the 7-0 win over Malaga in La Liga.

However, the Portugal ace’s availability is not the deciding factor in this contest as Real, who have been eliminated at this stage in the last six seasons, have become a different beast under new boss Jose Mourinho.

This time of course Real take the French side back to the Bernabeu on level terms and on their own soil they have a hugely impressive record.

Real have won all 14 games they have played at the Bernabeu in the Spanish top-flight this season, a home record even Barcelona have to envy, while they won all three group games in the Champions League without conceding a goal.

By contrast Lyon, who are not the dominant domestic force they once were, have struggled on the road in Europe this term, losing their last two after a 3-1 victory at Hapoel Tel Aviv.

Benfica edged a seven-goal thriller before Schalke dominated in a 3-0 rout, while Lyon have also failed to progress from six previous European ties when they have drawn the first-leg at home.

Mourinho also has a great record against French opposition with eight previous wins and only one defeat in 11 meetings, including a 4-2 aggregate win over Lyon as Porto boss in 2003/04.

Lyon do have a great historical record against Wednesday’s opposition but given their record this season and the fact they have to score, Real can use their dominant home form to reach the quarter-finals quite comfortably (Over 2.5 goals 4/6).

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That will be the plan anyway but Real (2/7 favourites) have turned a corner under Jose Mourinho following a slow start to the campaign and are now beginning to look like a team, rather than a collection of individuals.

The goals have started to flow as well of late, certainly domestically, with 19 scored in the last four games as Los Merengues have moved to the top of the table with a minimum of fuss.

They hold a one-point advantage over arch-rivals Barcelona (both 10/11 to win Primera Liga) and will not be wanting to let that advantage slip, with the Catalans given the perceived easier task this weekend of a trip to Getafe.

Of course, Barcelona do kick off earlier on Sunday but that will have no bearing on the Atletico clash as Real will either want to regain the lead or pull further clear ahead of ‘El Casico’ on November 28.

The attacking trio of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuain and Angel Di Maria have started to gel and all have got amongst the goals, with Ronaldo leading the way with 10 goals in the last four games to take his season’s tally so far in the league to 12.

The former Manchester United ace is an obvious candidate in the goalscoring markets as he also takes the penalties, and will no doubt have a number of opportunities to add to his collection and is available at 5/2 to be first or last goalscorer, 4/7 anytime or 11/4 to score 2 or more.

With a dominant home record of four wins from four, scoring 16 goals and conceding just two, it is no surprise to see Real strong 2/7 favourites in the match betting, and it may be worth taking them to do complete the Half-time/Full-time result at 8/11.

Being a derby match, there will be no easing into the game and with Atletico seemingly struggling on their travels, Real will waste little time in setting about their neighbours.

Hercules were not handed the easiest of starts on their return to the top flight in Spain but they wasted little time in making a name for themselves with a 2-0 win over Barcelona at the Nou Camp on the second weekend.

Los Blanquiazules (11/5 in the match betting) can become the first team this season to win at the Reyno de Navarra when they take on Osasuna (21/20 to win, 11/5 the draw) on Sunday as they have proved they certainly can be a match for the big boys in the top flight.

Following the Barca win, Hercules have already held Sevilla and Villarreal this term and although they lost last weekend, two of Real Madrid’s three goals came in the last eight minutes.

Although Osasuna have not been beaten at home, two wins and two draws, Los Rojillos have had a much easier start to the campaign on paper, only facing Real in the opening nine games, while they were hammered 4-1 at Racing Santander last weekend, who moved out of the bottom three with the win.

Meanwhile in Germany, Bayern Munich (7/4 to win the Bundesliga) seemingly have turned things around after a slow start to the campaign and look ready to pick up three points on their travels.

Since a 2-0 defeat at league leaders Borussia Dortmund, the Bavarian giants (4/7 in the match betting) have gone a five-match unbeaten streak, winning four of them, and can claim the win at lowly Borussia Monchengladbach (19/5 to win, 11/4 the draw) on Saturday.

Bayern have banged in 14 goals in those five games and look to have far too much ammunition for the basement side who have yet to win at home and have lost three of their five games, while they have only mustered six goals all season.

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The Germany international has become one of the hottest properties in European football after an impressive World Cup this summer.

Despite saying that he planned to stay with Werder until the end of the season, Ozil has been at the centre of speculation over his future since the tournament ended in South Africa.

United and Barcelona have both been strongly linked with moves for the 21-year-old, but it looks like Real have beaten them to the punch after reaching an agreement with his current club.

The Bundesliga side rejected a bid from Real earlier this summer, but its now thought that a fee in the region of £12million has been agreed.

With Ozil due to run out of contract next summer, Werder were at risk of losing their prized asset for free at the end of the season and that has led to them, reluctantly, agreeing to sell.

Werder (7/1 to win 2010-11 Bundesliga title), though, had forced Real to push through a deal after their manager, Klaus Allofs, threatened to play Ozil in Wednesday’s Champions League qualifier against Sampdoria.

Jose Mourinho will see the forward as a key player in Real’s battle to lift Europe’s top club trophy (Real 4/1 to win 2010-11 Champions League) and would not have wanted the German international cup-tied.

Real have now confirmed the deal, with a short statement on their website saying: “Real Madrid and Werder Bremen have reached an agreement for the transfer of Mesut Ozil.

“His unique touch, unmatched individual technique, excellent ball control and deadly last pass make the German midfielder one of the brightest up-and-coming stars in European football.”

Ozil will undergo a medical in the Spanish capital on Tuesday evening and it is unlikely that personal terms will be an issue for the forward.

The 21-year-old will join fellow Germany (3/10 to win Euro 2012 Qualifying Group A) international Sami Khedira at the Bernabeu, after the midfielder moved to Madrid from Stuttgart earlier this summer.

Ozil will become the sixth major signing of the summer by Real, who have already captured Khedira, Ricardo Carvalho, Angel di Maria and Spanish duo Pedro Leon and Sergio Canales.

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Stuttgart

The 23-year-old impressed during the recent World Cup in South Africa, when he played a big role in helping Germany reach the semi-finals.

After hearing of Real’s interest, Khedira had expressed an interest to move to the Bernabeu and Stuttgart ‘reluctantly’ allowed him to leave.

The German club’s managing director Fredi Bobic accepted: “We can understand Sami’s wish to further his career at Real. We wish him great success with his new challenge in Madrid.”

Khedira, who came through the ranks at his home town club Stuttgart (20/1 to win 2010-11 Bundesliga), is set to become Real’s second major capture of the summer, since the arrival of Jose Morinho

The new coach has already made his stamp on the squad, with the capture of Angel di Maria from Benfica and the departures of veteran duo Raul and Guti.

More new signings are expected to follow soon, with the likes of Inter Milan full-back Maicon and Juventus striker Amauri.

Meanwhile, the Spanish giants have arrived in the US for their North American pre-season tour and Cristiano Ronaldo says the squad is feeling upbeat.

The Portuguese ace said: “We are very excited and working very hard. We have to keep this level of excitement up in order to win titles.”

Ronaldo has been handed the number seven shirt this season, after it was vacated by Raul’s departure.

The former Manchester United man has been full of praise for the Spain striker, who he describes as “a great professional”.

Ronaldo added: “I would like to have the number 7 shirt and I’m sure Raul would be happy if I had it because he knows how I am and how I think.”

Real (Evs to win 2010-11 La Liga) will play their next pre-season friendly on Wednesday, when they come up against Mexican outfit Club America.

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Jose Mourinho

The 47-year-old was on Monday unveiled as the successor to Manuel Pellegrini and becomes the 11th coach in the past seven years of Spain’s big-spending capital club.

Mourinho terminated his contract with Internazionale last week after two seasons at the club and Real have paid Inter a reported eight million euros (£6.8m) in compensation.

“I like to give myself a challenge and this is a big one,” said Mourinho. “I have a lot of confidence in myself and my ability as a coach.”

Sporting director Jorge Valdano said: “It’s an honour to have one of the most prestigious coaches in the world.”

The Portuguese coach arrives in Madrid off the backing of guiding Inter to a historic treble of Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League titles.

The former Porto and Chelsea boss is charged with the task of arresting a three-year trophyless title run in La Liga.
Real have also failed to make it past the first knockout phase of Europe’s elite club competition in six seasons.

Valdano added: “We are delighted to have him here with us. The best thing for our club right now is to have Mourinho with us.”

Real suffered another season of disappointment on the home front when they lost out to great rivals Barcelona in the race for the Spanish title.

However, Mourinho said he would not be rushing into making changes to personnel until he had time to settle in.
He said: “It’s too early to speak about changes.

“I believe it’s time to analyse the situation, to get to know my club, ask lots of questions and get answers.”

He added: “If we work as a group, it’s not difficult to get results.

“I want this group to have an identity, to win everything.

“The strength of my team is always the team and not the individuals.”

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Spain’s big-spending capital club opened the door to appointing the much-decorated Portuguese coach when they announced they had sacked Manuel Pellegrini on Wednesday.

Now all that remains is for two-time Champions League winner Mourinho to resolve his contract negotiations with Internazionale before he sets about arguably the biggest task of his distinguished managerial career.

The 47-year-old is under contract in Milan until June 2012 but that is unlikely to prevent him from becoming Madrid’s 11th manager in seven years.

“The change of coach is always difficult, but we are convinced that after this first year and this first phase, now is the moment to give a fresh impulse to our project,” said Perez.

“I am absolutely convinced that the incorporation of Mourinho, who is one of the best coaches in the world – if not the best – is an opportunity that, in this Madrid, which fights permanently for excellence, we couldn’t let pass us by.”

Real have again had to play second-fiddle to great rivals and champions Barcelona this season and were knocked out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage for the sixth season running – despite a 250million-euro spending spree on new players this time last year.

They have now won just two major trophies in the last seven years and not even the likes of marquee signings Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso could inspire them to silverware last season

Perez acknowledged Real have lost valuable ground in the race for major honours and hopes Mourinho will restore some order.

He added: “This club demands the maximum and is always in search of excellence.

“We have reflected a lot on this season. It’s not just not winning a title. We consider that we are in a suitable moment to bet on one of the best coaches in the world, and the opportunity to bring him to the club is there.”

On paper, there appears no other candidate with the profile and magnetism of Mourinho to transform Real’s fortunes.

This season he guided Serie A giants to an unprecedented treble of Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League titles.

The former Porto and Chelsea boss has made no secret of his desire to take over at the Bernabeu and all the evidence suggests his dream is about to be realised.

He met with Inter’s finance director Rinaldo Ghelfi in Milan earlier on Wednesday and afterwards told reporters: “Now I am on holiday, then I will go and work in Spain.”

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