Dropping Cristiano Ronaldo & 3 things Real Madrid must do to beat Barca at home

Dropping Cristiano Ronaldo & 3 things Real Madrid must do to beat Barca at home
By Angela Asante, January 16 2012,

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Real Madrid want to defend their Spanish Copa del Rey title at all cost. To make this wish a reality, they might need to follow the three rules mentioned in this article.For Real Madrid, like for all clubs these days, beating Barcelona is a phenomenon. Joseph Guardiola’s Catalans have grown so mighty that opponents tremble in fear at the thought of facing them. Some downplay panic, but the outcome remains the same; Barcelona maintain their dominance at the end of the day.

Manchester United, AC Milan and Santos are some of the world’s top teams that have bowed down to the unrivalled power of the Blaugrana. It’s probably right to say that Real Madrid know even more suffering than Santos, Milan or 2009 and 2011 Champions League beaten finalists United. The routine of El Clasicos tells it all.Since defeating Barcelona 4-1 in 2008, Real Madrid have managed only one victory against the Catalans. It occurred in the final of the Spanish Copa del Rey in April last year. A 103rd minute goal from Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo made the difference as Xavi, Lionel Messi and David Villa ran out of tonic. Madridistas described the victory as the beginning of a new era for Los Blancos and as the end of Barcelona’s dominance in Clasicos. Time and results, however, proved otherwise.Despite being in formidable form ahead of December 10’s meeting, Real Madrid exploded like a balloon against the sword of Barcelona. Karim Benzema offered the home crowd a great start to the show but the Catalans replied with 3 goals to spoil Real Madrid’s night at the Santiago Bernabeu. In addition, many of Los Blancos’ remarkable records went broken on December 10, 2011.For the first time since then, Real Madrid and Barcelona will clash. The venue for this two-legged Copa del Rey tie is the Santiago Bernabeu, where the hosts are normally invincible against every opponent but Barca. If Real Madrid want to successfully defend their Spanish cup title, they have to overcome the Catalans. To do that, they will need to take full advantage of the home factor so as to enter into the second leg with confidence and realistic hope.....

Sporting Braga vs Sporting CP Lisbon Report

Sporting Braga vs Sporting CP Lisbon Report
By Tom Kundert, January 16 2012,

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Braga scored a crucial win over Sporting on Sunday night to leapfrog their rivals from Lisbon and move up into 3rd in the table - the last place giving access to next season's Champions League.There was little goalmouth action in the first half, with Rui Patrício's save from Marcio Mossoró the closest either side came to breaking the dealock.

The second half started with a bang as Sporting midfielder Matias Fernández was unlucky to see his shot cannon back off the post.Braga took the lead shortly afterwards as Hélder Barbosa got on the end of a Lima pass and opened the scoring.Lima himself scored Braga's second in the 64th minute, capitalising on a mistake by Sporting centre-back Alberto Rodriguez.The visitors gave themselves hope of taking something from the game when Carrillo pulled a goal back on 74 minutes, but Braga held on without much difficulty to secure all three points.....

Penarol win the Copa Bimbo after hitting four past Palestino on Sunday

Penarol win the Copa Bimbo after hitting four past Palestino on Sunday
By Gregory Sica, January 16 2012,

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Uruguayan giants Penarol defeated Palestino of Chile 4-2 at the Centenario stadium in Montevideo on Sunday to win the Copa Bimbo.Penarol won the match courtesy of two goals each from Emiliano Albin and Santiago Silva. While Nicolas Canales and David Llanos scored for the visitors.

After dominating their opponents at the beginning of the match, Penarol finally went ahead in the 28th minute when Albin dribbled past two Palestino defenders before beating goalkeeper Felipe Nunez with a well-placed shot from the edge of the area.Ten minutes later Penarol were awarded a penalty, and up stepped an inspired Albin to double their advantage with a perfectly-placed shot.Penarol continued to dominate their opponents after the interval, with Silva scoring their third goal in the 49th minute when he finished off a spectacular collective move that involved five Penarol players.But two minutes later Canales pulled a goal back for Palestino, when he slotted home from a swift attack.However, Silva restored Penarol's advantage in the 63rd minute when he slotted the ball home after receiving a brilliant pass from Facundo Guichon, who had rushed forward on a powerful run.With three minutes remaining on the clock, the visitors scored a consolation goal when striker Llanos met a smart cut back with a powerful shot.....

Where to watch El Clasico 2012: Real Madrid vs Barcelona, Copa del Rey 2011-12 Quarter-Finals

Where to watch El Clasico 2012: Real Madrid vs Barcelona, Copa del Rey 2011-12 Quarter-Finals
January 16 2012,

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The first Clasico of 2012 takes place on January 18th as the two big spanish clubs clash prematurely in the 2011-12 Copa Del Rey quarter-finals.Global eyes will once again be on the two spanish giants as Real Madrid and FC Barcelona clash once again in the Quarter-Finals of the 2011-12 Copa del Rey.

The first of the two quarter-final legs takes place in Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 4:00PM (EST). FC Barcelona will be looking to redeem themselves after losing this competition to Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final last year. They will also be looking to make a bold statement about their title aspirations since they find themselves 5 points behind Los Blancos in the La Liga championship.This match comes at a critical time when both teams are underpeforming as was proven this weekend by unconvincing displays by both teams. Jose Mourinho was able to overturn his side's title threatening 1-0 deficit in Mallorca late in the game. Whereas Pep Guardiola's side fought hard to overcome a 2-2 score late in their game against Real Betis, which happened to be the only goals conceded at the Camp Nou in the current La Liga competition this season. The Cules were able to return to business as usual at the Camp Nou by winning 4-2 later on in the game.For all the latest information about El Clasico TV Schedules, match previews, stats and insights, tune into LiveSoccerTV.com.

Napoli vs Bologna Report

Napoli vs Bologna Report
By Gregory Sica, January 16 2012,

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Uruguayan hitman Edinson Cavani rescues Napoli from defeat with a late penalty conversion against Bologna on Monday.Napoli needed a second half spot-kick from Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani to rescue a 1-1 draw against lowly Bologna at the San Paolo stadium in the closure of the 18th round of the Italian Serie A on Monday night.

Roberto Aquafresca gave the visitors a surprise lead in the 14th minute, when he met a penetrating through ball from midfielder Nico Pulzetti with a straightforward finish.After conceding the goal, Napoli took command against a Bologna side that seemed content to sit back and absorb heavy pressure from the Napoli attack. Goran Pandev came closest to equalising for Napoli in the first half, with a curling effort that flew inches over the crossbar.In the second period the hosts continued to search for a goal, but they were mainly restricted to long-distance attempts on goal. Salvatore Aronica came close to scoring with a thunderbolt, but his effort was saved by an alert Jean-Francois Gillet in the Bologna goal.It seemed that there was no way through for Napoli, until the 71st minute when they were awarded a penalty after a shot from Gokhan Inler was handled by Uruguayan midfielder Diego Perez. Perez's Uruguay team-mate Cavani stepped up to the spot and made no mistake for his eleventh goal of the season.The goal sparked the Azzurri to life, but although they searched for a winner at all costs, it was the visitors who came closest to snatching the three points, with former Juventus striker Marco Di Vaio missing two glorious opportunities.With the result, Napoli remain in sixth position of the Serie A, with 28 points, five points from the Champions League qualification zone. Meanwhile, Bologna climbed into 16th place with 19 points, four points clear of the relegation zone.

Real Madrid vs Barcelona Match Preview

Real Madrid vs Barcelona Match Preview
by Angela Asante, Jan 16th 2012

Once again, the Santiago Bernabeu will be set to flames. It’s the first leg of the Copa del Rey’s Real Madrid-Barcelona tie on Wednesday, January 18. You just can’t miss it!Cristiano Ronaldo’s performance in the latest Clasico was so appalling that many fans and pundits, non-Madridistas and Madridistas alike, suggested that the player gets benched in the next Barcelona meeting. However, this is very like not to happen. What every Real Madrid supporter can now hope is for Ronaldo to live up to expectations at the Bernabeu.

With the absence of the injured Sami Khedira, Jose Mourinho could use Pepe in midfield to mark the untouchable three-time world player of the year, Lionel Messi. This tactic actually worked in the first leg of last season’s Champions League semifinal tie. It only collapsed when the referee dismissed the Portuguese defender for a challenge he never committed on Dani Alves.“Whether I'll play in midfield again? The coach will know what to do against Barcelona. I'm always available to help Madrid,” Pepe told AS concerning the possibility of being deployed as a midfielder come Wednesday.“Everyone knows what my qualities are and what I can do for the team. The coach is the one who makes the decisions though.”In defense, Alvaro Arbeloa will be missing. The Spaniard has to serve a one-match ban in the Spanish Copa del Rey for receiving a yellow card against Malaga in the previous round. Real Madrid appealed against the decision without success.Jose Mourinho has been urged to start with Karim Benzema, Gonzalo Higuain and Özil against Barcelona. The good news for Real Madrid is that Angel di Maria has been deemed fit to make his return after missing so many matches lately. The Argentine’s place in Mourinho’s starting XI is yet to be confirmed as competition against Jose Callejon exists.Either way, the inclusion of both players in the roster would give more options to the coach. It’s important for Real Madrid to possess a strong bench against Barcelona as the super-sub factor could influence the game.Meanwhile, the visitors are preparing to do what they know best. All eyes will be on reigning Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi. He has been tipped to put Casillas in trouble once again. If Barcelona score at least one goal at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, they’ll be even more favorites to reach the semifinals of the Copa del Rey.After all, everyone is aware about the mesmerizing impact of the Camp Nou stadium. Pique believes that there are no favorites ahead of Wednesday night’s Copa del Rey quarterfinal first leg match between Real Madrid and Barcelona. How true is the defender’s opinion?

A look at Real Madrid and Barcelona’s previous results in the 2011/12 Spanish Copa del Rey:

Round of 32:

- Ponferradina 0-2 Real Madrid; Real Madrid 5-1 Ponferradina (7-1 to Real Madrid on aggregate)

- L’Hospitalet 0-1 Barcelona; Barcelona 9-0 L’Hospitalet (10-0 to Barcelona on aggregate)

Round of 16:

- Real Madrid 3-2 Malaga; Malaga 0-1 Real Madrid (4-2 to Real Madrid on aggregate)

- Barcelona 4-0 Osasuna; Osasuna 1-2 Barcelona (6-1 to Barcelona on aggregate)

What’s next for Real Madrid and for Barcelona in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey? Where will each team stand ahead of the second leg in Catalonia?

"Inter stepped onto the field to defend" - AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic

"Inter stepped onto the field to defend" - AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Gregory Sica, January 16 2012,

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The Swedish scoring-machine expressed his frustration for the negative tactics employed by their city rivals on Sunday.AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic slammed arch-rivals Inter Milan for their defensive-minded approach to the Derby della Madonnina on Sunday.

Inter escaped from the San Siro with a valuable 1-0 victory courtesy of a second-half strike from Argentine goal-poacher Diego Milito, but it was Milan who dominated great part of the match, even if they lacked imagination when it came down to creating goal-scoring opportunities."We didn't have a good match, because we couldn't get many shots on target," a clearly disappointed Ibrahimovic admitted to reporters."We always had the ball at our feet, but we couldn't manage to be dangerous with it. I believe that Inter stepped onto the field with the sole purpose to defend. They waited for a mistake of ours to hit us on the counter-attack."However, Ibrahimovic, who played well below his potential during the derby, looked on the bright side as the Italian champions still hold a five-point cushion over their city rivals after 18 rounds of the competition."We may have lost, but we are still five points ahead of Inter on the table. I don't consider this match to be decisive, many more will come."The key to this match was that Inter defended well, while we didn't play well in attack," concluded the Swedish striker.Ibrahimovic, who played for Inter between 2006 and 2009, has scored twelve goals in Serie A this season.