80,000 people packed the Bernabeau on Saturday, April 16, to watch the first of 4 epic battles between the best two clubs in Europe.  The expectations were high and the leaders of each team didn’t disappoint.  Both goals were scored through penalty kicks, one by Leo Messi (his record breaking 49th goal of the season and 30th in La Liga) and the other by Cristiano Ronaldo (82’ minute, his 29th of La Liga).  Mourinho’s strategy worked for most of the match as Real Madrid held Barca’s notorious counter attacks in check.  From the first 10 minutes, it was clear that this would not be another 5-0 thrashing.  However, a momentum swing occurred when Raul Albiol was sent off with a red card in the 50th minute after putting a choke hold on David Villa leading to the first PK.   Madrid were forced to play the rest of the match only 10 men.  Mou was tired of seeing this scenario but proud of the way his squad played.  All in all, Barca dominated the possession, but RM took advantage of countering opportunities and Casillas got the best of the goalkeeper matchup.  Mou moved Pepe to the midfield (where he sometimes plays with Portugal) and Ozil was benched until a later substitution.  I expect both Ozil and Lass to start for Wednesday’s Copa del Rey match in Valencia (El Mestalla).
Mou did make two predictable and strategic substitutions in the 2nd half (Adebayor and Ozil).  Both players provided energy and made fantastic runs but unfortunately neither could find the back of the ol’ onion bag.  Adebayor had two clear chances but took suspect touches which proved rather disappointing.

Barca players, coaches, and managers argued for a penalty in the 27th minute after David Villa beat Casillas to a Messi through-ball yet Iker still managed to get some type of tackle on Villa before a shot was released.  Both sides thought that the refereeing was inconsistent throughout the game with Cesar Muniz Fernandez issuing 8 cards, most of which went to Barca.  Personally, I thought Mr. Fernandez did an excellent job for the difficult circumstances and never let the game get out of his control, which can happen rather easily in a clásico.

Some other notes from the match included–In the 49th minute, CR7 hit his traditional knuckleball free kick that beat the keeper, Valdes, but couldn’t beat the goal post.  His accuracy with these types of free kicks is truly deadly.  Higuain and Kaka didn’t play but I expect to see both of them in the next 3 matches.  Xavi (the brain of Barca) played magnificently and always manages to slip through the most creative through balls.  Even as a Madridista, I can that Mr. Hernandez puts on a show every match and is a living legend.  Benzema and Pedro (usually a Madrid killer) were very, very quiet and didn’t get many touches. Puyol surprised most by being fit for this match; however, he had to exit early due to leg pain (substituted by Keita).  Di Maria provided some great touches up the wing but may have tried to beat one too many players.

The stakes rise this Wednesday for the King’s Cup Final.  Look for Mou to switch up the lineup.  Pep will probably start both Keita and Maserchano.  Prediction: 2-1 for Madrid in another epic thriller.

CR7 scored in the 82nd minute to tie the match up at the Bernabeu on Saturday night in the first of 4 classics

Well, it certainly wasn’t a 0-0 draw which Jose Mourinho said he would have been content with headed into the second leg.  Even better, it was a perfect night for the home team as Harry Redknapp was only left to close his eyes in disgust and embarrassment.

Bring on Barcelona??  Well, there’s still a return leg at White Hart Lane in London but the Spanish giants seem to have already locked up a place in the Champions League Semi-Finals.  “Los Blancos” came out guns blazin’ with the speed and tenacity that have made them the 9 time winners of this great tournament.  The galactic crew trounced the British squad 4-0 in a spectacular display of intense pressure include\ng a barrage of shots courtesy of Cristiano Ronaldo and Angel Di Maria.  Add to that the fact that one of England’s top strikers, Peter Crouch (the 6’7 giant whopper up top), was given a red card (in the 15th minute) for two harsh tackles (on Marcelo and Sergio Ramos).  This resulted in the visitors being forced to play almost the entire match with only 10 men.

The story of the night was Emanuel Adebayor’s resurgence as Champions League master.  The Manchester City loaned player ignited his teammates and the fans with his aerial play and his ability to perfect position himself throughout the match in order to capitalize on opportunities.  His energy and deft touches electrified the Bernabeau atmosphere while his two headers made everyone forget that Benzema was out injured.  What a great pick up by Florentino and Mou after Higuain went down earlier in the early winter!

Now, let’s briefly discuss some random match notes.  There were two rather clear penalties in the box, and one was even on a handball in the box (Dawson), which could have made the result worse.  Despite the missed calls, the young German officiating crew seemed to have good control over the match.  Adebayor had two other chances to score, both off of aerial opportunities but he amazed spectators as a passing sensation, too.

Gareth Bale looked promising up the wing at times but didn’t look close to 100 percent and Ramos did a superb job defending the Welsh star (Ramos also distributed a perfect header to Adebayor which should have been another goal).  Redknapp’s Defoe substitution was a smart tactical move and his entrance after halftime provided some much needed support and support and pressure up the wing.  But, the night belonged to the Madrilenos.  Angel Di Maria’s astound strike resulted in the 3rd goal and the incredible blast in the upper 90 part of the net may have been the top goal in the Champions League to date.  CR7’s constant pressure throughout the match after having just recovered from a hamstring injury proved that he’s truly world class.  Madrid’s 4th goal was a CR7 reward for his hard work both during the match and in training (his perseverance to be fit for the CL clash).  And both are a testament to his character.  Once again, it’s important to note that while CR7 has many critics; his teammates throughout the years have always loved his abilities, character, attitude, and passion on the pitch.

For Tottenham, it was truly a disappointing night for both Harry Redknapp and his defense.  Aaron Lennon was strangely ruled out of the match shortly before it started with a sickness (Jermaine Jenas  was substituted in at the last minute).  Jenas then poorly defended Adebayor (4th minute) allowing the first goal and triggering the RM onslaught.

It’s important to note that Kaka, Higuain, and Diarra all came off of the bench in the second half showing the depth of the “all white” squad.  Moreover, Mou finally got to start his dream lineup and the result showed this lineup’s efficiency and brilliance. Unfortunately, Pepe will miss the next leg due to a second yellow card but will likely be replaced by Albiol or Arbeloa (Spanish selection stars).  For now, it’s time to enjoy the victory and cheer on Shaktar (or would we rather have Barca?).  Hala Madrid!!!!!

Angel Di Maria does his celebratory slide after he knocked home the third of Madrid's 4 goals in Tuesday's CL Quarterfinal Match Leg 1 in Madrid

Preciado and Mourinho don't like each other. Did Preciado get revenge?

This was supposed to be an easy win.  Little Sporting Gijon (14th place in the table), dropped into the Bernabeau with little expectations except to be competitive and not get crushed.  Most people can’t even name a Sporting player because they don’t have any clear cut superstars.  Jose Mourinho hadn’t lost a league home match all season and reiterated that “los merengues” could not drop a match at home if they wanted to continue their title chase.  It was also a special night for one of the greatest footballers of all time, Ronaldo (Brazil), who was recognized before the match by RM as an homage to his years in white(63 goals), since he’s set to retire this year.
However, Manolo Preciado had other ideas.  The eccentric Cantabrian has coached a slew of league teams and had some bad blood with Mou earlier this season, calling him “a scumbag”, and a “cheat”.  RM entered the match 5 pts behind Barcelona with 9 La Liga matches left (6 at home).  This match was supposed to be the triumphant return of “El pipita”, Gonzalo Higuain, who has been out many months with a back injury.  Mourinho was forced to try a different lineup due to an abundance of injuries.  There would be no CR7, Benzema, Pepe, Marcelo, Gago, Alonso and Kaka.  It’s safe to say Marcelo and CR7 were missed the most.  Also, given Benzema’s new found energy the 2nd half of the season, his scoring creativity could also have been utilized.  The biggest loss in my mind was the maestro, Xabi Alonso (out due to sanctions).  Alonso is the distributor and creator in the midfield.  Unfortunately, Khedira and Lass don’t see the pitch the same way Alonso does.
The starters were: Adebayor, Ozil, DiMaria, Granero, Lass, Khedira, Carvalho, Arbeloa, Albiol, Ramos and Casillas for RM and Juan Pablo Colinas, Ivan Soto, Alberto Botia, Roberto Cannella (Jose Angel replaced him after early injury), Alberto Cases, Nacho Cases, Alberto Rivera, Miguel De Las Cuevas, Nacho Novo, David Barral, and Andre Castro for Sporting.
Since there was no Liga last week due to the international break, players were traveling and managers made comments that maybe they shouldn’t have been making.  Mourinho renewed his passion for wanting to live and manage in England (EPL) while eventually finishing with the Portuguese National Team.  He had also said he rejected many national team offers right before the world cup began in South Africa, namely England’s.  Many critics, including Fabio Capello (current England Manager), found these remarks distasteful. Did these comments distract the RM players and possibly motivate Preciado to beat Mou?
The first half of the match was rather uneventful except for Angel Di Maria trying to replace the missing offensive prowess with a lot of spectacular, quick dribbling.  Why did no one else step up to create opportunities?  Mourinho insisted after the game that his players were exhausted.  Maybe they didn’t take Gijon seriously?  Is this Mourinho’s fault?  Was he more focused on Tottenham?  Did he not respect Preciado?  He later went on to visit Preciado after the match inside the visitor’s locker room and told him how well his team played and how impressed he was by their victory.
Back to the match, there was an early goal waived off for the ball going out of bounds (scored by Carvalho, assisted by Arbeloa).  There was also a clear penalty which was missed in the 42nd minute by the officiating crew. In the second half, Higuain replaced Granero in the 57th minute and Higuain struck a brilliant shot in the 59th minute which was barely knocked out of the way.   Finally, in the 78th minute, Miguel Angel de las Cuevas got an opportunity just outside of the box and slid it past Casillas to propel the visiting team to 1-0 lead.  Mou inserted Pepe and Canales for more offense and the last 12 minutes were filled with an ample amount of scoring opportunities for the “merengues”.  But within the onslaught of RM’s final push, it was clear that this unusual lineup lacked creativity, finishing skills, and looked unmotivated.
Is it time to focus on Tottenham and the CL race instead of La Liga?  Will CR7 and Benzema really miss the first leg on Tuesday?  Is Kaka ever coming back?  These are questions Mou must address.  For now, Preciado can enjoy this victory and I hate to say this (as a RM fan), but these are the type of victories that make La Liga truly entertaining and one of the best leagues in the world.

Mr. McGeady is behind the recent Irish success and leading a talented young squad

At 2:45PM EST (8:45PM Dublin Time) on Tuesday, March 29, 2011, the Uruguyan National Team will face off against the Irish in Aviva Stadium (former Landsdowne Road) for an International Friendly. The Irish are keen on showing the International Football World they can hang with world class competition. Oh ya, and then they also have someone named Robbie Keane who has scored 46 international goals for the boys. Unfortunately, Keane won’t be playing Tuesday but did help Ireland defeat Macedonia 2-1 last week in the EuroChampionship qualifying match. Against Macedonia, impressive performances were displayed by Damien Duff, Keiren Westwood (the Coventry keeper who was given the start due to Shay Given’s injuries), and Aiden McGeady. On a more negative note, Wolverhampton’s (EPL) Kevin Doyle suffered an injury which will sideline him for 2 months. This is a devastating blow to the Irish who are now up to 10 points at the top of Group B with Russia and Slovakia, while many critics had doubted they could get past lowly Macedonia.

Last week, Uruguay also had a match which made them travel to a freezing Tallinn, Estonia for an International Friendly in which they uncharacteristically lost 2-0 to a subpar team where the pitch resembled an ice skating rink. Diego Forlán (Atletico Madrid), Uruguay’s captain and one of the best strikers in the world, may have felt the pressure of the Uruguayan and Spanish press since he’s only 2 goals behind the leading scorer in Uruguayan history, Hector Scarone. There may be a debate as to who is the most decorated player in Uruguyan football history, however, it’s important to note that Scarone has been the country’s top scorer with 31 international goals for more than 80 years. Forlan is also only 8 games short of Uruguay’s all-time most capped player, the goalkeeper Rodolfo Rodríguez, and may overtake him in the next 1-2 years.
As far as the match itself, the Irish will be without Leon Best, John O’Shea, Shay Given, Robbie Keane, Kevin Doyle, Damien Duff, Richard Dunne. The abovementioned were senior players who were either injured or released to their clubs ahead of the match. Expect Kevin Kilbane and James McCarthy to get plenty of action while Anthony Stokes and Cillian Sheridan will be on standby.

Ireland is extremely focused. They still have that bitter taste in their mouth after getting robbed out of World Cup qualifying for South Africa because of Thierry Henry’s “hand of god” goal. But the Irish have picked up their knickers and have completely bought into the system and strategy of Italian manager Giovanni Trappatoni. They are intent on polishing up their play to go deep in the Euro Championships in 2012. Aiden McGeady(Spartak Moscow) is in great form on the wing and even with the injuries in their defence, they have looked solid. However, they’ll have their hands full on Tuesday with Suarez, Forlan, Hernandez, Martin Caceres, Diego Godin, and Maximiliano Pereira. All are talented, multi dimensional players with great ball skills and Uruguay is known for slipping cheeky “through balls” behind defenders while also creating space to let off rocket shots. Most of Uruguay’s stars are now playing in La Liga, Serie A, as well as trying to break into the EPL (Luis Suarez).

Prediction: 2-1 for Ireland. Ireland’s younger squad prevails and draws great energy off of the home crowd. Forlan will surely hit the back of the net for the Uruguyans.

Squads

Ireland                                       Uruguay

Keiren Westwood                 Fernando Muslera

Keith Kilbane                          Juan Castillo
James McCarthy                   Diego Godin
Kevin Foley                             Andres Scotti
Darren O’Dea                          Mauricio Victorino
Glen Whelan                           Jorge Fucile
Aiden McGeady                    Martin Caceres
Darron Gibson                       Maximiliano Peira
David Forde                            Alvaro Pereira
Stephen Kelly                         Diego Perez
Ciaran Clark                            Sebastian Eguren
Liam Lawrence                       Gaston Ramirez
Keith Fahey                             Egidio Arevalo Rios
Shane Long                              Alvaro Gonzalez
Walter Gargano
Diego Forlan
Luis Suarez
Abel Hernandez
Sebastian Abreu
Edinson Cavani

A star at the South African World Cup and in La Liga, Diego Forlan is one of the best strikers in the world.

Marcelo Vieira da Silva Júnior, or “Marcelo” is a 22 year old Brazilian National who has had a fantastic year for Real this year.  He likes to push up the left side as either a back or winger and has been vital to Madrid’s success.  I’ll be honest in saying that I had some doubts about the young player’s role at the beginning of the year.  Moreover, I’d become even more nervous after discovering that Jose Mourinho would be leading the Spanish giants this year since Mourinho is known for his more tactical approach that can occasionally yield less goals.  Knowing that Marcelo is more offensive minded, I’ve been pleasantly surprised that the two (Mou and Mar) seemed to have formed quite the relationship.

“Marcelo” has two goals in 27 appearances and has made quite the statement with his truly aggressive style of play.  His wild hair and emotional play is a nice complement to Sergio Ramos on the other side who plays a similar style.  He’s fired 23 shots this season on goal and most have been lasers that the opposing keeper has had to save.  The Rio de Janiero born left defender who came over from Fluminense in 2007 also occasionally features for the Brazilian national team in their international matches.

Marcelo is easy to spot on the pitch.  His 5’7, 161 lb frame is deceiving given his strength off the ball and has defied critics this year displaying his solid marking abilities.  How did Marcelo achieve success in one of the best professional leagues in the world?  Many attribute his rapid rise to one wily veteran who was extremely important in teaching the young Brazilian how to adapt to the game in a new city and country (and with class).  Some of you may have heard of him.  Roberto Carlos (one of the most famous Brazilian left backs of all time) took the young 18yr old defender under his wing when he first came to Real Madrid and taught him the necessary skills to be able to compete for the best European club of all time.

So, who else does Marcelo look up to?  Rooney?  Villa?  Carvalho?  Cannavaro?  Marcelo has sung high praises for the Canary Island born and Spanish Selection star, Pedro(of Barca), who is one of the top players in La Liga.  Marcelo likes Pedro’s ability to quickly create shots on goal as well as his speedy explosiveness up the wing.   The truth of the matter is that Marcelo’s tenacity is quickly rivaling that of Pedro.

Marcelo’s overall agility and drive to win has helped in the Champions League, especially against Lyon in the previous round, and Real will certainly rely on his attack against Tottenham in the upcoming CL quarterfinals matches.  His defensive abilities (who some still question) will be closely evaluated since there are still two very important matches against Barca (Clasico part 2 and the King’s Cup).  For now, he’ll just continue to be a rising “Samba Boy”.

Are you listening to the samba music? I've been bringing a lot of it to Madrid this year.

Arsene Wenger featured a bizarre and uncharacteristic Arsenal lineup in Saturday’s FA Cup against the Red Devils at Old Trafford on Saturday.  Even though Fabregas (who didn’t play Sat) crushed Lleyton Orient in the previous FA cup match scoring multiple goals, they looked anemic in the midweek CL match where Messi continued to look like a playstation player.  The gunners came out firing and actually Arsenal dominated much of the first half.  ManU’s goals came from Fabio da Silva in the 28^th minute (who paired well with his brother) and Wayne Rooney in the 49^th minute.  A close to 75,000 fan contingent made the trip out to Old Trafford and also witnessed a pleasant surprise when they saw Antonio Valencia fit again for the first time in 6 months.  The Ecuadorian winger played very well going up the right side after entering at the start of the second half.  Van Der Sar played a spectacular match with multiple solid saves and Arsenal was forced to start the Spanish keeper Almunia in goal after Kuszczak’s hand injury against Barca.  Even after ManU’s second goal, Arsenal still held a slight edge in possession and doubled the shot total of ManU, however, ManU continued to be in the right place at the right time.

Arsenal hadn’t scored a goal against ManU in the last 3 appearances against them in FA cup matches.  Unfortunately, nothing changed and Arsenal was dealt another blow to their Premier League title hopes in this 2-0 loss.  It’s also important to note that Johan Djourou was injured with a dislocated shoulder and will be unavailable for the remainder of the season.  Arsenal’s loss means that they’ve bowed out of three competitions in two weeks.

Arsenal are now at a crossroads and must decide how they’d like to grow within the next couple of weeks.  Wenger and Fabregas must  focus on a final table push while battling the intense pressure of the Premier League and the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham, ManU, and ManCity (who’s chomping at the bit).

WENGER IS LOOKING TO FIND SOME WAY TO MOTIVATE HIS MEN

Madrid had a practice session (it was an actual match) against Hercules in the Bernabeau on Saturday evening.  Mourinho changed up his lineup and started Arbeloa, Albiol, Diarra, and Granero instead of featuring his usual lineup of Pepe, Khedira, Carvalho and Xabi Alonso.  Real Madrid was still down 6 points in the league table going into the match while one of their main stars, Kaka was still sidelined with an injury and rumored to be on the transfer block for the summer, perhaps returning to one of the Milan Clubs.  Cristiano Ronaldo missed another match but has healed faster than expected and will be back when Madrid faces Lyon (France) Wednesday at 3:45p. EST in the Spanish Capital.

Let’s first review the pummeling that the Alicante side was given in Saturday’s match.  Hercules relied on Portillo and Kiko instead of Drenthe and Trezeguet.  The bottom dwellers looked unmotivated which is rare to see from an Esteban Vigo side.  In first 15 minutes, Madrid had 65 percent of the possession and that’s basically how the match continued.  Esteban Granero was given a rare start and along with Ozil, was talking the free kicks instead of the usual CR7/Xabi Alonso combination.  Calatayud, the Hercules keeper, was tested and looked very distracted and nervous for much of the match.

The Frenchman, Karim Benzema scored in the 23^rd and 56^th minutes after beautiful assists from DiMaria and Arbeloa.   That’s 6 goals in the last 8 matches for “the cat”.  Although only 1-2 of them have been truly spectacular, he is providing some much needed goal scoring up top.  He’ll look to repeat his scoring ways against his former team who he managed to score against in the first leg of the tourney when they drew 1-1 in France.  Real have not made it past the first knockout round since 2004 and is desperate to advance.  The Madrid faithful trusts Mourinho and we’ll be relying on CR7 and Karim to get them back to where they belong.

CAN THE FRENCHMAN SCORE AGAIN AGAINST HIS FORMER TEAM?

Cristiano Ronaldo has assured the Real Madrid nation that the title race isn’t over yet.  After Barca’s draw against Sporting Gijon in Asturias on Saturday, Madrid has been granted a breath of fresh air.  Can Mourinho capitalize on this rare Barca tie?  Real Madrid will travel to Catalunya tomorrow to take on Espanyol who have won all but two of their league games at Cornella el Prat this season.  Their only losses at home this year have come to Barcelona and Villarreal.  “Los Blancos” know that they must gain the 3 points at this critical point in league play.  News this week regarding Madrid has mostly been focused around Emmanuel Adebayor who has made an immediate impact after coming over from Manchester City (2 goals in 2 games) and the future of Catalunya’s favourite child, Cesc Fabregas.  The Spanish national team midfielder who plays and starts for Arsenal has been linked to Real Madrid who will make a 54 million-pound ($86 million) move to sign him in the summer transfer period.  Fellow mates Xavi and Victor Valdes have vehemently stated that they could never imagine Fabregas in a white uniform and that it’s only a matter of time before he heads back to the Nou Camp.
Getting back to Real Madrid’s task at hand, it’s important to note that Pepe might be back in the starting lineup but it’ll be a gametime decision and Ricardo Carvalho could come off the bench , too, meaning that the probable starting defenders will be Arbeloa, Albiol, Ramos, and Marcelo.  “Espanyol” or “los periquitos” will miss the services of Ivan de la Pena, Felipe Mattioni, David Garcia and Dani Osvaldo for the match.  Osvaldo has scored 7 goals to make up for the loss of all time goals scoring leader Raul Tamudo who left for Real Sociedad last year.  Luis Garcia is also an important player for the 6th in the league team because he’s showed his leadership skills this year with 5 assists.  If Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Kaka, Ozil, Angel di Maria, etc. can make their way into Espanyol’s defense tomorrow, Juan Forlin will be the defender to first step up and try to deter their efforts.  This defender is one of the top “la liga” recipients of yellow cards and plays extremely aggressively.
Real Madrid won their matchup back in September 3-0 in the Bernabeau and Mourinho seems more than focused than over in conquering both the league race and the CL task at hand after he helped his team lock up an April 20th meeting with Barcelona for the “king’s cup” title game in Valencia’s stadium “the Mestalla”.  Mourinho travelled this week to France to “spy” aka “scout” an Olimpique Lyon match ahead of the upcoming CL matches.  Since Higuain is out with a back injury, it’ll be up to Benzema and Ronaldo to repeat the way the merengues played the last time these teams fought when they locked heads back in September.  Those three Madridistas scored the goals in the previous match against Espanyol.  The Catalan team is known as being disciplined with a solid structure and very dependent on their excellent goalkeeper, Kameni, who loves to stretch out for big saves and is very vocal.  They also have Callejon up front and Galan in the back who are both two important periquito players who will make their presence felt.  I predict a 2-1 victory with CR7 and Ozil finding the back of the net.  Hala Madrid!

10th place Real Sociedad will face 2nd ranked Real Madrid tomorrow in Madrid at the Santiago  Bernabeu.  The recently promoted Basque team, Sociedad, is highly motivated to deal “los blancos” another devastating blow to their title hopes.  Currently, Real Madrid sits seven points behind Barcelona in the league table with Barca set to take on Atletico Madrid tonight in the Nou Camp.  Madrid passed through to the Copa Del Rey final midweek in the Bernabeau after knocking off Sevilla to draw a second shot at Barca.  That match is set for April 20th at “El Mestalla “(Valencia’s stadium).  For now, Jose Mourinho has reiterated that the focus is on “la liga”.

When the two teams met on September 18th in San  Sebastian (in Anoeta), Real Madrid struggled defending the likes of Raul Tamudo (who scored) and Xabi Prieto (the wily veteran) with a 2-1 victory thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s rocket free kick which took a lucky deflection off of Pepe.  Pepe (the Portuguese defender) will likely come off the bench for this match since he’s recently come off of an injury that’s sidelined him for a bunch of matches.  This time around, there’s no Gonzalo Higuain.  He’s still recuperating after his back surgery from last month but Madrid has brought in Emmanuel Adebayor from Man City.  Ade finished brilliantly a few days ago, slamming home a close range shot to put the “icing on the cake” against Sevilla in the Copa del Rey semi final match.  With both teams looking to storm forward, this should be an exciting match.  Madrid has been nearly unbeatable at home and will rely on Cristiano once again tomorrow.  He’s scored 32 goals this season in all competitions meaning that he puts one through once every two matches.  The bigger question is whether we’ll see anything from Karim Benzema (the French striker whose presence continually garners attention).  Mourinho has criticized his play throughout the season and it was recently reported that Real Madrid rejected a loan bid from Italian side Juventus during the January transfer window for Benzema.  DiMaria, CR7, Xabi Alonso, and Iker Casillas will all have to play together to fend off the Sociedad if they want to continue their voyage to position themselves for a legitimate shot to take down Barca for the league title.  Expect a lot of Basque fans in the 70,000 plus capacity Bernabeau.  I expect another 2-1 victory for “los merengues” with lots of passionate play.

Can La Liga's leader rise up again against Real Sociedad?