What: Spanish La Liga
Who: Real Madrid vs Real Zaragoza
When: Saturday 28th January, 2012, at 19:00 UK time
Where: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
Same Old Story
Having conceded their Copa del Rey crown after a two-legged slugfest against Barcelona, Real Madrid need to turn their attention to La Liga and preserve their five-point lead over the Catalans, knowing that any lapse of concentration would surely pave the way for their foes to slash that lead. For Jose Mourinho and his boys, a new chapter starts here against Real Zaragoza.
2-1 down after taking the lead at the Santiago Bernabeu a week ago, Real Madrid needed to pull off the impossible against Barcelona at the Camp Nou. Los Blancos managed to nullify a 2-0 score at half-time, but were unable to continue their comeback.
At the end, Mourinho admitted his team believed that winning in Catalonia was unachievable, also alluding to polemic refereeing decisions: “I heard in the changing room that it is impossible to win here. I will not speak about the referee. We came with the hope of getting through. We knew it was very difficult, but we came with the hope of achieving it", concluded the “Special One”.
Yet the team displayed a refreshing attacking attitude against the Blaugrana. Such a display will need to be reproduced week in week out should the league trophy be a reality at the Cibeles fountain next May.
One thing sure to buoy Los Blancos here are memories of the earlier game between the two sides – a 6-0 win over Zaragoza.
Not the Best Time
Given the way Real Madrid reacted to their recent Clasico match, Real Zaragoza run the risk of enduring the backlash of the league leaders. With the team occupying last place in the chart, their chances of producing a result at the Bernabeu are slim, at best. Manolo Jimenez’s side will have to put the performance of a lifetime should they want to reignite the title race.
The team has had a disastrous showing in front of goal so far this season, managing only 14 so far this term. The fact that Cristiano Ronaldo himself has 23 strikes to his name shows just how much the side has been struggling, winning just two games as the campaign reached its half-life and losing a whopping 11 times.
As such, Jimenez raised a series of demands to the board, instructing them to spend in order to avoid the consequences at the end of this season. On his list was naturally a striker, with names such as Adrian Colunga being linked to La Romareda. However, with resources hard to come by at the club, such demands seem a distant dream at present.
Recent form
Real Madrid:
Real Madrid 1-2 Barcelona (18/01; Copa del Rey)
Real Madrid 4-1 Athletic Bilbao (22/01; La Liga)
Barcelona 2-2 Real Madrid (25/01; Copa del Rey)
Real Zaragoza:
Racing Santander 1-0 Real Zaragoza (07/01; La Liga)
Real Zaragoza 1-1 Getafe (14/01; La Liga)
Levante 0-0 Real Zaragoza (22/01; La Liga)
Key absences
Real Madrid: Sami Khedira; Angel di Maria; Ricardo Carvalho (doubt); Sergio Ramos (suspended)
Real Zaragoza: Antonio Tomas; David Mateos
Players to watch
Real Madrid – Cristiano Ronaldo: The Portugal captain played his best Clasico to date in midweek, scoring the first goal after rounding up Jose Manuel Pinto. Having regained his confidence, he will now have to lead the side to victory.
Real Zaragoza – Roberto Jimenez: The custodian will have to produce the night of his life against Real Madrid to ensure his team are not be victims of a harsh Merengue response. On such an occasion, even a point salvaged would be a triumph.
Match Prediction
When the first and bottom team meet under such conditions, it is hard to picture any miracles. Real Madrid have already exited one tournament and will make sure not to slip up in any more. A tough night awaits Zaragoza. Real Madrid 4-0 Real Zaragoza.
Real Madrid v Real Zaragoza should be a home win, shouldn’t it? Will you bet on it? Make sure you visit OLBG for tips and to compare the current odds and betting markets available at all the important bookmakers.
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