La Liga Match Preview: Real Madrid vs. Málaga

Match Date: 19 October 2013

Match Venue: Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid

Real Madrid

La Liga superpowers they have always been, Real Madrid never went out of the top seven this season, so far. Most of their top-flight matches this term concluded in victories, with just one draw and one defeat banking unspectacular finish. In addition, the side have been performing really well in the Champions League, thrashing Galatasaray and Kobenhavn in their last two appearances. Los Blancos are very good in the creativity department, although they are also faced with serious tasks from fellow La Liga powerhouses, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. While these sides are Carlo Ancelotti’s men’s greatest rivals, they should still find innovative ways and pay focus on their other competitions in order to seize all chances.

Málaga

Consistency-wise, Málaga perform poorly. This is evident in the side’s form, where triumphant results are easily countered by stalemates and defeats. Los Boquerones have been in the relegation zone this season once, earning rankings that badly compare to their standing last season when Isco, Joaquin, and Toulalan were still part of the gang. Nevertheless, the troupe still got some high-caliber players to ensure that their run this season will not dip that severely. El Hamdaoui, Portillo, and Tissone are all in great shape to lead their colleagues. Bernd Schuster’s men have so far scored nine points after netting 11 goals and conceding seven.

Online betting tip: Facing a team that have defeated them four times in their last six meetings, Málaga are in a frantic position to earn their third win this season. Real Madrid are the obvious champs in this tourney, and while the away side may be able to score a goal or two, they will still end up hanging on the claws of Los Blancos.

Manchester City vs Bayern Munich: The September final?

Wednesday's Champions League group clash could be repeated in Lisbon next year.

Manchester City vs Bayern Munich: The September final?

City host current Champions League holders Bayern Munich at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday in what will be seen as the early group decider.

But, with Bayern looking to become the first side to win back-to-back Champions League titles since AC Milan in 1990 and City hoping to put their previous two nightmare CL campaigns behind them, this fixture could be repeated at the Estadio da Luz in the the final on May 24.

Both sides have begun their European campaign in impressive style. 3-0 wins for City and Bayern against Viktoria Plzen and CSKA Moscow respectively means it is all even at the top of group D ahead of Wednesday’s clash.

Under the guidance of former Champions League-winning manager Pep Guardiola this season, Bayern have a real chance of retaining their crown and becoming the first side to do so for 23 years.

The club have kept hold of all their stars during the summer and have been able to strengthen an already highly-talented squad. The arrival of midfield dynamos Mario Gotze from last season’s CL runners-up Borussia Dortmund and Thiago Alcantara from Barcelona have added extra depth to Bayern's squad which will enable them to rotate their side during the season without having to lose quality in the team.

This will mean they should have fresh legs in all competitions and could go a long way to prove that they are capable of winning every competition they feature in this season.

City fans may be thinking that the CL final is a long way away for them if their record in the competition counts for anything. The Citizens made their debut two years ago and failed to qualify from the group stages after losing out to Napoli and Bayern.

Last season many predicted City to find their feet in the competition having put their debut nerves to the back of their minds. But under the guidance of Roberto Mancini, however, the club was unable to prove their European worth and were once again knocked out at the first hurdle - finishing bottom of the group behind Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid and Ajax.

Manuel Pellegrini, who managed Malaga in the competition last season, has taken over the City helm and will not except a group stage exit after spending over £100m in the summer.

Due to City’s dramatic rise from bottom-half Premier League side to title winners they are not helped by UEFA’s current ranking system. Having not had much European competition over the last 20 years the club have found themselves in pot three of four this season meaning they will always face an uphill battle to qualify from the group stages. They will have to do very well in the competition over the next few seasons for their UEFA ranking to improve and this unfortunate scenario to change.

But the reality that Wednesday’s fixture could be an early preview of this season’s final is a real one. So watch it carefully and see how the man-to-man battles play out as both side look to keep their winning Champions League record going.

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Hazard will not play against Steaua Bucharest

Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard has been left out of the Blues' Champions League squad for Tuesday's match against Steaua Bucharest after picking up an injury, according to the Mail.

The Belgium international was substituted with 20 minutes remaining during Saturday's 1-1 draw with Tottenham, but is not fit enough to travel with the Blues' squad to Romania this week.

The news comes as a blow to Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, whose side were beaten by Basel in their Champions League group stage opener earlier this month.

The 2012 European champions will face an uphill struggle to qualify for the knockout rounds if they suffer another defeat in Bucharest, prompting Mourinho to comment: "Tuesday is a game we cannot lose. Even a draw is not a good result for us."

The Portuguese coach may opt to replace Hazard with summer signing Willian, who will be keen to make amends after his disappointing performance against Basel.

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UEFA Champions League: Dortmund v Marseille - tipsxpert

UEFA Champions League: Dortmund v Marseille - tipsxpert

Borussia Dortmund will be looking for revenge against Marseille on Tuesday as they aim to kick-start their UEFA Champions League campaign.

The Germans remain unbeaten in the Bundesliga this season, however, they will be wary of a Marseille side that won both meetings between the two sides in the 2011-12 edition.

The Germans remain unbeaten in the Bundesliga this season, however, they will be wary of a Marseille side that won both meetings between the two sides in the 2011-12 edition.

UEFA Champions League: Steaua v Chelsea - tipsxpert

UEFA Champions League: Steaua v Chelsea - tipsxpert

Steaua Bucharest and Chelsea will hope to get their first points on the board when they meet in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.

Both teams suffered defeat in their first group games of the 2013-14 edition of the tournament, and will be looking to bounce back immediately by earning a win at Stadionul Steaua.

The hosts' found themselves on the wrong end of a 3-0 drubbing from Schalke on matchday one, with Atsuto Uchida, Kevin-Prince Boateng and Julian Draxler notching for the German club.

Rodgers: Suarez return is exciting

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is excited by the return of Luis Suarez after suspension.

The Reds boss believes the team will benefit from having a “£50-£60million” striker back in the side and the timing is perfect as they face arch rivals Manchester United in the Capital One Cup at Old Trafford.

In Suarez’s absence the Merseysiders have won seven, drawn two and lost just once – last Saturday against Southampton – as Daniel Sturridge took up the goalscoring mantle netting 11 in nine matches.

Suarez had an even better record up to his 10-match ban, imposed for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic in April, with 17 goals in his last 21 Liverpool games.

The prospect of the two spearheading Liverpool’s attack is an intriguing one as Liverpool look to bounce back from dropping five points in their last two league matches.

“Now he comes back we are getting a £50-60million striker back in the team and that is exciting for us,” Rodgers told talkSPORT.

“This is a player who can come in and make a difference for us.”

Liverpool, of course, turned down a now infamous £40,000,001 bid from Arsenal in the summer as the Uruguay international tried to manufacture a move away by claiming his manager and the club reneged on a deal to allow him to move to a Champions League side.

Rodgers insists that is now firmly in the past but he accepts Suarez may have some convincing to do in the eyes of some fans who felt he betrayed the club with his comments in the close season.

“All you can do now is judge him by his performances on the field. The measure for Luis now is on the field,” he added.

“His way to say sorry or make any contribution back to the supporters is to play with his heart 100 per cent and score goals and make this team successful and I am confident that will happen.

“He can’t play any other way.”

Rodgers is confident his players will bounce back quickly from their poor performance at Anfield which resulted in surprise defeat – their first since March – to Saints.

“There’s no doubt after Southampton at the weekend, we haven’t felt like that for a long time. It was hard to swallow,” he added.

“We didn’t perform and it’s as simple as that. We were nowhere near our level.

“That’s going to be the season – sometimes it’s going to be up and down. All we can ever do is work hard and keep believing.

“We’re back focused, working hard and knowing this is a season where we’ll have those ups and downs.

“We’ve just got to make sure, like we have done, when we have a disappointment we bounce back and go again.”

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United need three top players, admits David Moyes

Boss braced for more pain as he claims last season's title stroll flattered Red Devils.

David Moyes has admitted he may have to suffer "many more blows" this season as he takes control of a Manchester United squad he believes are two elite players short and less imperious than last season's run-away title suggested.

In a brutally honest assessment of the squad that was torn apart by Manchester City at the weekend, Moyes said that the form of other sides in the Premier League race, which United won by 11 points in May, had contributed to the mistaken impression that the job he took on was ready-made for him.

The fact he felt forced to play Michael Carrick in midfield at the Etihad on Sunday, despite the player suffering flu, provides an insight into the strictures he feels he has.

Moyes said ahead of another forbidding clash, against Liverpool in tonight's League Cup third round, that "a lot of people" thought the title race was only about Manchester United last season. But "it was probably the (form) of other teams that were poor," he said. He does not feel he is short of squad players but he does feel the need to secure "two or three" players who can go straight into his starting XI, during the first transfer market he will have a genuine run at, in January. United are ready to go back for Athletic Bilbao's Ander Herrera.

Moyes refused to discuss yesterday's claims from Real Madrid president Florentino Perez that United had also been in the hunt for Gareth Bale, as was reported last month.

"I don't think it's actually the squad," Moyes said. "I think we've got numbers. I think maybe where we've got work to do is bring players in ... to go right into the team – so that's the slightly different equation. We needed one or two who might have just gone in (to the team). But that will happen.

"Going back to that (summer) transfer window, we always said it was going to be a tough one and it was going to take a little bit more time."

Moyes clearly feels he is short of players, the fact that he preferred an ill Carrick to Tom Cleverley and Anderson says most about the latter two, while Shinji Kagawa and Luis Nani – who might get an opportunity at Old Trafford tonight – are seemingly individuals in whom he does not have faith.

It means there may be more punishment to follow Sunday's 4-1 defeat to City, he said.

"Yes, it does mean I may have to take a few more blows, definitely. Maybe even more than that. Maybe all season I have to take a few blows. But I knew this was going to be the case because I was taking over from a great manager and it was always going to take time for me to get my own ways and change things round a little bit. It doesn't mean big jobs but there are some things ... so we have to make sure we are right and get ready for the next game."

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