Real Madrid play the Champions League matchday 4 game in Warsaw.
inedine Zidane has named a 19-man squad for the matchday 4 group stage game in the Champions League, where Real Madrid take on Legia Warszawa (Wednesday, 8:45pm CET).
REAL MADRID SQUAD:
Goalkeepers: Keylor Navas, Casilla and Rubén Yáñez.
Defenders: Carvajal, Varane, Nacho, Coentrão, Danilo and Tejero.
Midfielders: Kroos, Kovacic, Asensio and Isco.
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale, Lucas Vázquez, Mariano and Morata.
NEXT TRAINING SESSION:
Today, 1 November at 7pm in the Wojska Polskiego stadium (First 15 minutes open to the press).
Former Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello has suggested Karim Benzema's close relationship with club president Florentino Perez is the main reason why the Frenchman still starts ahead of Alvaro Morata.
Benzema has been struggling to find his best form in the opening stages of the 2016-17 campaign, while Morata has impressed regularly off the bench.
Head coach Zinedine Zidane continues to prefer Benzema up front, though, and Capello believes the Madrid coach is keeping faith in the 28-year-old to please Perez.
"Having to make a choice between Benzema and Morata is a dilemma every coach would love to have," Capello told Fox Sports Italia.
"I think Zidane has found the right solution. He starts with the French attacker, mainly because he is the president's darling, and then brings on the Spaniard to decide games.
"I think Zidane's tactics are the best option here. The results are proving him right."
Benzema has netted four goals in 12 appearances in all competitions, having started in nine of those fixtures.
The 24-year-old Morata, meanwhile, has seven goals from 15 appearances, despite starting just six times.
As Barcelona ace Lionel Messi aims to hurt Manchester City again, we have all the best Opta stats
from matchday four of the Champions League
Lionel Messi will be looking to build on his superb run of form when Barcelona take on Manchester City, while Mesut Ozil will hope for another hat-trick in Arsenal's away game against Ludogorets.
Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, can make it four wins from as many games as they meet Rostov, with only Barcelona and Leicester City joining them in still holding a 100 per cent record.
Elsewhere, Bayern Munich travel to PSV, with Robert Lewandowski out to build on his fine goalscoring record in Europe.
Using Opta data, we take a look at the best stats ahead of Tuesday's eight group-stage matches.
LUDOGORETS v ARSENAL
- Arsenal and Ludogorets met for the first time ever in matchday three; the English club securing a 6-0 home victory on that occasion.
- Arsenal have remained unbeaten in their first three Champions League group games for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign.
- Ludogorets have always scored at home in the Champions League (four games).
- None of Arsenal’s last 39 away games in the Champions League have ended goalless. The last 0-0 was at Slavia Prague in November 2007.
- Mesut Ozil scored a hat-trick when these sides met in the previous matchday; the first German to do so in the Champions League since March 2012 (Mario Gomez recorded four in a game versus Basel).
BASEL v PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN
- Since their return to the Champions League in 2012-13, Paris Saint-Germain have won 19 of their 27 group games.
- Basel are winless in their last seven Champions League games, scoring just three goals in those seven games and failing to keep a single clean sheet.
- None of Basel’s 24 home games in the Champions League have ever ended goalless.
- Edinson Cavani has been directly involved in five of PSG’s seven Champions League goals this campaign (scoring four and registering one assist).
- Basel have only lost one of their last seven Champions League home games, against Real Madrid in November 2014 (0-1).
BESIKTAS v NAPOLI
- Besiktas have lost both of their previous home matches against Italian opposition in the Champions League 0-2.
- Napoli have only failed to score once in 17 Champions League games, against Arsenal in October 2013.
- Besiktas have lost seven of their last 11 Champions League home games, keeping only one clean sheet in those 11 fixtures.
- None of Napoli’s eight Champions League games away from home have ended goalless.
- Dries Mertens has scored eight goals in his last eight appearances for Napoli in European competition.
BENFICA v DYNAMO KIEV
- Benfica have won successive matches versus Dynamo Kiev in Europe; keeping clean sheets in both of those games (April 1992 European Cup and 2016-17 Champions League).
- Dynamo Kiev have won only seven of their last 42 Champions League games.
- Only one of the five goals conceded by Benfica this campaign has come from open play.
- Dynamo Kiev have only lost one of their last six away Champions League games.
- Eduardo Salvio comes into this match having scored in successive Champions League matches for the first time.
BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH v CELTIC
- Borussia Monchengladbach have won only one of their four home games in the Champions League.
- Celtic have lost nine of their last 11 Champions League games.
- The last time a Scottish club won an away game against German opposition was back in October 1998 when Rangers defeated Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Cup.
- Celtic’s last four goals away from home in this competition have come from set-pieces
- Lars Stindl has been directly involved in five of BMG's last seven Champions League goals (two goals and three assists); scoring and claiming an assist in the reverse fixture.
MANCHESTER CITY v BARCELONA
- Barcelona have won all five of their previous encounters with Manchester City; conceding only twice.
- Manchester City are unbeaten in their last six Champions League home games, but they have never gone seven consecutive games without a defeat at the Etihad in the competition.
- Barcelona have scored in their last 20 away games in the Champions League group stages.
- The last five goals recorded by Barcelona against City have seen the direct involvement of Lionel Messi (three goals and two assists).
- There have been five red cards shown across the five previous meetings between these sides; four of which being awarded to City players.
ATLETICO MADRID v ROSTOV
- Atletico are one of only three teams to have won all three Champions League games so far in 2016/17 (Leicester City and Barcelona being the other two).
- Under Diego Simeone, Atlético Madrid have won 14 of their 18 Champions League games at the Vicente Calderon.
- Rostov’s only previous Champions League away game ended in a 5-0 defeat, against Bayern Munich last September.
- Yannick Carrasco has scored in three of his last four Champions League appearances for Atletico Madrid.
- Atletico’s Jan Oblak has a save percentage of 100 per cent this season in the Champions League; the only goalkeeper to manage this feat (10+ saves).
PSV v BAYERN MUNICH
- Since last season, PSV have only lost one of their five Champions League games at the Philips Stadion.
- Bayern Munich haven't won any of their four away Champions League games in 2016.
- Robert Lewandowski has scored in three of his last four appearances for Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
- PSV have missed all four of their penalties (shoot-outs excluded) in the Champions League since 2003-04, including two this season.
- Bayern Munich are winless in their four away trips against Dutch sides in the Champions League.
Not long now until Barça face Manchester City at the City of Manchester Stadiumtwo weeks after they played the same opposition in the Champions League group stage at the Camp Nou.
Luis Enrique's side have three victories from three games and come into this fixture leading Group C with a five point margin over Pep Guardiola's team, who are second.
One of those victories was the brilliant 4-0 win against the English team at the Camp Nou with three goals from Messi and one from Neymar Jr.
So, to make the wait for Tuesday's game go a bit quicker you can listen to Barça Radio's commentary of the best moments from that game!
He has scored three or more goals in 38 appearances for Real Madrid, with 13 of them coming away from home.
Fans who attended the Mendizorroza stadium witnessed the latest exhibition from Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese
forward scored his 38th hat-trick for Real Madrid, his thirteenth on the road. Taking in to consideration only league games, he’s scored three or more goals in 31 matches, 11 of them away from the Santiago Bernabéu. Figures that no other player can lay claim to.
Cristiano Ronaldo has got three or more goals in at least one match in each of his eight seasons with the Whites. The first came in the 2009/10 against Mallorca. His best season in this regard was 2014/15 when he managed it on 8 occasions, followed by 7 in the 2010/11 and 2011/12 seasons. The top scorer in the history of Real Madrid never tires of breaking records and he demonstrated it again against Alavés.
Gareth Bale tied his long term future to Real Madrid on Sunday by extending his contract with the Spanish giants to 2022, the club confirmed.
"Real Madrid C. F. and Gareth Bale have agreed an extension to the player's contract, keeping him at the club until the 30th of June 2022," Madrid said in a statement.
Bale, 27, joined Real for a then world record fee in 2013 on a six-year deal and has won the Champions League twice in his three full seasons in the Spanish capital.
Received stars Barcelona on Thursday for season 2016/17 provided by the company of new cars Audi . During the ceremony, the players participated in a number of activities, competitions and challenges, where he was entitled fun and fun and entertainment.Watch the video above beautiful atmosphere that prevailed in themembers of the first team during the new car provided by FC Barcelona partner delivery ceremony.
Zidane's side return to Vitoria 11 years on from the club's last fixture against Alavés, who are undefeated at home this season.
Real Madrid return to league action after having recorded an
amphatic win in their Copa del Rey bow away to Cultural Leonesa (7-1) and they do so with a game that has caught the imagination in Vitoria (16:15 CEST). This encounter sees the Whites return to a sold-out Mendizorroza 11 years on from their last meeting with Alavés.
The visitors head to Vitoria looking to retain top spot in the league standings, as they head into Matchday 10 with a one-point advantage over Sevilla - who are in action three hours beforehand in Gijón -, two points better off than Barcelona and Villarreal and three ahead of Atlético.
Unbeaten away run in the league
Since Zinedine Zidane has taken over the reins, the Whites are undefeated on the road in the league. The madridistas unbeaten away run stretches back 14 games and this excellent record includes 11 wins (with victories over Granada, Levante, Las Palmas, Barcelona, Getafe, Rayo, Real Sociedad and Deportivo last term and Real Sociedad, Espanyol and Betis this season) and three draws (against Betis and Málaga last campaign and Las Palmas this time round).
ALAVÉS HAVE RECORDED A WIN AND THREE DRAWS ON HOME SOIL.
Speaking in the build-up to the game, Zidane, who has named a 19-man squad for the clash, admitted that "It'll be tough". Taking his place in the squad list is Álvaro Morata, who is currently enjoying a fine run of form. Last Sunday saw the Whites' forward hit the winner against Athletic on his birthday and this Wednesday he claimed a brace in the team's first outing of this season's Copa del Rey.
Undefeated at Mendizorroza
The Whites face a side who are unbeaten at home in competitive fixtures this term. The Basque outfit have played four games at Mendizorroza - all of which have been in LaLiga -, where they have claimed one win and three draws. This record proves just how dangerous Mauricio Pellegrino's side, who recorded an away away at the Camp Nou (2-1) and a 1-1 draw at the Vicente Calderón, can be. Deyverson, who has three goals to his name, is his side's top goalscorer.
"Alavés made things very hard for us in the first half and the start of the second”, he said.
Zinedine Zidane highlighted the attitude of his team in the away winover Alavés: “I'm pleased with the match. I'm impressed with the perseverance we showed, because the first half and the start of the second were not easy. It was a difficult win because our opponents did very well but I think it was deserved. You don't win LaLiga without suffering a bit, it's impossible, and today we showed we can suffer against a tough opponent".
“We kept our cool and we experienced some difficult periods. Thinking that you're Real Madrid doesn't win you games. Alavés made it very hard for us in the first half and the start of the second"
Luis Suarez's new contract at Barcelona is all but finalised, reports Mundo Deportivo.
Barca have renewed the contracts of several first-team players over the past few months and it appears as though Suarez will be the next to put pen to paper.
The Uruguay forward looks set to extend his stay at the Nou Camp until the summer of 2021 once the final few details of the contract renewal are finalised.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the chief profligate for United, missing at least three gilt-edged chances from 12 shots at goal, meaning he has now gone six league games without scoring for the first time since December 2007 with Inter Milan.
"It was bizarre," co-commentator Neville said. "I think you have to give Burnley some credit for the blocks and for the fact they put their bodies on the line.
"Plus, Tom Heaton made some fantastic saves, but I don't think I've seen United have as many chances as they had here for a long time. They should have won that game.
"It could have been six, seven or eight and Burnley wouldn't have had any complaints. They were brilliant chances. The Zlatan Ibrahimovic chance at the end just summed it up."
Burnley boss Sean Dyche reflects on his sides draw away at Manchester United
Mourinho's side are now without a Premier League win in four matches and are eight points off the top spot, but Neville refused to cristicse his former side.
"United created so many chances and should have taken them," Neville added. "It's not happening for them at the moment or Ibrahimovic, who is a good finisher.
"He's scored goals all over the world - he'll not believe, he's not scored a goal in that match.
Manchester United's assistant manager Rui Faria relfects on the draw between Man Utd and Burnley
"There wasn't any negative reflections on any of the United players as I think they played well today. I don't think they could have done any more apart from putting the ball in the back of the net.
"You can sometimes have days like that. I think when you're a player in the dressing room and you've had nearly 40 shots on goal and created some unbelievable moments, you can only think 'how have we not won that game?'
"It's a little bit of bad luck they're having at the moment - it's certainly a blow. That was a game that they absolutely dominated."
NEW SUAREZ DEAL IMMINENT
Barca have renewed the contracts of several first-team players over the past few months and it appears as though Suarez will be the next to put pen to paper.
The Uruguay forward looks set to extend his stay at the Nou Camp until the summer of 2021 once the final few details of the contract renewal are finalised.