Ronaldo doubtful, last 16 in sight for Madrid

Ronaldo will almost certainly be without Cristiano Ronaldo as they look to mathematically seal their place in the Champions League last 16 at home to Galatasaray on Wednesday.

The Spanish giants are virtually already in the knockout stage as they would need to lose their remaining two games heavily having beaten Galatasaray and FC Copenhagen 6-1 and 4-0 respectively on matchday one and two.

However, they can also guarantee first place in Group B with just a point against the Turkish champions.

Ronaldo is unlikely to be risked as he suffered a minor thigh injury in Madrid's 5-0 destruction of Almeria on Saturday.

The Portuguese had given the visitors the lead in that game to continue his sensational scoring form of late that has seen him net 32 times for club and country already this season.

Despite Ronaldo's withdrawal just after half-time with the score 1-0, Real shrugged off his departure to fire in four more goals in the final half hour with Gareth Bale among the goalscorers.

That was the Welshman's fourth goal in five games as he begins to find his feet in the Spanish capital after his reported 91 million euro ($123 million, £76 million) move from Tottenham Hotspur in September.

Bale's return to form has coincided with Madrid's best spell under the tutelage of Carlo Ancelotti as they have racked up 20 goals in their last four league games.

However, with Los Blancos still trailing Barcelona by six points in La Liga, many believe their best chance of a major trophy could come in the Champions League.

Madrid have fallen short at the semi-final stage in each of the last three years as they desperately go in search of their 10th European crown and Ancelotti admits becoming the man to end their 14-year wait for the Champions League is a motivating factor.

"The 10th European Cup is not an obsession, but a motivation," he told The Times.

"For the club it's very important. The last time Real Madrid played in the final was 2002. For a club like Real Madrid this is not good."

Twenty-year-old rising star Jese Rodriguez is expected to get his chance in Ronaldo's absence with Bale possibly moving over to the left rather than on the right side of Madrid's attack where he has prospered in recent weeks.

Galatasaray, meanwhile, travel to Madrid hoping to take a huge step towards joining Real in the last 16.

Roberto Mancini's men are currently tied with FC Copenhagen in second place on four points, one ahead of Italian champions Juventus.

And the former Manchester City manager is desperate to set up a showdown for second place against his compatriots from Serie A in what is sure to be fiery atmosphere in Istanbul in two weeks time.

"I am confident. I think we need to improve as a team, but I hope we can get a good result in the next game," he told Uefa.com.

"Probably we will play for everything in the last game against Juventus, but in football you never say never."

Roberto Soldado hails Tottenham team-mate Christian Eriksen after Norwich win

The 21-year-old made the switch from Ajax last month, but the international break meant that he had to wait to make his Spurs bow, starting in the 2-0 win over Norwich City.

Eriksen assisted Gylfi Sigurdsson for the opening goal and impressed throughout, earning the praise of fellow new arrival and team-mate, Soldado. "He is a brilliant player.

It's incredible that he has got up to this level already in his first game in English football," the Spain international said.

 

"It's great for him, for the team. He is a player who is capable of improving all of us. "He is a player that makes everything look easy and that's good for us. T

oday he made the difference; he's a player that can support us in everything we do. He can offer us a lot of passes to everyone who plays in attack for Spurs.

" Soldado also recognised the significance of the victory, saying that Spurs' campaign could depend on winning these kind of games.

"We know that it's important to get three points at home, that will be clear at the end of the season," he said. "I was close to scoring, but winning games always comes first for me."

Stranraer v Rangers Scottish Premier League live Stream Preview

Match Preview: Friday,17 August,2013, One of the important match Stranraer v Rangers of  Scottish Premier League 17 August,2013 HD Quality Live Stranraer v Rangers  streaming is available here.Stranraer v Rangers Live Stream online Scottish Premier League 17 August,2013 Video Free The match will take  Preview Pictures and Wallpapers its mean all things are available in my blog please see and check here for latest things.Stranraer v Rangers Live Stream Stranraer v Rangers ,Stranraer v Rangers  online free, Stranraer v Rangers live stream video

Rangers have some defensive problems ahead of their Scottish League One clash with Stranraer at Stair Park on Saturday.
Emilson Cribari and Chris Hegarty are both considered doubtful due to groin and ankle problems respectively.

However, manager Ally McCoist will be able to call on his captain Lee McCulloch, who returns after serving a suspension.
And the Light Blues will again be able to call on a pair of trialists, as they wait for their transfer embargo to end on 1 September.

Bradford v Swansea Capital One Cup final Preview Feb 24, 2013

Bradford v Swansea Capital One Cup final Preview Feb 24, 2013

Match Preview: Sunday,24 February 2013, One of the important match Bradford v Swansea of Capital One Cup final HD Quality Live Bradford v Swansea streaming is availahere.Bradford v Swansea Live Stream online Capital One Cup final online Video Free The match will take plcae at Wembley Stadium on 2/24/13 Preview Pictures and Wallpapers its mean all things are available in my blog please see and check here for latest things.The fans' final, the fairytale final - whatever you want to call it, there's no doubt that the League Cup has come up trumps again in giving us a showpiece ending that's a little bit out of the ordinary. Will it be a fantastic final though? With such a gulf in league standings between the teams there's always the danger of a one-sided affair, but I think Bradford have proved enough times in their cup run that they can raise their game to take on any opponent - and go the distance.Four of their seven games in the competition have gone to extra-time, with two famously won on penalties against Wigan and Arsenal. Their incredible record of nine successive shoot-out wins will certainly have Swansea fans feeling nervous if the scores are level with nearly two hours played. There's a school of thought that the Bantams' best chance of winning in normal or extra-time is via set-pieces, and Aston Villa would testify to the threat Phil Parkinson's team pose there. It'll be interesting to see how the homework Swansea will have done manifests itself at the first corner or wide free-kick they concede.What with the plunge down the divisions, two spells in administration, and the giant-killing run to the final, Bradford City's is a superb story, but we must remember how special Swansea City's tale is too.When Bradford were in the Premier League at the turn of the millennium, the Swans were bouncing between the bottom two divisions, and only avoided a drop to non-league status with a final-day win over Hull just 10 years ago. That game will always be much more important in the history of a club that has reached its first major Wembley final in its centenary year.  

Team News:
Bradford will assess the fitness of defender Rory McArdle, who returned to training this week after recovering from an ankle injury.
The Bantams will be without striker Andy Gray, who is ineligible because he played for Leeds earlier in the competition.
Swansea defender Chico Flores is ruled out with an ankle problem, and will be replaced by Garry Monk or Kyle Bartley.
Swans boss Michael Laudrup says back-up goalkeeper Gerhard Tremmel will start.

Head-to-head
This will be the first match between Bradford and Swansea in a major cup competition.
The Swans are unbeaten in their last four league encounters with the Bantams, all of which came in League One. However, three of those matches were drawn.
Bradford's last win against Swansea was a 5-1 victory at Valley Parade in the third tier on 30 March 1996.



Bradford City
The Bantams are the second side from the fourth tier of English football to reach the League Cup final. Rochdale also managed the feat in 1962, losing to Division Two Norwich over two legs, although that was during the League Cup's infancy, when many of England's elite clubs declined to enter the competition.
Victory would see Bradford become the sixth club from outside the top flight to win the competition, following in the footsteps of Norwich (second tier, 1962), QPR (third tier, 1967), Swindon (third tier, 1969), Aston Villa (second tier, 1975) and Sheffield Wednesday (second tier, 1991).
Bradford have kept clean sheets in only two of their last 15 League Cup ties.
They have won nine consecutive penalty shootouts - an English record.

Swansea City
The Swans have reached the final of the League Cup for the first time in their history. Prior to this season they had never gone beyond the fourth round of the competition.
Michael Laudrup's men have won twice in eight league and cup games since booking their place in the final.
Swansea's most recent defeat against League Two opposition was a 3-1 loss to Shrewsbury in the second round of the League Cup last season.
They have kept clean sheets in their last three League Cup matches. They have gone 284 minutes since they last conceded in the competition.

Competition: Capital One Cup final
Match: Bradford v Swansea
Date: Sunday,24 February
Kickoff Time: 16:00 GMT
Venue: Wembley Stadium
Live/Repeat: Live