Ronaldo will be hard to stop in Clasico: Mascherano

 BY AGENCIES

BARCELONA-

The 29-year-old defender has warned his Blaugrana team-mates that the Portuguese can score from out of nowhere, but has stressed Lionel Messi is the best player he has ever seen.

Javier Mascherano has acknowledged that Barcelona face a tough task to stop Cristiano Ronaldo in Sunday’s Liga game against Real Madrid.

The Portugal international has been in stunning form in 2013-14, scoring 41 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions, and Mascherano has warned his team-mates that they cannot afford to give the prolific attacker any space.

“Cristiano is an extraordinary player who has won the Ballon d’Or for that exact reason. He can score a goal from out of nowhere,” the versatile Blaugrana defender told Goal.

“He has a lot of quality and a tough job awaits when we face him. It will be hard to stop him and I hope that he will not be at his best on Sunday.

“We will try to keep him on a tight leash and not give him any space, but he’s the kind of player who can still hurt you even if you mark him tight.

“In the end, players like him are among the best in the world. With Ronaldo, his goals are often the result of his ability rather than of defensive mistakes.”

Nevertheless, Mascherano has insisted that Barcelona possess an even bigger threat in Lionel Messi.

“Leo just keeps improving his own records,” the 29-year-old said of his fellow Argentine. “We are talking about a player who has marked an era.

“He will continue to score goals in the years to come as he is still young.

“It’s hard to find words to describe Leo. Every positive word seems to have been used already to praise him.

“Is he better than [Diego] Maradona? It’s all subjective because everybody looks at things differently.
“I think that Leo has shown a lot of things. I don’t like to compare them as they played in different eras. All I can say is that Leo is the best player I have seen in my life.”

The versatile defender then went on to discuss this weekend’s Clasico and made it clear that Barca prefer to do their talking on the pitch rather than make bold claims in the build-up to the game.

“You don’t say that you’re superior,” the former Liverpool midfielder argued. “You have to show these things on the pitch. We have to go out there and win in order to show who’s best.
“Madrid currently top the table and it’s up to us to give our best. We must realise that it’s a final for us and need a great day.
“There are no guarantees going into this game. We have lacked a certain consistency in 2014 that we did have in previous years.”
Barcelona beat Madrid 2-1 at Camp Nou earlier this season but go into this weekend’s fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu third in La Liga, four points behind the table-topping Blancos.

Ronaldo leads Portugal to fourth in Fifa ranking

he Seleccao have leapfrogged Colombia, while Switzerland and Brazil have enjoyed boosts inside the top 10

Portugal have jumped up to fourth in Fifa's world rankings, while World Cup holders Spain remain top dogs.

Vicente del Bosque's men lead the way ahead of Germany and Argentina in an unchanged top three, but Iberian neighbours Portugal - whom Cristiano Ronaldo fired to the World Cup this summer late last year - have leapfrogged Colombia into fourth.

Switzerland are up two places to sixth despite not playing a game since November, while Confederation Cup holders Brazil have risen to ninth, overtaking Netherlands.

Denmark are among the biggest movers, jumping from 25th to 20th, and France are up two spots to joint 18th with Ukraine, whom Didier Deschamps' side beat in a play-off in November to qualify for the World Cup.

World Cup debutants Bosnia & Herzegovina also rise two places to 17th, with United States and Chile up one spot each to 13th and 14th at the expense of England, who fall to 15th.

Cote d'Ivoire have dropped out of the top 20 after a six-place fall, but African rivals Cape Verde are up eight places to 27.

Mali are one of the list's biggest losers, dropping 19 places to 59th, while Ghana - who will look to replicate their run to the 2010 World Cup quarter-finals in Brazil later this year - have plummeted 13 spots to number 37.

Elsewhere, Armenia have moved inside the top 30, their highest ever Fifa ranking, after a World Cup qualification campaign that saw them narrowly miss out on a play-off spot.

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."

Manchester United boss doubt the return of Ronaldo

Manchester United boss doubt the return of Ronaldo

Sir Alex Ferguson admits that Cristiano Ronaldo is unlikely to return to Manchester United.

The Portuguese international was largely unknown when he joined the Reds in the summer of 2003 in a deal for Sporting Lisbon, which will cost about 12 million pounds.

Ronaldo spent six years at Old Trafford, helping United win the Premier League three times and the UEFA Champions League, so it has been established world class.

Real Madrid finally paid a world record £ 80 million to take him to the Bernabeu in 2009, and earlier this month its aim to beat Barcelona lift the Copa del Rey.

It has been speculated, however, that 26 years could make a sensational return to the Kingdom, but Ferguson has moved to play down the matter.

"It would be very difficult," said the Reds boss. "He had a great time here, but it is a great club now too. We as a child and went to Madrid a man. "