Pro Eleven Headline News
Real Madrid Could Have Four Back For Sevilla Clash
Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster has received the first good news for a while today as it was confirmed that he could recover four injured players for the match with Sevilla this weekend...
Real Madrid's next two matches against Sevilla and Barcelona could well be make or break for Bernd Schuster, but luckily for the German, he should have some of his injured players back this weekend.
The defending La Liga champions welcome Sevilla, who are just two points behind them in the league, to the Bernabéu in a game they need to win after defeat by Getafe last week knocked them down to fourth in the table.
According to Sport.es Los Blancos could well recover four of their injured players for the game though - Christoph Metzelder, Gonzalo Higuaín, Arjen Robben and Fabio Cannavaro.
With the problems that they have suffered in defence, the return of Cannavaro, and indeed Metzelder, whom Schuster has been reluctant to use lately, could be key to the side.
Wesley Sneijder also trained, albeit gently, with the side today and he could now be in line to return for the much publicised battle at the Camp Nou next weekend.
The only fresh worry for Schuster is Brazilan Marcelo, who has had flu this week, and whilst he should be fit to play, the coach did give reserve player Chema Antón a run-out with the team in case.
Thierry Henry's hat trick leads Barcelona to 4-0 win over Valencia
Thierry Henry's hat trick led near-perfect Barcelona past Valencia 4-0 to extend its lead in Spain and stretch its unbeaten run to 20 games on Saturday.
An energized Henry, in one of his best performances away from Arsenal, opened in the 20th minute as the France striker used a quick touch to float in Yaya Toure's long pass on the hop.
Henry ran onto a leading pass from Alexandre Hleb - who he also teamed with at Arsenal - eight minutes later and curled past goalkeeper Renan Soares. Henry's last, in the 79th, was the easiest as he pushed in substitute Bojan Krkic's pass for his seventh league goal.
Asked the secret to his improved form, Henry said, "I don't know. Let's hope it can stay like this, we're enjoying it."
Barcelona's high-scoring attack has notched 44 goals from 14 games to lead Villarreal by six points with 35.
"I'm the first one to be surprised," rookie coach Pep Guardiola said of Barcelona's start before praising Henry. "He was bold tonight, he said 'Here I am."'
Earlier, Giuseppe Rossi scored a late equalizer as Villarreal rallied from a three-goal deficit to draw 3-3 with Getafe, and Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan scored twice each as Atletico Madrid defeated Sporting Gijon 5-2 to stretch its unbeaten run to 12 games.
Real Madrid and Sevilla meet on Sunday with the loser in danger of slipping further in the title race. Two-time defending champion Madrid has 26 points and Sevilla 24, the same as Atletico.
Barcelona has hardly missed suspended striker Samuel Eto'o, who leads the league with 14 goals, as Daniel Alves held off Asier del Horno in the 46th minute to reach Xavi Hernandez's precise through ball and score the third.
"We knew before the result of Getafe-Villarreal so we wanted to win this game," Henry said. "We did it and we did it well."
Xavi hit the post after two minutes while Renan denied clear chances from Lionel Messi and Hleb before coming out to poke away Messi, who came in clear on goal in the 68th.
Barcelona's defence, which has allowed only nine goals, cleared nearly every Valencia threat, with Villa coming closest with a wide header just after Henry's opener. The Spain striker also hit over in the 67th.
Barcelona and Madrid meet in the league classico next Saturday with the Catalan club undefeated since a 1-0 opening day loss to 18th-placed Numancia.
"We haven't won anything. We need to keep going and see what we can do," Henry said after notching his second hat trick for Barcelona.
Valencia, which lost for the first time on the road, has 27 points.
At El Molinon, Aguero controlled with his chest to find the net with a bicycle kick from close range two minutes after unmarked Mate Bilic headed in for Sporting in the fifth minute.
In the 41st, Aguero slid in the rebound from Diego Forlan's hard shot for his seventh goal of the season.
Forlan stole the ball from Diego Camacho in the 57th to score with an angled shot under goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar, while Maxi Rodriguez continued the rout in the 72nd by poking in Aguero's pass after both players had gone through on goal.
Forlan looked offside in the 82nd when he went clear to score his 10th goal of the season in a near identical copy of his first on Saturday.
Sporting's David Barral scored from a hard shot in the 62nd.
At El Madrigal, Getafe went ahead when Esteban Granero chested Juan Angel Albin's flicked-on cross in the 10th to volley into the far corner past goalkeeper Diego Lopez.
Seven minutes later, Jaime Gavilan volleyed home Cosmin Contra's floating cross to deflate the hosts, who came in with an injury-hit squad and a leaky defence. Javier Casquero stepped up to slot Gavilan's pass in at the far post to make it three in the 30th.
Getafe goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri cleared straight into Robert Pires, who was credited with the 55th-minute goal before Uruguay international Eguren scored in the 83rd.
Italy striker Rossi scored the equalizer in the 86th before hitting just wide of the far post four minutes later.
Inter tops Lazio to open nine-point lead
Walter Samuel scored in the second minute and Inter Milan rolled to a 3-0 win over Lazio on Saturday to extend its lead atop the Italian Serie A to nine points.
Inter was handed a two-goal lead just before halftime on an own goal and Zlatan Ibrahimovic sealed the win in the 55th minute with his team-high eighth goal.
Juventus and AC Milan, which both play Sunday, are nine points back of the two- time defending Serie A champions.
Samuel stunned the crowd at Stadio Olimpico in Rome, running under a cross from Sulley Muntar in the middle of the penalty area to head in the first goal from 12 yards in the opening minutes.
Although Lazio's Mobido Diakite directed in the second goal from a few yards in front of the net, Inter's quick counter attack led to the goal. Inter won the ball just outside its own 18 and quickly took the ball up the right. A foul was not enough to slow the play as a quick free kick sprung Maicon down the right, and his cross was knocked home by Diakite.
Esteban Cambiasso set up the clinching goal when he picked out Ibrahimovic with a free kick in the 55th minute, and the Swedish international snapped a header into the upper left.
Also Saturday, Jeremy Menez scored in the 69th minute and Roma edged last-place Chievo 1-0 at Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi in Verona.
On Sunday, Lecce hosts Juventus, AC Milan hosts Catania, Reggina hosts Bologna, Torino hosts Fiorentina, Cagliari hosts Palermo, Atalanta hosts Udinese, Napoli hosts Siena and Sampdoria hosts Genoa.
Real Madrid's Shortlist Of Fifteen Wingers
Reports in the Spanish press today suggest that Real Madrid have a list of fifteen wingers whom they are looking at ahead of the January transfer window...
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar might be on his way to the Spanish capital but Real Madrid are not stopping with just one signing. They have made it clear that they are also looking to bolster the right wing slot this winter.
The position has been a problem for Los Blancos for a while now and according to AS they have drawn up a shortlist of fifteen players from whom to make their selection.
The newspaper reports that Pedja Mijatovic and Miguel Ángel Portugal, two men high up in the boardroom at Real Madrid, have compiled the list and will be reviewing it over the next week.
Portugal is believed to have been scouting in Brazil and Argentina whilst Mijatovic has been following the European leagues for possible targets.
The main names that have been mentioned in the past are Ángel Di María and David Silva, both of whom are likely to cost in the €30 million region.
With Klaas-Jan Huntelaar already signed for €20 million AS believes that Real Madrid will be looking to spend less on a winger, probably ruling out both Silva and Di María.
More likely they will be looking to sign a player of the stature of Gonzalo Higuaín or Fernando Gago, both of whom were signed for under €20 million each by the club.
