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Cautious Real Madrid hope to present new signing Gareth Bale by Tuesday

The stage at the Santiago Bernabéu was dismantled today without Gareth Bale having set foot on it. Real Madrid face Athletic Bilbao in the stadium on Sunday morning with the Welshman's move agreed between Tottenham and the Spanish club but still not officially signed off. Until that happens, there is caution – publicly, at least. Madrid hope to be able to make the deal official in time to present him before he reports for international duty with Wales on Tuesday. The Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti refused to talk about Bale at the club's Valdebebas training ground, insisting: "He's still a Tottenham player." He then added: "I don't know how long he will be a Tottenham player for but today he is." Sources at Madrid claimed that a deal had been agreed worth £78m, around €90m. That would not make Bale the world's most expensive player. When Cristiano Ronaldo moved from Manchester United to Spain four years ago, he cost £80m, around €93m. But the figures coming out of White Hart Lane are rather higher, with some sources insisting that the real fee is more than €100m. André Villas-Boas had already insisted that Bale would go for a "world record".
, , 21.27 No comments

Messi and Neymar

"Messi is the best player in the world and I am here to learn from him."—Neymar Lesson No. 1: Know your place. The biggest star in Brazilian football began on the bench at Barcelona. Neymar had to watch as his new team put six goals past Levante before halftime. He will have paid close attention to Pedro, who played on the left of Barcelona's front three. A few days before, Neymar had said, "I really like Pedro a lot. He is capable of doing everything on the pitch." He may have come to take Pedro's place, but at least he's trying to be nice about it. In the 12th minute, Lionel Messi twisted away from a defender and angled a pass into the path of Pedro, advancing into the penalty area from the left. Most forwards would have shot at goal. Pedro made as if to shoot, then clipped a first-time pass across the 6-yard box, where he knew Messi would be arriving to sweep it into the net.
, , 21.25 No comments

GAME OF THE WEEK: JUVENTUS - LAZIO

How to correct the wrongs that resulted in equalling the largest losing margin in the history of the TIM Super Cup in the space of two weeks? That was the question put to Vladimir Petkovic following the dismal showing at the Olimpico in the season's curtain raiser. In Round 2 of Serie A TIM, Lazio travel to the Juventus stadium and in Round 1 the Serbian already produced some answers. First in defence. The two experienced stalwarts, Giuseppe Biava and Dias, emerged from the TIM Super Cup battered and bruised. For the opening fixture of Serie A TIM in stepped converted midfielder Lorik Cana and new boy Novaretti. In midfield, the experiment with two playmakers has been put aside and new arrival LucasBiglia was preferred to Cristian Ledesma. The former Anderlecht player showed his game is not only about passing. Also there was the return of Alvaro Gonzalez, whose dynamism is an important element in the Biancocelesti's game plan. Then, the goals came from the expected sources bar one: An uncustomary miss from Miroslav Klose left the German still seeking his first goal of the season. What better moment than at the home of the champions, a team he has still not scored against.
, , 21.18 No comments

MATCH PREVIEW: Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur



On Monday night, Tottenham Hotspur travel north to Old Trafford for their Premier League opener after their match last weekend versus Everton FC was cancelled due to the rioting in London. For Manchester United, this will be their season debut at the Theatre of Dreams. These two sides met twice in the past campaign, both in league ties. United won the first match 2-0 at Old Trafford while the return fixture ended in a scoreless draw at White Hart Lane. Spurs are certainly a formidable side but the Reds can draw solace in their recent home record versus their upcoming league foe: it has been since 1989 when the North London side last tasted victory on United's ground.
, , 12.06 No comments