[size=18pt]Ronaldo Out[/size]


Real Madrid are the only side in Europe’s major leagues to have won every competitive game since the season started. But that remarkable record will be put under the microscope against a rampant Sevilla side.

A number of injury concerns will force coach Manuel Pellegrini to reshuffle his team again, although the Chilean has already mastered the art of squad rotation. 

Fernando Gago is the latest defensive midfielder to be hampered by injury, after picking up a muscle injury in Wednesday’s Champions League tie against Marseille. Lassana Diarra, on the other hand, is on his way back from a shoulder niggle he sustained earlier in the week but Pellegrini has decided not to risk him and the Frenchman will thus remain in the Spanish capital.

Defenders Alvaro Arbeloa and Christoph Metzelder have also recovered from their respective knocks but the Spanish full-back has been deemed not fit enough to travel with the squad. Ruud van Nistelrooy is also sidelined.

The big news, unsurprisingly, concerns Cristiano Ronaldo. After a desperate race to recover from a sprained ankle, the Portuguese has failed to make the cut and this will be the first time since joining Los Merengues in the summer that he will miss a game in the famous white shirt.

Goalkeepers: Casillas, Dudek

Defenders: Sergio Ramos, Garay, Albiol, Metzelder, Pepe, Drenthe, Marcelo

Midfielders: Mahamadou Diarra, Kaka, Xabi Alonso, Guti, Van der Vaart, Granero

Forwards: Raul, Benzema, Higuain

We ask you to leave your choices in the comments feature below using hyphens to separate positions, working from right to left. For example, here is the side that could line up in a 4-3-3 formation:

Casillas – Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Albiol, Drenthe – Xabi Alonso, Mahamadou Diarra, Kaka – Higuain, Benzema, Raul

Hala Madrid!

I know enemies of Real Madrid are very Happy now that CR9 is out, no problem will overcome Sevilla without CR9!!!

I was actually hoping CR9 plays. I don't want y'all to have any excuses.

Real Madrid will face their biggest test of the season away at Sevilla today. No Cristiano Ronaldo and no Lassana Diarra 

[size=14pt]"Cristiano's absence is significant, but we have a good squad and sufficient alternatives"[/size]
Realmadrid.com

Manuel Pellegrini confirmed during today's press conference that Cristiano Ronaldo is unavailable for tomorrow's match against Sevilla, but that there are enough players who can play just as well.

How is Cristiano Ronaldo?
He trained on his own but wasn't able to recover and will therefore not play tomorrow.

What kind of work is being conducted that has made this the Real Madrid squad to concede the fewest goals in recent years?
From the very beginning we've sought  and acquired a style of play that allows opponents to rarely reach our box while also giving us a strong attack. This is why we are winning matches. There are still a few concepts we need to introduce but it isn't easy with so many new players. That said, I am very happy with the team. The season has begun very well.

Casillas played a big role against Tenerife and Marseille. Is that what you call solid defense?
Casillas saved an important first-half one-on-one against Marseille and in the second was subjected to a few mid-range shots, but I don't think it was a lot for a Champions League match against a team like Marseille. I think the statistics reflect how infrequently opponents reach our box.

Was Ronaldo's absence purely a medical decision or did the fact that Sevilla is a hard team to play against at home influence it?
The only issue was Cristiano Ronaldo's ankle. He tried playing yesterday and today and everyone, including the medical staff, believes he isn't ready to play.

Are you worried that the team will note his absence?
Every player is important, but we have a good squad and sufficient alternatives.

When will Madrid perform its best?
The team is putting forth its best effort and the results prove it, but the team has to continue improving. We cannot try to play in a manner that does not correspond to our players' characteristics

Manuel Pellegrini confirmed during today's press conference that Cristiano Ronaldo is unavailable for tomorrow's match against Sevilla, but that there are enough players who can play just as well.

Sevilla tend to go on the offensive when they play Real Madrid. Can this benefit your team?
We are playing a difficult opponent who is doing very well right now. They sometimes play the counterattack, so we don't know what  team will show up tomorrow. We just need to be confident and have faith that we can win from the very firt minute.

La Liga appears to be a race between Madrid and Barcelona with Sevilla following close behind, and these are the matches that begin to clear up the picture. Do you agree?
I do not because I don't believe in predicting the future. Sevilla are a few points behind, but I don't think you can rule out teams like Valencia, Atletico or Villarreal. There are many matches to be played and teams can move up and down in the table. Saying that the league is a race between two teams right now is a big mistake.

There has been a debate about your use of two players in the midfield. Have you thought about only using Xabi Alonso there or do you have faith in the system being used?
There is debate about Real Madrid week after week and I can point out several topics,  Whether or not Cristiano was comfortable where he was playing,  But the debate ended when he scored goals. Then about defending against set-pieces,  Topics appear and disappear. We try to offer several looks and alternatives on the pitch.

[b]The Bernabeu didn't like the first halves against Tenerife, Xerez or Marseille.
[/b]Matches are broken open many ways. No opponent can be discredited. Just ask Milan about Zurich. Matches last 90 minutes and it makes sense for teams to begin stronger than they finish, but the final result is a product of team work. We would all like to have the ball for 90 minutes and score eight goals per match, but that is virtually impossible. Perhaps we do not create enough spaces, but the opponent must also be taken into account.

[b]Do you think players like Cristiano and Kaka receive enough protection from referees?
[/b]I think every player receives enough protection, but maybe referees get tired of calling so many fouls on good players who are always heading towards goal and being tackled. I hope that all players are protected, and not just in the case of Cristiano and Kaka.

Real Madrid Line up

-------------------------Iker Casillas-----------------------
Sergio Ramos-------Pepe------------Albiol------------Marcelo
-------------------M Diarra---------Xabi Alonso--------------
---------Guti-----------------------------------Kaka-----------
-------------------Benzema-----------Raul

Seville line up
-----------------------Palop-----------------------------
Konko------Escude------------Squillaci ----------Adriano
Jesus Navas----Renato--------Zokora-------------Perotti
---------------Negredo--------Luis Fabiano

M Diarra starts his first game in about a year, and Negredo to start against his old club. Kanoute will start the game on the bench. Should be a cracker!

Sevilla comes out all guns blazing. Real Madrid are really being tested.

Madrid are getting skinned on their left side. Sevilla are going at Marcelo.

GOAL NAVAS!!!!  What a game from Sevilla!!. These guys are playing like their lives depend on it

1-0 Sevilla

Navas is taking Marcelo to the cleaners

Navas is raping Marcelo seriously.

Did you see the save by Casillas on Negredos header? No wonder he is the best

dayokanu:

Did you see the save by Casillas on Negredos header? No wonder he is the best

I see am o. That was as point blank as they game. It was a miracle!!

^ Shouldnt your goofy head be worried stiff about your team's poor run of results

the save was sheer luck. reminded of the save dudek made from sheva during the milan/l'pool champions league final

MrCrackles:

^ Shouldnt your goofy head be worried stiff about your team's poor run of results

haha. U must be talkin to mr bundesliga. yeah . .they need to get their shit together too  

Pepe equalizes. 1-1

Casillas is the best goalkeeper on the planet. He singlehandely wins games for Madrid

GOAL RENATOOOOO!!!!! 

2-1 Sevilla  Cross from Adriano!!

If Madrid don't win this game they lose top spot to Barca, and it will be very very very very very hard to get it back

Xabi Alonso has been terrible this game. M Diarra has been great for y'all and he is coming off.  Must be a fitness thing.

Navas still making minced meat out of Marcelo

Kaka looks like he's goin 2 cry. hahaha. Galacticos my ass

Game Over!!
2-1 Sevilla.

And the galacticos are brought crashing back down to earth

I'll see how Barca does away at Valencia next week before I start running my mouth. For now I'm just a very happy man.

Navas has a fantastic game.

Game over. Thoroughly beaten Sevilla 2 -1 Madrid  

MP got it all wrong. He seems to have also fallen into 'the Guti and Raul must play' Syndrome

haha. but on current form they deserved to play.

Altho no coach would ever have the balls to bench raul even if he wanted to. capello sef dey fear 

Raul and Guti should go hang their boots! They where past it two seasons ago

Guti and Alonso can only play together successfully against a team sitting back. He already tried it against Marseille and it was a failure but (un)fortunately, the score line seem to have hid the truth that we played badly. The right option was Granero, who could work on the flanks, put pressure on Zokora, and track back to help our full backs.

Higuain should have also started ahead of Raul, so that Benzema can move to the flanks (forcing Navas and Perroti to stay back) and Pipita also gives us a more direct threat.

What he fielded was a team that was packed into the middle, while Sevilla had the flanks to themselves.

Alonso was shite today. M Diarra was the guy holding ur midfield together but I don't think he was fit enough for 90 mins. Benzema was MIA most of the game.

Sevilla were just on their shit today and they would have given anybody problems in form like that.

biina:

Guti and Alonso can only play together successfully against a team sitting back. He already tried it against Marseille and it was a failure but (un)fortunately, the score line seem to have hid the truth that we played badly. The right option was Granero, who could work on the flanks, put pressure on Zokora, and track back to help our full backs.

Higuain should have also started ahead of Raul, so that Benzema can move to the flanks (forcing Navas and Perroti to stay back) and Pipita also gives us a more direct threat.

What he fielded was a team that was packed into the middle, while Sevilla had the flanks to themselves.

GBAM!!!!!!!! GBAM!!!!!! GBAM!!!!!

Hi Biina

we won 6-2 and you guys lost

overhyped team

@biina
Your full-backs are whack! Sergio Ramos and Marcelo where gar-barge cos Capel and Navas where just blitzin thru them flanks like Gulfstream jets! The scoreline did flatter Madrid if not for Kanoute's wastefulness the margin woulda been wider

Madrid fielded a midfield that had never played together in liga till today against the 3rd best team in La Liga. They were missing 2 key players in Lass and Cronaldo and playing away. A draw would have been a great result. Sevilla is no joke when they play like they did today.

That said Navas took Marcelo to school. For 90 minutes. i was surprised Pellegrini didn't switch things up cause right from the get go Sevilla just went for that right side and kept pounding away. If not for some miracles by Casillas it could have been an embarrassing result. 

Football don finish. I dey go read my book. Au revouir, amigos 

A few weeks ago, I said Madrid and Barca had poor defenders and thar their saving grace was that they dont get tested often enough. Marcelo is good going forward, and has always been poor defensively. The moment we nwere not applying substantial pressure down the flanks to keep Navas and Perotti at home, it was going to be a day at school for our full backs. Add the fact that we lacked width so much that the full back came up to double up, and one can say we were lucky to come away with a respectable score line.

The whole problem starts from playing Guti alongside Alonso. Looking at the match, Alonso was often forced wide because of Guti's central positioning and it was difficult for him to get into the flow of the game, when Guti also wanted to be pulling the strings in midfield. Guti lost the ball too often, didn't work hard enough to win it back and simply disrupted most of our attacks. Our offense needs to flow through Alonso; that why we paid $30M+.

The absence of Lass and CR is not a valid excuse, cos that is why you are allowed to register 25 players.

Lets wait and see if MP corrects his errors.

Guti is one of the most inconsistent players i've ever seen in my life. He's absolutely brilliant one game, and looks like he couldn't care any less the next.

If Marcelo and Drenthe are your only options at LB u are in a lot of trouble against teams that use the flanks a lot. Against Barca u'll cry blood as it will be full raping without lubrication. A makeshift CB should be played there against teams that use the flanks a lot till Arbeola recovers.

kaka is neither a winger nor a forward. I felt he was playing too far forward today and never had enough space to be creative. When the most creative play-maker on the field is that far up front and u have a dud like Guti trying to pull the strings u'll be disappointed.

Xabi  Alonso was horrible and tbh he is yet to Impress me at Madrid. Lass is the guy that has been keepin your midfield together IMHO. I was shocked when M Diarra was taken off and Xabi remained on the field. He didn't do anything today.

Sergio Ramos was decent bar one or two skinnings by Perotti 

Pellegrini should have taken Guti off, pulled Kaka back into midfield, and brought on Higuain so u have 3 forwards.

Sevilla played at the speed of light today. They were just fantastic to watch and they fully deserved their victory. U guys had your moments, but they were just too strong today. It would have taken something special to rob them, and Casillas almost pulled it off.

Arbeloa was meant to be the defensive alternative to Marcelo and Drenthe, but unfortunately he was out injured. When Marcelo or Drenthe plays , we need to keep the opposition full back occupied to take the presuure of them. We faiuled to do that today and it cost us.

Xabi would play better if he is left as the sole playmaker CM and everything flows through him, but like I said earlier, MP got it all wrong and we can only wait to see if he has learnt anything.

When i saw the line up i knew there was going to be a problem. A granero would ve been better instead of guti/m.diarra  in the absence of lass because xabi alonso does what guti is good at donig. And in the absence of ronaldo i would ve loved to see both benzema and higuain on the pitch at the same time with benzema preferably rolling from the left flank.

J navas made life miserable for marcelona  and xabi was casual throughout the match. Casillas will soon run mad one day with the kind of saves he makes,those saves are extraterrestrial. Pepe and Abiol had a good game but should be scolded for the second goal.

This sevilla team is a unit but i think zokora is full of shits. That LB adriano is a pain in the ass and capel is not a friendly option because the ran our defense inside out.

The defeat will come one day and it's come. Jnavas is by far man of the match.

I couldn't even eat when i got home . I would ve preferred a defeat from xerex than from sevilla.

Halla madrid.