CARLO SEES HIS TEAM AS BETTER THAN LAST YEAR'S

The manager has no doubts about his team's commitment: "We are going into this decisive stage in better physical condition than we were in at this point last year."

About Danilo, Real Madrid's new signing, he remarked, "Danilo is one of Europe's best defenders. The added competition will help Carvajal and Arbeloa."

Is the league possible?:"We are convinced that it's by no means decided yet, but we have no margin for error; we have to win all games possible. The team is revved-up, fresh and raring to go. If we compare them to last year, we are going into this moment in better shape. Only Pepe has a slight problem, which will be sorted very soon. We have a lot of games in April; it's normal to think that we need the whole squad. I'll try to rotate the team; all the players will be used. We are not making calculations based on the points that Barcelona might drop. Our objective is to win the next ten games - we've done it before, it's not a utopia. I think we can do so again; I believe in this team, in this squad. I see a fully charged group ready to give their all in all the games."

Bale:"In the last game that he played at home, he scored twice; against Barcelona he played well. For Wales he also played well. The break has served to give him and others more confidence. The break has helped us."

Strategy:"Against Barcelona, our midfielders tracked back to defend well; the team was more compact."

Chicharito:"I understand him because over the past few months there have been players that have not played all that much. The situation now, which I have explained to the players, is that I will need the whole squad. With these games to come, everyone is going to be used more."

Pepe:"I think he'll be okay in a week's time."

James:"He's fine. I'm going to start him and rest Khedira and Carvajal. Isco is sanctioned and the rest are available."

The Granada game:"From now on, all the matches are of utmost importance for all of us. We are focused on this Sunday's game. They have improved a lot in their recent games, they're dangerous. We are preparing for them as we always do, in the knowledge that we cannot fail."

Are they all in with a chance of playing in the Champions League?: "The match against Atlético is still far away. We have to concentrate on this weekend. Playing well and winning this week will help us to have added confidence for the game against Atlético."

STERLING MADE A MISTAKE,NOT LEAVING LIVERPOOL

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers insists Raheem Sterling will not leave the club this summer and says the forward made a mistake in giving an unauthorized interview.

The England star caused controversy earlier in the week when he admitted turning down a recent £100,000-a-week contract offer but he remains tied to the Anfield club until the summer of 2017.

Sterling subsequently insisted the stand-off has arisen because of his desire for trophies rather than money, but in a bid to kill off speculation Premier League rivals Arsenal will swoop for his services over the summer, Rodgers has reiterated that the 20-year-old is not for sale.

The Northern Irishman said: "Raheem has two and a half years left on his deal and he's not going anywhere in the summer. He's quite relaxed, as I am, and he just wants to focus on the rest of the season."Concentration, like I said a few weeks back, should be on his football and continuing his development. He's made great strides over the last couple of years and his only concentration should be the remaining games."The last time we sat down we discussed that that was the intentions of the player, his representatives and the club. Obviously Raheem has come out and made his feelings clear on that and hopefully his focus will be on the football now."If his ambition is to win a trophy, that’s perfectly aligned with what we are trying to do here. Arsenal is a fantastic club but this is Liverpool and it's an honour to him to play here for these great supporters and he understands that."The player he is today is because of the environment we've created here. He's not going anywhere in the summer and we'll focus on trying to make him the best player we can.

 

ROBERTO CARLOS THINKS "DANILO WILL DO WELL AT REAL MADRID"

The Brazilian said that "Danilo is a good full-back; he's very similar to Dani Alves. He's a very complete full-back. He defends well and is great going forward. Madrid have made a really good signing because he is world-class".

When asked about Cristiano Ronaldo and him being booed at the Bernabéu, Roberto Carlos said, "In football, it's really hard to produce consistently good performances all season. 

The Bernabéu faithful have always been like that. Cristiano is happy at Real Madrid and I think he'll leave when his contract is up. I can't see Florentino Pérez letting him go before".

Regarding Casillas's possible departure from the club, the Brazilian said "after the way Raúl and Guti left, I can see anything happening. Casillas needs to regain his self-confidence and get back to being number one".

On Bale: "I really like him a lot. Does he hog the ball? I played alongside Rivaldo with Brazil and I thought the same, but he helped me win 15 titles. He lacks certain defensive skills, but asking him to man mark an opponent, with Kroos in the side, would involve tweaking the system".

On the current Real Madrid squad, the former Madrid man said, "If my team had what Real Madrid has on the bench, we'd win the title every season. Of course there's a difference between the players who start and those on the bench. The squad players on the bench aren't as on form as the starting XI".

STARC TO MISS START OF IPL

INJURED

Starc picked up 14 wickets from as many matches and conceded 7.49 per over for Royal Challengers in 2014. His fitness will be tracked along with fellow fast bowler and new recruit Adam Milne's, who had to pull out of the World Cup with a heel problem. The team does have fast-bowling backup, though, in the form of India's Varun Aaron and Ashok Dinda, and Australia seamer and winner of the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year Sean Abbott.

Over the last 12 months, Starc has played 27 of the 37 international matches for Australia, including all of the last 14 ODIs. His standout performance at the World Cup - 22 wickets at 10.18 and an economy of 3.5 per over - earned him the Player-of-the-Tournament award and the No. 1 ranking in ODIs. He was backed to continue in the same vein in Tests as well, as Australia turn their attention to overseas success - a tour of West Indies in June and the Ashes in July being their first assignments.

PORTO RIGHT-BACK'S REAL MADRID MOVE CONFIRMED

PROVEN QUALITY

Barcelona were in pole position to sign Danilo. The Porto right-back had been identified by the Catalan club as their top target to replace Dani Alves this summer and negotiations were already underway. A few months on, however, and the 23-year-old will not be joining them. And worse still for the Blaugrana, he has agreed a move to Real Madrid instead.

As Barca dallied, Madrid stole a march on their fiercest rivals and have now confirmed a deal to bring in a player they arguably need less than Barca but one which will undoubtedly improve their playing squad for next season.

WORTH THE AMOUNT

NO FIFA VIRUS THIS TIME IN INTERNATIONAL BREAK

BACK TO HIS BEST

The FIFA virus may have been very damaging to Real Madrid on past occasions, but the current international break has provided more of a healing oil for 'Los Blancos', both in terms of injuries and morale, particularly for some of the squad's high-profile players.

A special mention goes to Gareth Bale, whose transformation when representing Wales is a sight to behold. His powerful display against Israel included a brace and an assist which leave his country in a strong position on the hunt for a first major tournament appearance in 58 years.

Bale's goals were celebrated with the fervour typical of a crucial Real Madrid goal in the Bernabéu headquarters, given the directors' awareness of how the club's success in what remains of the current season may well hinge on whether or not the Welshman can rediscover his best form.

Casillas was greeted with a standing ovation at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán in Seville against Ukraine rather than the recent boos at the Bernabéu.

The club's German contingent has also enjoyed a positive international break with Khedira sporting his country's captain's armband and Kroos putting in a dominant display in the comfortable 2-0 victory in Georgia.

Karim Benzema also captained his country, while Varane started and got on the scoresheet for 'Les Bleus'. Modric played his first full 90 minutes for five months and dictated the pace of the game with his usual ease for Croatia.

Portugal dispatched of Serbia, with Cristiano Ronaldo's confidence flowing again, although it was Fabio Coentrão who scored the winning goal, rather than the striker.

Keylor Navas kept a clean sheet for Costa Rica, while Javier Hernández scored Mexico's winner against Ecuador.

FULL-BACK IS NEYMAR'S LONG-STANDING COMRADE-IN-ARMS

GREAT COMBO

Danilo and Neymar share worse memories of the 2012 London Olympic Games. Brazil missed out on a gold medal after losing to Mexico in the final. Danilo also found the net in London, opening the scoring in the game against New Zealand.

He missed out on a place at the 2014 World Cup, mainly because Luiz Felipe Scolari preferred the experience of Dani Alves and Maicon. He has had more chances to shine since Dunga's return to the Brazil dugout, and he has made the most of them. He started seven out of eight games and cemented his place in a new-look Brazil side.

Brazil won seven out of seven matches with him starting at the back. They only conceded two goals in those games despite facing Argentina in Beijing and France in Paris.

Last Sunday, in London, he almost completed a perfect pass to set up Firmino in Brazil's win over Chile. The defender put in a good game and drew praise from his coach. Danilo looks increasingly more settled in the national team. He focused on the defensive aspect of his game in his first few games, but he's slowly letting loose in attack", said Dunga.

He joined Porto from Santos in 2012 for €13m. Having started his career in midfield, it took him a while to adapt to his new defensive role, but he has since improved that aspect of his game and bulked up physically.