Real Madrid face Barcelona in a make-or-break El Clasico this weekend aided by a resurgent Cristiano Ronaldo, but acutely aware that defeat would see them trail their bitter enemies by a massive 11 points.
Ronaldo has hit form at just the right time, netting three in the 4-1 win at Ajax in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, that haul coming after his hat-trick in the 5-1 La Liga rout of RC Deportivo de La Coruna last weekend.
The last time Real and Barcelona clashed in the league in April, Ronaldo scored the decisive goal at the Camp Nou as Madrid went on to win the league, but this season Barcelona have begun with ominous intent to reclaim their crown with six straight victories.
Perhaps the result of basking in their own triumph, Jose Mourinho’s side instead made a stuttering start with just one win from the first four games, but since then they have clicked into gear and Ronaldo has looked more like his old self.
The Portuguese had looked moody and introspective, refusing to celebrate some goals with his teammates and declaring himself unhappy, but his winner against Manchester City in the Champions League last month showed his desire was back and now he is fully primed to face Barca after his successive hat-tricks.
“I am very happy with the way we are playing and the victory against Ajax gives us all plenty of confidence, while for me personally to score three is vital for my own confidence,” Ronaldo said.
His teammate Xabi Alonso admitted that there is no margin for error.
“To win will be fantastic and lose, bad, there is no way of hiding the fact. We are aware of the difference in points and so obviously we are going out for the victory, but we need to rest and prepare,” Alonso said.
Although Barca have a 100 percent record, they have had injury worries to deal with, especially in defense.
The bad news to come from their mid-week Champions League win over SL Benfica was that Carles Puyol will be out of action for up to two months with a dislocated elbow.
The talismanic defender was only just returning from a lengthy layoff and is now back in the treatment room along with fellow centerhalf Gerard Pique.
Elsewhere, unbeaten duo Atletico Madrid and Malaga go head-to-head, while high-flying Sevilla and RCD Mallorca, both on 11 points, are against RC Celta de Vigo and Granada respectively.
At the other end of the table, RCD Espanyol have just one point and they are away to Real Valladolid, while Athletic Bilbao and CA Osasuna immediately above them face each other.
Shohei Ohtani and his wife arrived in South Korea with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates yesterday ahead of their season-opening games with the San Diego Padres next week. Ohtani, wearing a black training suit and a cap backwards, was the first Dodgers player who showed up at the arrival gate of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, walked several steps behind him. As a crowd of fans, many wearing Dodgers jerseys, shouted his name and cheered slogans, Ohtani briefly waved his hand, but did not say anything before he entered a limousine bus with his wife. Fans held placards
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals at the All England Open, beating Kim Ga-eun of South Korea 21-17, 21-15. With the win, Tai earned a semi-final against China’s He Bingjiao, who beat Michelle Li of Canada 21-9, 21-9. Defending champion An Se-young defeated India’s P.V. Sindhu 21-19, 21-11. An on Wednesday cruised into the second round, unlike last year’s men’s winner, Li Shifeng, who suffered a shock defeat. South Korea’s An, the world No. 1, overcame Taiwan’s Hsu Wen-chi 21-17, 21-16 to set up the match against Sindhu. In other women’s singles matches, Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun lost 21-18, 24-22 against Carolina Marin of
EYEING TOP SPOT: A victory in today’s final against Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova would return 38-year-old Hsieh Su-wei to the world No. 1 ranking Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens on Thursday secured a spot in the women’s doubles finals at the BNP Paribas Open after dispatching Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) at Indian Wells. Hsieh and her Belgian partner Mertens, who won the Australian Open in late January, coasted through the first set after breaking their opponents’ serve twice, but found the going tougher in the second. Both pairs could only muster one break point over 12 games, neither of which were converted, leaving the set to be decided by a tiebreaker. Hsieh and Mertens took a 6-3 lead,
DOUBLES PAYBACK: Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Martens avenged their defeat in the quarters at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open against Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. Hsieh and partner Elise Mertens of Belgium dispatched Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani 6-1, 6-4 to set up a clash against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez for a spot in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament. Hsieh and Martens made a blistering start to their rematch after they lost to Schuurs and Stefani in the quarter-finals at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open last month, winning three games without reply at the start of the first set