Real Madrid have the advantage against Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League having won the first leg 3-1 at Stamford Bridge.
Just about everything has been going Real Madrid바카라™s way recently, in the La Liga and the Champions League. Not even the resounding 4-0 loss to Barcelona in the 바카라śclásico바카라ť at home a few weeks ago was enough to knock the Spanish league leaders off track. (More Football News)
But heading into Tuesday바카라™s second leg against Chelsea in the Champions League quarterfinals, when Madrid will defend a 3-1 lead from the first match in London, some of the team바카라™s focus was being directed toward Gareth Bale and his old feud with fans.
The 32-year-old Bale, who spent last season on loan at former club Tottenham, was loudly jeered by the Madrid crowd at the Santiago BernabĂ©u Stadium after coming off the bench in the team바카라™s 2-0 win over Getafe in the Spanish league on Saturday.
Players and coach Carlo Ancelotti couldn바카라™t avoid talking about it. 바카라śWhen you jeer a player, you are jeering all of us,바카라ť Madrid midfielder Casemiro said Monday. 바카라śI didn바카라™t like it because Bale is a historic player for this club. He has scored a lot of important goals for this club.
바카라śWhen you jeer a player like him, you are jeering the history of this club. I hope that the fans will support all of us and will get excited about the game tomorrow. We need their support.바카라ť
Ancelotti, who included Bale in the squad for the second leg, had already talked about the importance of having fans and players on the same page.
바카라śIn a moment like this in the season, when we need every player, the unity between fans and the squad is a very important aspect,바카라ť Ancelotti said after the match against Getafe. 바카라śBale is well, he has been practicing and wants to play and help the team, that바카라™s the most important thing.바카라ť
Bale has long been at odds with Madrid fans, who feel he hasn바카라™t made the club a priority and instead focuses on Wales바카라™ national team. Many fans and Spanish media say Bale failed to consistently perform to his potential since joining the club in 2013 for a then-world record 100 million euros (then $132 million).
바카라śIt바카라™s tough,바카라ť veteran Madrid left back Marcelo said. 바카라śWe are all important. At the end of the season, when we are playing for a lot of important things, we need to be united. The fans have to help us. But it is what it is and we have to remain calm. It바카라™s a bit sad, but we have to keep working hard and move on.바카라ť
Bale last month spoke out against the psychological harm that professional athletes can receive from the media after a leading Spanish sports daily published a column entitled 바카라śThe Welsh Parasite.바카라ť Bale accused the media of 바카라śencouraging anger and disappointment in fans.바카라ť
Bale helped Madrid win four European titles, scoring in the 2014 and 2018 Champions League finals. He has made only seven appearances and scored one goal with Madrid this season, though, while with Wales he has five goals in six matches.
Madrid will be back at the BernabĂ©u after having to play the home match against Chelsea in last year바카라™s Champions League semifinals at the small Alfredo Di StĂ©fano Stadium at the team바카라™s training center because of major renovation work. Madrid drew that game 1-1 before losing 2-0 in London.
Madrid rallied past Paris Saint-Germain at the Bernabéu 3-1 to overturn a 1-0 loss in Paris in the round of 16. Karim Benzema scored a hat trick in that game, and the red-hot France striker got another three-goal performance in the first leg against Chelsea last week.
Madrid hadn바카라™t lost in 14 consecutive matches at home before falling to Barcelona in the Spanish league in March.
바카라śWe didn바카라™t lose our focus after the Barcelona loss,바카라ť Ancelotti said. 바카라śWe handled the situation well.바카라ť Madrid still has a 12-point league lead over Barcelona with seven matches to go, though the Catalan club has a game in hand.
Ancelotti rested Toni Kroos and Luka Modric in the win against Getafe, and the coach said left back Ferland Mendy is expected to return to the starting lineup against Chelsea after recovering from a muscle problem. He will not count on suspended central defender Éder Militão, however.
Madrid has won 34 of its last 36 two-legged series in UEFA competitions, but it conceded more than three goals at home against Ajax in the round of 16 of the Champions League in 2019. The team lost 4-1 at the Bernabéu after a 2-1 win away and was eliminated.