Standard Liege vs Real Madrid | Preview
The Whites face a Belgian side that has won once and drawn twice in Jupiter league action
Real Madrid face Standard Liege in their fourth test of the preseason. With three wins under the belt, one by way of a penalty shooutout, the Whites square off against one of the all-time classic teams of Belgian football.
Hoping to add onto their preseason success against teams with more football played at their feet, Real Madrid head to Belgium on Tuesday to play Standard Liege in an attempt to remain undefeated this summer.
It won’t be an easy task, however, as Stade de Sclessin is expecting a packed house in support of their home side that has yet to lose in three Jupiter League matches. Standard, who drew against Zulte -Waregem SV (1-1), defeated K. Lierse SK (1-4) on the road and most recently drew again versus Lokeren (3-3), have scored eight goals and midfielder Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez sits atop the scoring chart along with Genk Jelle Vossen (four goals apiece).
Jose Mourinho will change things up with respect to last Friday’s friendly against Bayern Munich. This time round, the Portuguese coach will rely on two men, Higuain and Benzema, in attack. Casillas will get the nod in goal, Arbeloa, Albiol, Ramos and Drenthe will start on the back line and Gago, Lass, Granero and Van der Vaart will be in the midfield for kick-off.
While Castilla’s Juanan makes his first trip with the first team, Kaka, Pepe, Diarra and Garay are unavailable due to injury and Adan has stayed in the Spanish capital to a coaching decision.
Old friends will come face-to-face as Jose Mourinho and Ricardo Carvalho square off against Sergio Conceiçao, assistant coach to Dominique D’onofrio. The former Portuguese winger played under the Madridista boss and alongside Real Madrid’s newest signing at Porto, and along with the two won the club’s second European Cup.
SQUAD LIST:
Goalkeepers: Casillas, Dudek
Defenders: Carvalho, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Arbeloa, Albiol, Drenthe, Juanan
Midfielders: Khedira, Lass, Granero, Xabi Alonso, Canales, Gago, Pedro Leon, Van der Vaart, Di Maria, Juanfran
Forwards: Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, Higuain
Profile: Mesut Özil
A young, talented midfielder with a bright future
Mesut Ozil (15-10-88, Gelsenkirchen, West Germany) lands at Real Madrid after a standout performance at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The midfielder earned a permanent spot on Germany’s senior side by the age of 21 after winning the 2009 Under-21 European Championship. His unique touch, unmatched individual technique, excellent ball control and deadly last pass make the German midfielder one of the brightest up-and-coming stars in European football.
A constant work in progress, Mesut Ozil has quickly earned a reputation as an elegant and versatile midfielder. His knack for the final pass, his free-flowing movement on every third of the pitch and his exquisite left foot earned Ozil a spot in Shalke 04′s academy in 2005. It only took one season for the midfielder to earn his promotion to the first team and he made his Bundesliga debut at the age of 17.
During the winter transfer window 0f 2008, Ozil completed a switch to Werder Bremen, where he played over 60 matches and scored 13 goals. With Werder, the midfielder went on to win the 2009 DFB Cup and the 2009 DFL Supercup. On an individual level, Ozil was rewarded for his outstanding Bundesliga play by being named the best player of the first leg of the 2009 season.
Ozil is paving the way for the German national team’s new generation of players. Although of Turkish decent, his entire life has been committed to Germany. He played for the Under-17 side and moved his way up to the Under-21 side, which won the 2009 European Championship. Ozil provided two assists and scored a goal in the final against England.
His debut with the senior side dates back to 12 August 2009, when Germany defeated Azerbaijan. Ozil continued to impress in World Cup qualifiers and by the end of the 2010 World Cup was among the ten finalists for the Golden Boot.
Career:
- Schalke 04 (2006-2008)
- Werder Bremen (2008-2010)
Titles & Accolades:
- DFB Cup: 2009
- DFL Supercup: 2009
- UEFA Cup runner-up: 2009
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2009
Mesut Özil becomes a Madridista!
Özil joins German compatriot Khedira (background) at Real
Mesut Özil has signed for Real Madrid C.F. from SV Werder Bremen for a fee reported to be around €15m. The German youngster who was under the radar of several top clubs in Europe including the likes of Manchester United and Barça decided to join Real Madrid following Real’s second offer which Bremen could not refuse.
The official word from Real’s official website read:
Real Madrid C. F. and SV Werder Bremen have agreed to the transfer of Mesut Özil.
Werder turned down an offer which was described as “risible” by general manager Klaus Allofs last week but have now reached an agreement for Özil, who would have been available on a free transfer when his contract expired in 12 months. Werder had opened up new contract talks with the Özil a year ago, but the player officially rejected the club’s final offer prior to the World Cup. From that moment, it was clear Bremen would be forced to sell the 21-year-old. Earlier on Tuesday, Werder claimed they would play Özil in the Champions League on Wednesday, leaving him cup-tied, unless a deal was agreed in the next 24 hours. Allofs said:
If a club is looking to sign Mesut to play Champions League, then that club needs to make a decision before Wednesday. If Mesut Özil is a player of Werder Bremen on Wednesday, we are going to play him against Sampdoria.
However, Özil did not take part in the club’s final training session ahead of the clash as Real moved quickly to complete the deal. Following the deal Allofs said:
We respect Mesut’s wish to take the next step in his career at this point.
Özil will undergo a medical in Madrid on Wednesday and is reported to have agreeed a six-year contract to team up with international team-mate Sami Khedira and fellow new signings Ricardo Carvalho, Sergio Canales, Pedro León and Ángel di María.
Özil’s senior career began at FC Schalke 04 at the age of 17 but in January 2008 he moved to Bremen for €4.3m and the following year helped them win the German Cup and reach the UEFA Cup final, before inspiring his nation to victory at the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Sweden. He had already made the step up to the senior international side and was nominated for the adidas Golden Ball at the 2010 FIFA World Cup after helping Germany finish third. He has now won 17 caps and in all made more than 100 appearances in all competitions for Bremen.
From a personal standpoint, this particular signing of Mesut Özil, I feel is the signing of the summer so far along with the move of retaining Sergio Canales. Özil is a sensational player and definitely is one for the future.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Just another Madridista
Junta speak