Real Madrid News
Arda Guler vs Dominik Szoboszlai – Settling the rivalry with cold, hard stats
The battle between Arda Guler and Dominik Szoboszlai is not just limited to international; football—it has now turned into a personal rivalry.
The two talented midfielders, representing Real Madrid and Liverpool, respectively, have on the neck of each other on numerous occasions, and a recent exchange of words has only added more fuel to the fire.
After Hungary’s match against Turkey, Szoboszlai took a dig at Guler, suggesting that the Real Madrid prodigy’s limited game time at the Spanish club was a sign of his lack of importance.
This was a clear attempt to undermine Guler, who has indeed struggled with injuries and competition for minutes in an already star-studded Madrid squad.
Guler’s response
However, Guler did not let this insult go unanswered. The Turkish youngster fired back on his Instagram story with a brutal response:
“This guy is a joke. Isn’t 6 goals enough to shut you up?”—a direct reference to Turkey’s dominant 6-1 aggregate victory over Hungary.
This response sent social media into a frenzy, as fans from both sides debated who had the upper hand in this feud.
A look at the statistics
Statistically, the two players are closely matched despite the fact that there is a major difference between their starting roles at their clubs.
As seen in their SofaScore ratings, Szoboszlai boasts a slightly better rating (7.18) compared to Guler (7.13) but has played significantly more minutes.
While Szoboszlai has more goals (7 to Guler’s 3), the Real Madrid youngster has better per-90 metrics, including key passes, dribbles, and duels won—highlighting his efficiency despite playing fewer minutes.
To put things into perspective, Guler, in his 1111 minutes of action, averages 2.75 key passes per 90 minutes compared to Szoboszlai’s 1.77. Furthermore, the Turk also completes more successful dribbles per 90’ (1.38) than the Hungarian (0.87).
With this rivalry now extending beyond international duty, all eyes will be on how Guler and Szoboszlai perform for their clubs.
Sadly, a Champions League showdown between Real Madrid and Liverpool cannot add another chapter to this heated battle as Liverpool have been knocked out of the competition.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho reacts to Vinicius suspension: “Why announce it two hours before an important match?”
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has questioned the RFEF Disciplinary Committee’s decision to announce Vinicius Jr.’s four-match suspension just hours before their UEFA Champions League meeting with AS Roma on Wednesday.
The Brazilian has been hit with a four-match ban for his red card against Villarreal, meaning he will miss the matches against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander, and Valencia.
And, speaking to Movistar+ (h/t MARCA) before the match, the Real Madrid manager was asked whether the punishment could affect the Brazilian psychologically.
Mourinho instead turned his attention to the football authorities and the timing of their announcement.
“I think that is a question for the Committee. Why have they announced the suspension at this particular moment? If you are asking me this question, it is presumably because you think it could affect him,” the Portuguese coach replied.
“You should ask the Committee why they did not announce it this morning, or tomorrow morning. Why do they do it two hours before a match that is important for Real Madrid, which is a Spanish club?” he added, questioning the timing of the decision.
Mourinho explains his tactical approach against Roma
The Real Madrid manager also outlined his plan for facing a Roma side known for their aggressive pressing.
“My intention is to stop them from pressing us so high up the pitch, given the players we have available and as a precaution,” he said.
Continuing, the Portuguese manager added: “They press man-to-man higher up the pitch better than anyone else, and we will see whether we can take advantage of that. If not, they will have to drop their press five or ten metres.”
Why Rudiger over Huijsen
Mourinho also justified his decision to start Antonio Rudiger at centre-back alongside Ibrahima Konate rather than Dean Huijsen.
“They played very well together in the last match, Rudiger and Konate, showing great leadership and the ability to withstand a difficult situation when we had ten men for 30 minutes,” he said.
“I am not saying Dean is not capable of playing a match like this, but this is a wonderful atmosphere for Roma and a difficult one for us. I think a player with Antonio’s experience can be important,” Mourinho added.
Finally, Mourinho was asked about his emotions ahead of returning to face Roma, the club he managed between 2021 and 2024.
The Portuguese coach offered a brief response, saying that he had his feelings about the occasion “blocked”.
