Real Madrid News
Five key stats ahead of Real Madrid vs Osasuna | Copa del Rey final
Real Madrid will have a great opportunity to end their long-running drought in the Copa del Rey when they face off against CA Osasuna in the finals of the tournament at Estadio de La Cartuja later tonight.
Los Blancos have not lifted the Copa del Rey trophy for nine years, with their last triumph coming way back in 2014, during Carlo Ancelotti’s first reign as manager at the Santiago Bernabeu.
As they look to bring back the King’s Cup trophy back to the club, Real Madrid face a stern challenge in the form of Osasuna, a team that has already managed to hold them to a draw this season in La Liga despite being down to ten men.
But, heading into tonight’s match, Los Blancos have reasons to be confident as they have an impeccable record against the team from Pamplona in the cup competitions.
Indeed, Real Madrid have won each of their previous eight Copa del Rey meetings against Osasuna with an aggregate scoreline of 25-5. All these encounters have been either in the Round of 16 or at the quarter-final stages.
What’s more, Real Madrid have not lost a game to Osasuna across all competitions in over 12 years. The last time the Merengues fell to a defeat to Los Rojillos was in January 2011. Since then, they have won 13 of the 18 matches between the two sides (D5).
However, one area of concern for the Merengues heading into the match against Osasuna would be the poor record of their club captain and ace goalscorer Karim Benzema.
Indeed, Benzema has not scored a goal for Real Madrid against Osasuna for over nine years now, with his last strike against them coming in January 2014, in the Copa del Rey Round of 16 tie. To put it into perspective, he has netted against 59 different teams on three different continents since that strike vs Osasuna.
Apart from breaking his drought against Osasuna, Benzema will also have his eyes on another special milestone. Should he lead Real Madrid to the Copa del Rey triumph tonight, the 35-year-old would equal Marcelo as the player with the most trophies in the history of the club.
Furthermore, Real Madrid have lost more Copa del Rey finals (20) than they have won (19), a record that Carlo Ancelotti & co. will be hoping to set straight tonight.
Real Madrid News
Harry Kane ‘very close’ to completing Real Madrid move, only final details remain – report
Jude Bellingham’s move to Real Madrid was finally closed earlier today as officially confirmed by Borussia Dortmund on their website. Yet, the offices at Santiago Bernabeu have not even taken a break to celebrate their success.
According to reports from Alfredo Pedullà, Los Blancos are now completely focused on the acquisition of Harry Kane. The English striker’s arrival is very close to approaching closure and only a few details remain to be sorted.
The Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur representatives reportedly held a meeting today over the striker’s transfer. The agenda was to agree on a number for the transfer fee.
The Premier League side began the proceedings with an expectation of €100 to €110 million in exchange for Kane. However, the Merengues suggested a lower point at €80 to €90 million, albeit with the option to include bonuses.
There is not much separating the two parties at the moment, and the minor gap will be bridged in the coming days. Overall, the meeting ended with a broad understanding between the two clubs.
Carlo Ancelotti sees the English striker as the centre-piece of his attack for next season given the recent departure of Karim Benzema. After all, Kane has been one of football’s most consistent goalscorers over the past decade.
Yet, Los Blancos cannot afford to let their guard down with one signing and will need to rope in at least two more names in attack to serve as backup options. The exits of Mariano Diaz, Marco Asensio, and Eden Hazard leave them with no squad depth, after all.
Kane has scored 30, 17, and 23 goals in his last three seasons in the Premier League and is the epitome of consistency. Further, he had three assists in his most recent league season and created 14 big chances.
