LIVE - TUESDAY FOOTBALL

by akromose | April 5, 2011 at 11:28 am

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OptaJoe on Twitter: "3 - Spurs have picked up three red cards in the Champions League this season, more than any other side. Mountain."
2009: With 22 minutes gone, Real keeper Iker Casillas has his first shot to save. Rafael van der Vaart, who is now operating as Tottenham's lone striker, fires in a free-kick from 30 yards out... but the ball bounces harmlessly into the hands of Casillas.
BBC Sport European Football blogger Phil Minshull in the Santiago Bernabeu: "Real Madrid fans are in fine voice, I haven't heard or seen the Bernabeu as energised this season. The Ultras Sur, Real's hardcore fans who inhabit the south end of the stadium, are belting out one of their favourites, a dodgy version of the old Pet Shop Boys hit 'Go West' sung to some patriotic lyrics."

Schalke goal: The German side are quickly level. An unmarked Kyriakos Papadopoulos should do better with his downwards header from a corner, which is saved by Julio Cesar, but the ball falls kindly to Joel Matip who finishes from close range.
Football League Nathan: "Goal frenzy in the opening stages in League One. It's a flying start for Peterborough as a David Ball double gives the visitors a flying start at Dagenham and Redbridge. Southampton going well, too, with the unmarked Guly Do Prado grabbing his ninth goal of the season with a cool side-foot finish for a 1-0 lead at home to Charlton. Leyton Orient, Rochdale and Sheffield Wednesday all have two-goal leads in their games."

2006: Ten-man Tottenham have to be careful here, because they have picked up another booking. Sandro clatters Cristiano Ronaldo but it is Rafael van der Vaart who is shown a yellow for kicking the ball away.
2004: Tottenham look at full stretch every time Real come forward but Emmanuel Adebayor is penalised for a high boot and Spurs can breathe again, for now anyway.

Spurs red card: Silly, very silly. Peter Crouch slides in wildly again, this time on Marcelo, and German referee Felix Brych quickly shows him his second yellow card of the night - correctly too. A goal and now a man down, after Aaron Lennon's illness/injury too. Could Tottenham's evening have gone any worse so far?
2002: GOALFLASH Inter Milan 1-1 Schalke 04 (Matip)
2001: RED CARD Tottenham's Peter Crouch

Former England boss Graham Taylor at the Bernabeu on BBC Radio 5 live: "From the word go they have looked unsettled. They need to do a lot more if they are going to make an impression on this game."

1958: Another booking, this time for Emmanuel Adebayor, who needlessly slides in on Tottenham defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto as the ball rolls out of play. The first 10 minutes or so have been pretty lively, haven't they?
1957: It was Aaron Lennon's late replacement, Jermaine Jenas, who lost Emmanuel Adebayor for Real's goal. Still, plenty of time for him to make amends.
1956: Another sniff for Real. Marcelo makes space for a shot on the edge of the area with a neat turn and sends the ball flashing past the foot of Heurelo Gomes' left-hand post. Tottenham need to settle down, and quickly.

1955: Peter Crouch lunges in on Sergio Ramos. A bit rash that, and it earns him the first booking of the night.

Inter goal: This is some strike, so apologies for the slight delay in telling you about it. Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer sprints out of his area to head away a through-ball, but it falls for Dejan Stankovic near the halfway line, and he volleys it straight back over Neuer's head after showing exquisite control and composure.

Real goal: Tottenham's nightmare continues. Their old Arsenal nemesis Emmanuel Adebayor rises unmarked to meet a corner and his downward header beats Heurelo Gomes and Luka Modric, who is standing on the post but cannot keep it out. Real lead after four minutes.
1951: GOALFLASH Real Madrid 1-0 Tottenham (Adebayor)
1949: Here's the latest on Aaron Lennon. He was taken out of the starting XI because of illness but he is among the Spurs substitutes. On the pitch, Angel di Maria has just had a shot deflected wide for Real.
1948: A cagey start at the Bernabeu, apart from a couple of long-range efforts, both off-target, by Cristiano Ronaldo. Quite unlike what we saw at the San Siro - more on that very soon.
1948: GOALFLASH Inter Milan 1-0 Schalke 04 (Stankovic)

1946: Aaron Lennon was actually feeling unwell, rather than injured. Not the start Spurs were looking for. Anyway, we are under way.
1945: A late change for Tottenham. Aaron Lennon picked up a hamstring strain in the warm-up and Jermaine Jenas takes his place in the starting XI. We are already under way at the San Siro by the way...
1944: You can listen to commentary of Real-Spurs on BBC Radio 5 live... just give this page a manual refresh and the link will appear in the top right of the page. For all your lower league needs, Midweek Final Score is also up and running.
1943: Here come the players too... time for that tune you know and love.
1942: First man to emerge? Jose Mourinho. Who else...
1940: The players are in the tunnels at the Bernabeu... two seperate ones here, just like at the Reebok Stadium... which is where the similarities pretty much begin and end I'm afraid, Bolton fans.
1939: Lots of talk about how crucial Luka Modric will be for Tottenham tonight, as Avik20 tweeted at 1923. On BBC Radio 5 live, Graham Taylor thinks Xabi Alonso will be expected to do a job on him in midfield. But there are going to be battles all over the park tonight... who fancies who in Emmanuel Adebayor v Michael Dawson, just for example?
1936: Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp looks happy and relaxed enough in his pre-match interview, with kick-off fast approaching. What did Harry have to say? "We've been reckoning on Ronaldo playing all along. They are more or less lining up how we expected them to. I feel same as I do any other Saturday. The plan is to make sure we stay in the game. They've got some fantastic forward players but so have we. We've got pace and are going to make sure we used that in Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale and look to carry the game on the counter attack."

Spanish football expert Graham Hunter at the Bernabeu on BBC Radio 5 live: "The long and the short of it is that, under Jose Mourinho, Madrid are fitter than ever, and far fitter than AC Milan or Inter Milan, who Spurs have already beaten this season. Mourinho has installed a winning mentality too and this is going to be a massive test for Harry Redknapp's side."
prajjwalpanday on Twitter: "Whatever the outcome, Spurs deserve massive credit for playing entertaining, end-to-end football this year"
BBC Sport's Paul Fletcher at the Madejski Stadium: "Reading make on change from the team that defeated Portsmouth, with Andy Griffin replacing Brynjar Gunnarsson, while Adam Barton comes in for the injured Ricardo Gardner in the Preston side."
avik20 on Twitter: "Forget about Bale and Ronaldo, Modric vs Xabi Alonso will be the key battle. Knock Modric out of the game and Madrid win."
OptaJoe on Twitter: "7 - Peter Crouch has scored seven goals in eight starts for Tottenham in Europe. Selection."
INTER MILAN v SCHALKE 04 TEAM NEWS
James Boylan reports: "Inter replace suspended centre-back Lucio with Cristian Chivu, who will play alongside Andrea Ranocchia in the heart of the defence. Schalke are without forwards Jan-Klaas Huntelaar and Mario Gavranovic, so Edu partners Raul Gonzalez in attack. Christoph Metzelder, who suffered suffered a broken nose at St Pauli on Friday, misses out."
1923: Hmmm, I've got a feeling that any Arsenal fans out there will be keeping a low profile tonight (well, possibly until full-time anyway) but the Gunners do have something to shout about when it comes to the Bernabeu. In 2006, and en-route to the Champions League final, they became the first English club to triumph, when a certain Thierry Henry scored the decisive goal in their second round clash. Can Spurs emulate their north-London neighbours? Not long until we find out...
Dr_Agon11 on Twitter: "I'd love to see Van der Vaart put in a big shift tonight and show Real what they're missing."
BBC Sport's Paul Fletcher at the Madejski Stadium: "Reading go into this fixture having broken into the Championship's top six last weekend and on the back of a run of form that has seen them win their last four league fixtures. While the Royals want to leave the division, opponents Preston are desperate to stay in it. They have won their last three games to climb off the bottom but are still eight points adrift of safety."
1915: Right then, we have just 30 minutes to go until kick-off in tonight's European games. The Bernabeu? Filling up nicely. How are you lot feeling, though? Nervous, excited, or both?
OptaJoe on Twitter: "0 - Real Madrid have won none of their last 5 Champions League games (D1 L4) against English teams & failed to score in the last 4. Spur."
1912: Those five Madrid players currently on a booking are Ricardo Carvalho, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Angel di Maria and Cristiano Ronaldo. They will miss the second leg at White Hart Lane on 13 April if they get a yellow card tonight, but no Tottenham players are in the same situation.
oliie678 on Twitter: "Five (key) players miss next match for Madrid if booked... could be important come next Wednesday."

Former England boss Graham Taylor in Madrid on BBC Radio 5 live, talking about what the Tottenham players might be thinking as they warm up at the Bernabeu: "When you go into this stadium, you just think 'wow' but Harry Redknapp will have made sure that they believe in themselves and that they are ready for this game. To get as far as they have done and be as confident as they are is fantastic, and this is a huge game in the club's history."
From Bello, on the way to the pub, Harlow, via text: "The big news for Spurs is that William Gallas is starting. A huge boost at the back."
1902: Tonight, as I've just been reminded by Infostrada Sports, is Real Madrid's first Champions League quarter-final since 2004, the year in which Jose Mourinho won the first of his Champions League crowns. That season, Real were upended in the last eight by AS Monaco, who would progress to the final to face Mourinho.
1900: Real Madrid have a LOT of previous in the European Cup/Champions League - a win at Wembley in May would see them crowned kings of Europe for the 10th time - but their recent record is not so hot - they have not lifted the famous trophy since 2002. What shape are they in this season then? Well, Saturday's defeat by Sporting Gijon (Jose Mourinho's first home league loss since 2002) has dealt their hopes of winning the Primera Liga a huge blow, but BBC Sport European Football blogger Phil Minshull believes that they will bounce back from that at the Bernabeu tonight. Minshull says: "The belief is still there that they can lift Europe's top club prize despite having now effectively thrown in the towel on challenging their bitter rivals Barcelona for this year's domestic title."
REAL MADRID v TOTTENHAM TEAM NEWS
Marc Vesty reports: "Key conjurers Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale will take top billing at the Bernabeu after both recovered from hamstring injuries to be included in the starting line-ups. Ronaldo's return boosts Real Madrid, who also welcome back Brazilian full-back Marcelo and midfielder Xabi Alonso. Manchester City loanee Emmanuel Adebayor starts up-front. Bale has not played for Tottenham since 19 March but starts on the left with Aaron Lennon on the right. William Gallas has recovered from a knee injury and partners Michael Dawson at centre-back. "
Inter Milan v Schalke 04 line-ups
Inter Milan: Julio Cesar, Maicon, Ranocchia, Chivu, Zanetti, Stankovic, Motta, Sneijder, Cambiasso, Eto'o, Milito. Subs: Castellazzi, Cordoba, Kharja, Mariga, Materazzi, Pandev, Nagatomo.
Schalke 04: Neuer, Uchida, Matip, Howedes, Sarpei, Farfan, Papadopoulos, Jurado, Baumjohann, Raul, Edu. Subs: Schober, Escudero, Plestan, Hao, Schmitz, Karimi, Draxler.
Referee: Martin Atkinson (England)
JayCamp1980 on Twitter: "Come on Spurs, take the game to Madrid. We have proved this year that we fear nobody in Europe."
lewisjd102 on Twitter: "It's on the cards for Adebayor to score tonight. Really hope he doesn't."
INTER MILAN v SCHALKE 04 (1945 GMT)
James Boylan reports: "Holders Inter resume their bid to become the first club to successfully defend the European crown in its Champions League incarnation. And, despite a 3-0 defeat to city rivals AC Milan on Saturday, they start the tie as favourites against a Schalke side that lies only 11th in the Bundesliga and whose manager, Ralf Rangnick, takes charge of his side for only the second time - albeit in his second stint at the club - after replacing the sacked Felix Magath two weeks ago. Rangnick's first game at the helm was abandoned two minutes early due to crowd trouble at St Pauli on Friday - hardly ideal preparation for the German side. But tonight's venue, the San Siro, is the scene of one of the biggest results in the Bundesliga club's history - their 1997 Uefa Cup final triumph… over none other than Internazionale."
From Farington White, via text: "What's all this talk of Real v Spurs? Only one team in white matters tonight. The majestic Preston North End continue their glorious escape from relegation!"
SamHandwich22 on Twitter: "Oh of course Ronaldo was going to start, how did I let myself fall for in Mourinho's mind games?"
KevinGandiya on Twitter: "Got a feeling Spurs will get a good result at the Bernabeu tonight! Madrid very shaky in defence."
Real Madrid v Tottenham line-ups
Real Madrid: Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Carvalho, Marcelo, Di Maria, Alonso, Ozil, Khedira, Adebayor, Ronaldo. Subs: Adan, Kaka, Diarra, Granero, Arbeloa, Garay, Higuain.
Tottenham: Gomes, Corluka, Gallas, Dawson, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon, Sandro, Modric, Bale, Van der Vaart, Crouch. Subs: Cudicini, Huddlestone, Jenas, Pavlyuchenko, Defoe, Bassong, Kranjcar.
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)
Tottenham's former Real Madrid playmaker Rafael van der Vaart, who swapped the Bernabeu for White Hart Lane last summer: "I don't have bad feelings towards Real or feel like I have to prove them wrong. I'm a Tottenham player now and I want to win. I had a great time here. I'm proud to have played for Real Madrid but I left for London and I'm happy there. I miss Madrid sometimes. I miss the weather and the lifestyle but I'm really happy at Tottenham. It's a fantastic club and I love the Premier League too."
1845: A (Tottenham-supporting) mate of mine flew out to Madrid earlier today and described Stansted Airport as being a bit like Paxton Road (which is behind one of the stands at White Hart Lane) on matchdays... in other words, it was full of Spurs fans. I suspect Spain's capital is pretty similar right now - it looks like a cracking atmosphere there from the pictures I've seen, and the Bernabeu is not exactly going to be quiet in an hour or so, is it?
Two-time Champions League winner Jose Mourinho again, this time on what tonight's tie means to him, and how he might approach it: "It's a game in the most important club competition in the world and there's no lack of motivation. It's a match that is too nice and too important to think about other things. I give the match a 10 (out of 10) for importance. Since I've been playing in the Champions League I've said that a goalless draw at home in the first match is not a bad result, although that doesn't mean we will be going out to play for a draw."
From Chris in London, via text: "Hi Chris, I think Gareth Bale can run in behind Sergio Ramos if he gets too tight. In a foot race there's only one winner. C'mon you Spurs!"
BREAKING TEAM NEWS FROM THE BERNABEU
Cristiano Ronado and defender Marcelo are both fit enough to start for Real Madrid, while Kaka is on the bench. Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon line up on either flank for Tottenham, with Peter Crouch up front. Full line-ups and team news to follow shortly.
More from BBC pundit Alan Hansen, on Tottenham's task tonight: "I would rank Spurs as underdogs in the tie, I assume most people would, but they have definitely got a chance against a Real side that is not a great one and is beatable, despite their collection of wonderful players. The key is to ensure the result from the first leg is manageable for the second game at White Hart Lane. The away goal is vital, but Spurs will not go gung-ho to try and get it because this sort of approach comes with the danger of being picked off."
JayCNoble on Twitter: "A managerial genius, an unstoppable winger and the expectations of an almighty fan base. Real Madrid aren't too bad either."
OptaJoe on Twitter: "5 - José Mourinho has won all five of his meetings with Harry Redknapp as a manager. Guvnors."
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho on his Spurs counterpart Harry Redknapp: "When I was in England he was not managing teams with a possibility of reaching these kind of ambitions in the Champions League. Finally after the good work he was doing, he went to Tottenham, who had the resources to build a good team. I'm very, very happy for him. I hope, and I say this from my heart, that if I don't reach the final, then I hope he does it."
1822: Here's some BREAKING NEWS for you. Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has admitted a charge for the use of offensive, insulting and/or abusive language from Saturday's win at West Ham. However, Rooney has submitted a claim that the automatic penalty of two games is excessive. A commission will hear his submission tomorrow.
BBC pundit Alan Hansen on Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, who is expected to be fit after a hamstring injury: "The debate rages about who is the best player to grace the Premier League but I bow to no-one in my belief that when Ronaldo was at Manchester United, he was the finest I have ever seen in destroying tiring teams in the last 20 minutes. He was magnificent at it and Harry Redknapp will be well aware of this should tired legs become a factor." And on Jose Mourinho: "People can say what they like about Jose but if you ask a man to measure how good he is by putting his medals on the table, he will never have a problem."
stockmarkettrac on Twitter: "Re 1801. That was a terrible pun. I hope Tottenham's night is more successful."
Look on the bright side, at least I got it out of the way early on...
figfenelon10 on Twitter: "Big performances from Bale and Lennon needed if Spurs are to come away with anything! Their best chance will be on the break."
REAL MADRID v TOTTENHAM (1945 GMT)
Marc Vesty reports: "Tottenham have proved they fear no one this season, beating Italian giants AC and Inter Milan, amongst others. But standing toe-to-toe with the nine-time European champions on their home turf is likely to be Spurs' greatest challenge yet. Jose Mourinho says a 0-0 draw at the Bernabeu would be a "good result" for Real and Harry Redknapp would surely be happy with that. But goals are what these sides do best - 19 apiece making them the joint-top scorers left in the competition. Game on."
1813: Like I said, loads going on... and it won't be the same unless you lot get involved too. How? Easy peasy: I'm Chris Bevan, and you can tweet me at @chrisbevan_bbc using the hashtag #BBCFootball please. Or feel free to text me via 81111 (UK) instead.
1810: It's not ALL about Real v Spurs tonight (although it mostly is, really). There is quite a lot else going on, though, starting with holders Inter Milan versus Schalke 04 in tonight's other Champions League quarter-final, Reading versus Preston in the Championship, a smattering of League One and League Two games, and a chance for Crawley Town to win promotion to the Football League too. Stay right here on this page to see exactly how that little lot turns out.
1804: Yep, we are back on the (Euro) road to Wembley tonight. In just over an hour-and-a-half or so, Spurs will kick off the first leg of their last-eight tie at the Bernabeu, home of European football's most successful club. Real Madrid, (possibly) featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Mesut Ozil, will take on a Tottenham, side (probably) including Gareth Bale, Rafael van der Vaart and Peter Crouch. To put it simply, there is no better way to spend your Tuesday night.
1801: Pinch yourselves Tottenham fans - no, you are not dreaming. This is the quarter-finals of the Champions League and, yes, it is for Real.