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Calderon: Mourinho antics unacceptable Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon believes Jose Mourinho's recent antics have been "harmful" to the club. He has also questioned whether the Portuguese will remain at the helm for a second season. The Madrid boss courted controversy in the wake of last week's Champions League semi-final first-leg defeat to Barcelona by claiming, among a host of other barbed accusations, that the opposition received favourable treatment from UEFA. Mourinho was suspended for Tuesday night's return leg at the Nou Camp, which ended in a 1-1 draw to send Barca through to the final 3-1 on aggregate, and Calderon claims the actions of the Madrid boss cannot be condoned. "I think what he did in terms of talking about UEFA and referees is not acceptable at all. It doesn't match with Real Madrid's history," he told BBC Radio 5 Live. "I assume that he's a very, very good manager, but talking like that has been harmful for Real Madrid." Mourinho's outburst against UEFA and Barcelona has again called into question the temperament of the mercurial Portuguese, and Calderon is adamant that the world's top clubs and coaches must be able to take defeat with good grace. "I think big clubs can never blame the referee for their defeats," he said. "I think the semi-final was over in the first match at the Bernabeu when we lost 2-0. "We invested 450 million euros in the last two years to build a very important and strong team, so if you lose you can't blame injuries, bad luck, the referee... "If you lose, you have to congratulate your rival." Mourinho's failure in the Champions League will almost certainly be followed by defeat in the La Liga title race - Barca lead by eight points with four games remaining - and Calderon insists it is by no means a certainty that the 48-year-old will stay on for another year at the Bernabeu. "It is difficult to succeed here because people are very demanding," he said. "There's a lot of pressure here. "He said he's going to [continue] in his position next year, but you never know."

McManaman: Mourinho safe for now Ex-Real Madrid midfielder Steven McManaman believes Jose Mourinho has done enough to keep his job at the club beyond the summer. Mourinho's first season in charge at the Bernabeu has had its fair share of highs and lows. The Portuguese led Real to its first trophy since 2008 when they beat arch rivals Barcelona 1-0 in the final of the Copa del Rey. However, Barca look set to win La Liga again and the Catalans were responsible for knocking Real out of Europe in midweek. Mourinho was also accused of damaging the club's image with his behaviour over the course of their Champions League semi-final clash with Barca. McManaman admits Mourinho's future at the club is far from secure, but expects the 'Special One' to be given another season to prove himself further. "The big question is whether the negative publicity against Real Madrid has damaged them sufficiently to change the manager this summer. I think he'll stay, but only just," McManaman told Keys & Gray on talkSPORT. "He's made a few enemies, that's fair to say. In Madrid it's all about the prestige of the club, the aura of the club, what's gone on in the past with the [Alfredo] De Stefano's. "They've always carried themselves very well, they've always been the gentleman's club. The aura has been damaged slightly in Spain but I think it's been damaged more actually across Europe and in the European press. "I spoke to a few Spanish journalists and they said he's still got the support of the Madrid fans because they won the Copa del Rey and have been sticking it to their arch rivals." McManaman played for Madrid from 1999 to 2003.

Nedved refused Mourinho chance Juventus legend Pavel Nedved has revealed he turned down the chance to play for Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan. The midfielder hung up his boots in 2009 but was approached by the Special One about being part of his revolution at Inter. However, Nedved felt the move would have been a betrayal on his part to the club he has been at since 2001. "Mourinho courted me constantly and said: come to Inter, I'll make you win the Champions League," Nedved told Mediaset Premium. "He was convinced that he would take the trophy and he was right. "But I was and am a Juventino, so I said no. I loved Juventus too much to join Inter. "I really wish I'd been able to win the Champions League with Juve, but I couldn't do it with another jersey on my back." Mourinho's Inter side did go on to win the Champions League last season, although the Portuguese manager has since moved on to coach Real Madrid. Nedved now works as a director at the Turin giants.

Mourinho set for De Bleeckere reunion UEFA handed Frank de Bleeckere the task of refereeing Tuesday's Champions League encounter between Barcelona and Real Madrid. And it's an appointment unlikely to go down well with Madrid boss Jose Mourinho. Mourinho last week accused referees of favouring the Catalan side after his team went down 2-0 to Barca in the first leg of their semi-final at the Bernabeu. The Portuguese was enraged by the dismissal of makeshift midfielder Pepe by Wolfgang Stark and afterwards read out a list of officials he believes have made decisions which have benefited Barca in previous years. De Bleeckere was on that list after opting to send off Thiago Motta in last season's last-four clash between Inter, then managed by Mourinho, and Barca. Television replays later showed there had been little contact between Motta and Sergio Busquets with the Spain midfielder even peering through his fingers to see what action the referee was taking as he rolled about on the floor. "I can't say what I feel. I only leave one question. Why?" said Mourinho on Wednesday. "Why? Ovrebo, Bussaca, Frisk, Stark, De Bleeckere. Why to all these people. Each semi-final always brings the same. "We're talking about a fantastic football team. So why?" Tom Henning Ovrebo turned down a number of penalty appeals for Chelsea as Barca knocked out the London club two years ago, Massimo Busacca harshly sent off Arsenal's Robin van Persie in this season's round-of-16 clash and Anders Frisk dismissed Didier Drogba six years ago as Barca came from behind to beat Mourinho's Chelsea.

Mourinho takes blame for defeat Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has accepted the blame for his side's shock home defeat to lowly Real Zaragoza. Mourinho said a lack of motivation amongst his players at the start as the cause for their downfall. Three days after their Champions League dreams suffered a huge blow with their semi-final first leg defeat to Barcelona, Madrid saw their already slim hopes of winning the La Liga title all but snuffed out after going down 3-2 to Zaragoza at the Bernabeu. Mourinho made wholesale changes to the side that lost to Barca, but selected a similar team to the one that had beaten Athletic Bilbao 3-0 at San Mames and Valencia 6-3 at the Mestalla in recent weeks. Mourinho admitted his side, which included the likes of Gonzalo Higuain, Karim Benzema, Kaka, Sergio Ramos, Iker Casillas and Pepe, should have been good enough to win the match, and accepted responsibility for their failure to do so. The Portuguese also praised Zaragoza for their battling display, which saw Javier Aguirre's men claim an important victory that provisionally lifts them four points clear of the relegation zone. "Our opponents have fought a lot, for them the points were practically decisive for La Liga survival. In football the difference in mental preparation is important, when one team goes out full of concentration and motivation and the other doesn't, the blame is the coach's, obviously," he said. Zaragoza had the better of a low-key first half and led 1-0 at the break thanks to Angel Lafita's goal just before the break, and the visitors then went 2-0 up in the 55th minute when Gabi scored from the penalty spot. Madrid pulled a goal back through Sergio Ramos soon after but a rapid Zaragoza counter-attack in the 77th minute saw Lafita make it 3-1. Benzema, who also hit the crossbar in the second half, made it 3-2 in the 84th minute but Madrid, who lost Ricardo Carvalho to a second yellow card late on, could not find an equaliser. Mourinho added: "The team was basically the same that played in difficult games in Bilbao and Valencia, where we won easily and by playing well. But today the coach hasn't been able to sufficiently motivate his players. In the first half we didn't play well. "The second half was completely different, the second half was good but we gifted three goals to our opponents. They beat us and congratulations to them." Mourinho also insisted his conscious was "clear" with regards the team he picked, even though he concedes Zaragoza's relegation rivals will not be happy that Madrid lost. Mourinho, who criticised Sporting Gijon earlier this season for playing a supposedly weakened team against Madrid's title rivals Barcelona, said: "I would understand (the other coaches) even though this team won in Valencia and Bilbao, two very difficult stadiums. The team had more than enough quality to win. "I have a clear conscience and I've not wanted to gift anything to Zaragoza nor to the rest of the teams that are fighting for survival. When we were losing I sent on first-choice players who were tired, Mesut Ozil, Angel Di Maria and Marcelo. "I don't feel that we've gifted anything to Zaragoza but I accept that coaches of other teams could to be very disappointed (with this result). Madrid have tried everything possible to win and you also have to give credit to your opponents." Mourinho was also asked about his decision to leave top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo out of his squad for tonight's match, which has been viewed by some as a reaction to the critical comments the £80million man made about Madrid's defensive approach to Wednesday's Champions League game with Barca. Mourinho said: "It was my decision because I had Higuain and Benzema to play. They were both motivated and eager to play 90 minutes. Also, Higuain needs playing time to recover his top form. I also had (Emmanuel) Adebayor and Di Maria on the bench, I had options."

Chhan: Mourinho, still the Special One? Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho faces up to the biggest challenge of his career on Tuesday when the Champions League resumes. By Marcus Chhan Two magical Lionel Messi moments left Real trailing 2-0 in their Champions League semi-final tie with Camp Nou still to come. It has left the 'Special One' with a mountain to climb to reach the final of Europe's finest football competition, but football fans are used to Mourinho miracles by now. However, this second leg, in my opinion, poses the greatest challenge the Portuguese maestro has ever faced. It is not only Barca that Mourinho has to beat - Real need at least two away goals to stay in the tie - but he also has to restore shine to a reputation which now lies in tatters. What You Said We asked our Facebook community if they thought Jose Mourinho can still be considered the Special One. Below are some of your responses. Faisal Gangat: Yes! Mourinho is the best manager in the history of football. Akhileshwar Singh Marshall: He is the GREAT ONE. Chelsea Boy Saha: These scandals can't hurt Mourinho.... He is da Special One Forever..... Ritwij Maunas ‎:*Special One* are you kidding me! That era at Porto is history now. Ummer Abdhulkhader: Alex ferguson is King. Enough column inches have been devoted to the crime against football that was the first leg in Madrid. The much anticipated El Clasico or Hell Clasico as it was later dubbed in the media should have been a great advert for the beautiful game with the two best teams in Spain duking it out. Yes, Barca's players played a huge part in the farce with their play acting but Mourinho's post-match comments simply went too far. By questioning the integrity of Pep Guardiola's record he put his own reputation in the firing line. Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of Jose Mourinho - but he too has experienced some favourable refereeing decisions during his two Champions League winning runs. The wrongly disallowed Paul Scholes goal for Manchester United against Porto some years back sticks in my memory. Mourinho being Mourinho probably won't care one bit that legends of the game like Ottmar Hitzfeld - who is one of only three managers to win the European Cup with two different clubs - has labelled the Real coach as "arrogant", "haughty" and "boorish" while calling his negative tactics "really shameful". Jose Mourinho should care, though. If we can read into his past comments about a desire to one day take over the mantle at Manchester United as true then he must care. United are not a club which subscribe to the values of 'win at all costs'. The Red Devils, and not just in Sir Alex Ferguson's time, have always tried to win games in the right spirit. It is no wonder that club greats like Sir Bobby Charlton have in the past also said that Mourinho's negative tactics would not be welcomed at Old Trafford. Can Mourinho do it at Camp Nou? The brilliant tactician that Mourinho is, it wouldn't be the shock of the century if he were to pull out the right result this week. Early goals. In football, 2-0 leads can sometimes be the most dangerous for a team to have. If Mourinho can somehow get his Madrid team to score early it will put enormous pressure on Barca. It will be interesting to see what the Catalans do if they are pegged back early. If Barca then respond with their natural instinct to attack it will leave Real space to exploit. Who knows what will happen next? Still the 'Special One' Mourinho is sometimes like the Sun Tzu of football management. His genius - like the Chinese general - lies in his psychological warfare as much as his tactics. Whatever the result on Tuesday night in the second leg, I just hope we all get to see a football match worthy of two excellent sides. And, hopefully, in the process a certain 'Special One' decides to resurrect his reputation win, lose or draw.

Hitzfeld slams "arrogant" Mourinho Legendary coach Ottmar Hitzfeld has slammed Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho's character and negative tactics. Hitzfeld has labelled Mourinho as "arrogant", "haughty" and "boorish" while calling his negative tactics "really shameful". The Switzerland boss, who, like Mourinho, is one of only three managers to win the European Cup with two different clubs, has hit out at the Portuguese ahead of Tuesday's Champions League semi-final second leg in Barcelona, where the hosts hold a 2-0 lead. "Luckily, Mourinho's destructive tactics, aimed solely at provoking and destroying the opponents' gameplan, did not work (in the first leg)," he reportedly said in German magazine Kicker. "Such a way of playing does not relate to the demands of Real. It's really shameful for Real Madrid. It harms the good name and image of this legendary club. "I've met him at UEFA meetings and his behaviour is faithful to his image: arrogant, haughty, chewing gum and somewhat of a boor. "Barca should make him pay on the pitch." Hitzfeld won the trophy with both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. Ernst Happel and Mourinho are the only others to achieve the feat.

UEFA reject Real, Barca protests UEFA have rejected both Real Madrid and Barcelona complaints made following last week's ill-tempered Champions League tie. Madrid announced last Thursday evening that they were reporting the Spanish champions to UEFA for "unsportsmanlike behaviour" - soon after Barca confirmed they were reporting the capital club's coach Jose Mourinho for his post-match comments following the visitors' 2-0 semi-final first leg win at the Bernabeu. UEFA's disciplinary committee will on Friday examine five charges against Madrid - including one relating to Mourinho's sending-off and another in regard to his post-match comments - and one charge against Barca following substitute goalkeeper Jose Pinto's red card during a half-time melee. However, European football's governing body has announced that no new charges will be levelled at either club. A UEFA statement read: "UEFA has announced today that the vice-chairman of the UEFA control and disciplinary body, as a judge sitting alone, has rejected both the protests lodged by Real Madrid CF and the complaint made by FC Barcelona following the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg between the two clubs last Wednesday. "The protests lodged by Madrid, against the behaviour of the Barcelona players during the match and against the red card shown to Pepe, are rejected. "In the case of the behaviour of the Barcelona players, it was deemed that there was no common strategy to provoke, while in the case of Pepe, the referee's factual decision is upheld. As a result, Pepe is suspended for the second leg on Tuesday." Mourinho, who was sent off after protesting against the red card shown to Madrid defender Pepe midway through the second half, said after the match: "Today it's clear that against Barcelona you have no chance. "I don't understand why. I don't know if it's the publicity of UNICEF [the club's shirt sponsor], I don't know if it's the friendship of [spanish football federation president Angel Maria] Villar at UEFA, where he is vice-president, I don't know if it's because they are very nice, but they have got this power. The rest of us have no chance. "[barca coach Pep] Guardiola is a fantastic coach, but he has won one Champions League which I would be ashamed to win after the scandal at Stamford Bridge and this year, if he wins it again, it will be after the scandal at the Bernabeu." Following an extraordinary board meeting at the Catalan club on Thursday afternoon, spokesman Toni Freixa said Barca "want to defend the history, prestige and reputation of our members, fans, players, coaches and directors, who with their hard work and their effort succeeded in winning the Champions League in 2009". He added: "It's unacceptable that someone questions our titles and our links with UNICEF." UEFA's statement on Monday continued: "The complaint lodged by Barcelona, against the comments made by Madrid coach Jose Mourinho to the press, was also rejected by the vice-chairman of the control and disciplinary body. "In this instance, Barcelona have been referred to the proceedings already brought against Mr Mourinho, which will be heard by the control and disciplinary body on Friday, May 6. "No new disciplinary proceedings are therefore to be opened against Mr Mourinho on the basis of the complaint lodged by Barcelona. "Both the above decisions are open to appeal within three days of the dispatch of the contested decisions."

Mourinho refusing to speak to press? Real Madrid assistant coach Aitor Karanka will speak to the media ahead of Tuesday's Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona. As announced on Real's official website, Karanka will answer questions in the pre-match press conference on Tuesday along with Madrid striker Karim Benzema at the Nou Camp at 1930 (local time). Madrid coach Jose Mourinho, who was sent off in the first leg as Madrid lost 2-0 at the Bernabeu, caused a huge controversy with his comments in both press conferences before and after last week's match. Prior to the game he hit out at opposite number Pep Guardiola and then following his side's defeat he implied Barca receive favourable treatment from referees and claimed the Catalan club had yet to win a "clean" Champions League title under Guardiola. UEFA subsequently announced various charges against Mourinho, Madrid and Barca following the ill-tempered clash, while Barca also reported Mourinho to European football's governing body regarding his comments. The five charges against Madrid are related to the throwing of missiles, a pitch invasion, Pepe's red card, the dismissal of Mourinho and the "inappropriate statement" given by the Portuguese coach at the post-match press conference. Barca, who won the game thanks to a pair of Lionel Messi strikes, face just one charge after substitute goalkeeper Jose Pinto was shown a red card during the half-time melee.

AWWWW...they look so cute together ! i hope they get married <3

he sholud literally DIE cuz of his shocking performances ,he's a villain to me !!

we lost without u

Mourinho: There are no favourites Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho insists there are no favourites heading into the Champions League semi-final first leg against Barcelona. Barca coach Pep Guardiola had suggested at the weekend that his side were underdogs going into the match, with in-form Madrid having beaten the Catalan giants 1-0 in last week's Copa del Rey final. Also, Barca have a defensive headache for Wednesday's game as left-backs Eric Abidal, Adriano and Maxwell are definitely missing, while Carles Puyol and Gabriel Milito have been struggling with injuries recently. However, Mourinho believes no team can be considered favourites, saying: "For me there are no favourites. It's the Champions League semi-finals - two rival teams who know each other very well. Two teams with long traditions, two teams whose players know what it is to be successful, who know how to win things and play big matches. "For me there aren't any favourites here. Maybe after the match people will say that perhaps one team is slightly ahead of the other, but at the moment before playing the match, my opinion is there are no favourites." Mourinho also feels that last week's cup final win over Barca will have no bearing on the game. Madrid had failed to win in six previous meetings with Barca and were without a title since 2008, but the capital club brought to an end both of those runs thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo's extra-time header. "We are the same as if we hadn't won the cup," Mourinho said. "It was great to beat them but after the final we were already preparing for the league match against Valencia (at the weekend). "Each competition is independent of the other and each match has its own story. "It's the Champions League. We have to give our best without being influenced by what happened before." Mourinho also said he does not have a "magic potion" to defeat Barca, even though he masterminded Inter Milan's success over the Catalan club in last season's Champions League semi-finals as well as last week's cup victory with Madrid. He also helped Madrid end a run of five successive defeats against their bitter rivals when they drew 1-1 in the league 10 days ago despite playing almost the entire second half with only 10 men. "I don't have a magic potion to beat Barcelona. I work very hard and very seriously, and I spend many hours trying to help the people around, but a few months ago we lost 5-0 (at the Nou Camp) and I was the manager then," he said. "We played a good match (against Barca) at the Bernabeu in the league and we also played a good match in Valencia (6-3 win on Saturday), but tomorrow [Wednesday] we are facing a top opponent with a top coach." However, quoting Albert Einstein, the Portuguese recalled the adage of where there is a will there is a way. He said: "I told my players there was someone called Albert, Albert Einstein, who said that there is a force more powerful than steam, electricity and atomic energy - will. And this guy Albert was not stupid." Regarding the match, Mourinho admits only after the final whistle will he be able to say whether a draw is a good result. "It depends on the match. If we play very well and have a lot of goalscoring opportunities and are better than our opponents, and we manage to draw, then I wouldn't be happy about that. "But if Barca come here and play better, have more goalscoring chances and are nearly about to win the match and they deserve to win the match, and then we get a draw, then perhaps I will be happy then."

War of words erupts between Barca, Real Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola hit back at Real Madrid counterpart Jose Mourinho as a stunning war of words erupted between the rival coaches. The teams of the two managers meet in Wednesday's Champions League semi-final first leg. Speaking earlier on Tuesday, Mourinho launched a stinging attack on Guardiola regarding comments the Barca coach was supposed to have made about certain refereeing decisions. Mourinho, referring to an example following last week's Copa del Rey final between Madrid and Barca regarding a disallowed Pedro Rodriguez goal for offside, said Guardiola had created a new group of coaches - one that criticises officials when they make correct decisions. "Up until now we've had two groups of coaches," said the Portuguese. "[There's] a very small group who didn't talk about referees. Then there's a larger group, of which I'm included, of coaches that criticises referees when they make big mistakes. "And with Pep's statements we've come to a third group, which is a one person group, who criticises good decisions made by the referee. I've never seen this before." Guardiola refused to take the comments lying down, though, and launched an angry response during his press conference later on Tuesday evening. The Barca coach said: "Tomorrow [Wednesday] at 8.45 we will meet each other on the pitch. Off the pitch he has already won. "In this room (press room), he's the f*****g chief, the f*****g man, the person who knows everything about the world and I don't want to compete with him at all. "It's a type of game I'm not going to play because I don't know how. "I won't justify my words. I congratulated Madrid for the cup that they won deservedly on the pitch and against a team that I represent and of which I feel very proud." He added: "Off the pitch, he has already won, as he has done all year. "On the pitch, we'll see what happens." Guardiola continued: "If you think that his allegation that I always complain about the referees is true after you've all heard form me over the last three years, well there's nothing I can do. Off the pitch there's nothing we can do to fight that." Although Guardiola seemed to have been ruffled by Mourinho's apparent mind games, the Barca coach insisted his players would not be affected by all this. He said: "Do you think the players will run more because I've spoken to Jose through the cameras? It's the Champions League semi-finals. The players won't be motivated by this, they know what I think about everything associated with this game." Regarding the match, Barca suffered a blow when midfielder Andres Iniesta was ruled out with a calf injury. Iniesta therefore joins Eric Abidal, Maxwell, Adriano and Bojan Krkic on the sidelines, although there was good news with captain Carles Puyol - who has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury - coming through Tuesday's training session unscathed. When asked if Iniesta would be fit for next week's second leg, Guardiola said: "We hope that he will be recovered. As for who will play in his place, I don't know. I don't have many players to pick from but someone will step in and we'll see what we can do. "I feel confident about the players we have. We are coming here proud to defend our style of play, with 12 home-grown players and set to face a team in the semi-finals who have nine European Cups and seven great forwards."

War of words erupts between Barca, Real Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola hit back at Real Madrid counterpart Jose Mourinho as a stunning war of words erupted between the rival coaches. The teams of the two managers meet in Wednesday's Champions League semi-final first leg. Speaking earlier on Tuesday, Mourinho launched a stinging attack on Guardiola regarding comments the Barca coach was supposed to have made about certain refereeing decisions. Mourinho, referring to an example following last week's Copa del Rey final between Madrid and Barca regarding a disallowed Pedro Rodriguez goal for offside, said Guardiola had created a new group of coaches - one that criticises officials when they make correct decisions. "Up until now we've had two groups of coaches," said the Portuguese. "[There's] a very small group who didn't talk about referees. Then there's a larger group, of which I'm included, of coaches that criticises referees when they make big mistakes. "And with Pep's statements we've come to a third group, which is a one person group, who criticises good decisions made by the referee. I've never seen this before." Guardiola refused to take the comments lying down, though, and launched an angry response during his press conference later on Tuesday evening. The Barca coach said: "Tomorrow [Wednesday] at 8.45 we will meet each other on the pitch. Off the pitch he has already won. "In this room (press room), he's the f*****g chief, the f*****g man, the person who knows everything about the world and I don't want to compete with him at all. "It's a type of game I'm not going to play because I don't know how. "I won't justify my words. I congratulated Madrid for the cup that they won deservedly on the pitch and against a team that I represent and of which I feel very proud." He added: "Off the pitch, he has already won, as he has done all year. "On the pitch, we'll see what happens." Guardiola continued: "If you think that his allegation that I always complain about the referees is true after you've all heard form me over the last three years, well there's nothing I can do. Off the pitch there's nothing we can do to fight that." Although Guardiola seemed to have been ruffled by Mourinho's apparent mind games, the Barca coach insisted his players would not be affected by all this. He said: "Do you think the players will run more because I've spoken to Jose through the cameras? It's the Champions League semi-finals. The players won't be motivated by this, they know what I think about everything associated with this game." Regarding the match, Barca suffered a blow when midfielder Andres Iniesta was ruled out with a calf injury. Iniesta therefore joins Eric Abidal, Maxwell, Adriano and Bojan Krkic on the sidelines, although there was good news with captain Carles Puyol - who has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury - coming through Tuesday's training session unscathed. When asked if Iniesta would be fit for next week's second leg, Guardiola said: "We hope that he will be recovered. As for who will play in his place, I don't know. I don't have many players to pick from but someone will step in and we'll see what we can do. "I feel confident about the players we have. We are coming here proud to defend our style of play, with 12 home-grown players and set to face a team in the semi-finals who have nine European Cups and seven great forwards."

Iniesta out of Real Madrid clash Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta has been ruled out of the Champions League semi-final first-leg against Real Madrid. Barca coach Pep Guardiola made the announcement on Tuesday. Iniesta, has been suffering from a leg-injury since his side's win over Osasuna over the weekend. The Catalan side are already without Eric Abidal, Adriano, Maxwell and Bojan Krkic, while Carles Puyol and Gabriel Milito have both been struggling with injuries recently. Iniesta, who did not train with the Barca squad on Monday due to a calf injury, joined his team-mates for the first 10 minutes of Tuesday's workout at the Bernabeu before departing for further treatment. "Iniesta is 100% out," Guardiola said of the 26-year-old. A statement on www.fcbarcelona.cat confirmed: "Andres Iniesta will miss the semi-finals of the Champions League against Real Madrid. He has some discomfort in the right calf which has not allowed him to train with the group today." In better news for Guardiola, captain Puyol - who has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury - came through training unscathed.