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Great Players Always Welcome - Oddo Milan full back Massimo Oddo talked about the transfer rumours linking the club to moves for Didier Drogba and Ronaldinho. Among the big names allegedly being considered by Adriano Galliani to add some star power to Milan and start a new winning cycle at the club are Barcelona's Ronaldinho and Chelsea's Didier Drogba. Full back Massimo Oddo, who's about to make his comeback following a lengthy period on the sidelines due to a knee operation, gave his thoughts on the matter. "Great players are always welcome," he said. "It's always a pleasure to play alongside phenomenons, even though it's always difficult to get players like that, because the clubs who have them don't let them go." On his own situation, Oddo said: "I am lucky enough to be playing in a great club, so it's normal that when there are transfer rumours, the names involved are some of the biggest involved." At the moment Milan are facing an uphill struggle to qualify for the Champions League, and if they don't make it they might find it tougher to attract new big-name players. Currently they are four points behind fourth-placed Fiorentina with just five matches to go.

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"We feel good about the match with Racing" Iker Casillas Iker Casillas is a true Madridista and all he wants is to win the League title to dedicate it to the fans. In an exclusive interview to Realmadrid.com, talked about the upcoming match with Racing Santander. How does the squad feel about the match with Racing? We feel good about it. It will be another small step towards the title. The three points at stake will be very important and we know the game won’t be easy, especially away from home... Racing want to be in the Champions League next year... They are having a great season and they would like to finish it off by qualifying for the Champions League. They are playing at a great level and they will face us at their stadium. They will want to defeat the leaders. It will be difficult, but I think it will be the most exciting game of the weekend. Defeating Racing would be doing Atletico Madrid a favour in their fight for qualifying for the Champions League... They’ve also done us some favours by defeating Barcelona in the past (laughs)... It would make me happy to help them by winning because they are also from Madrid. Atletico and their fans deserve to be in the Champions League. Your are ten points away from winning the title... The League is far from being over. Our calendar is complicated because we will face teams that have much at stake both at the top end and bottom of the table. We have to keep on fighting and take important points in order to win the title. There is a lot of merit in winning the title tow consecutive years... People may criticise us, but it is obvious to all that winning the title twice in a row is very difficult. We’ve been leaders since the start of the season and we now have a large lead over the rest because we’ve played good games. We’ve been the most regular side in the competition, so we deserve the title. No rival is easy at this stage... Football is tighter every year. Every team plays at a high level. Every one can defeat you. Are you excited about winning the Zamora Trophy? Yes, but I prefer collective triumphs. Winning the League is what I’m most excited about right now.

Raúl press conference "The league is closer than ever" “I want to be champions sooner than later so I can celebrate with fans and teammates" Raúl recognizes that Real Madrid have a good chance of winning their second league title in as many years, but the Madridista captain isn't quite ready to bet all his chips just yet. The President came to Valdebebas this morning. Did he give the team a pep talk? It was just a regular visit. He greeted the entire squad. Luis Aragonés mentioned that he more or less has the squad for Euro 2008 drawn up and that you would have a hard time making it in. However, do you still hope to participate? I'm still as eager as ever and nothing has changed in that respect. I respect the coach's decisions and I will stand by the side of the national team and its coach. I hope I can play in the European Championship, but it doesn't depend on me. The whole matter is pretty much a done deal. I even think it's become a little boring. There's nothing else to discuss. The coach will draw up his list and we'll all support the team. I do still hope to participate. This has been your best year, and yet you aren't getting called up by the national team. After my knee injury and two seasons which weren't so good for me or the team, I've started scoring and playing well again. I haven't been injured and I've been performing at a high level. I work hard and am very optimistic about many things. This is an important championship. The Euro is played every four years and I hope to be called up. It's commendable how you remain so hopeful. It's not commendable. I am a player who can get called up to the national team. The coach hasn't closed the door on me yet and I keep working hard. My performances have been good, normal, and acceptable. Wearing the Spain jersey is a beautiful thing and it fills with me pride. I guess you are happy that Morientes won the Copa del Rey, but a bit disappointed that your friends at Getafe didn't. I have friends on both sides when two Spanish teams play. I am very happy for Morientes. He was missing the Copa and he scored the winning goal. It was a great football party. It was decided quickly after Valencia scored twice in ten minutes. It's a shame that Getafe couldn't win, but football works in weird ways. Valencia proved they have more experience playing in finals. The league hasn't been won yet, but it is very close. The league is closer than ever, but we have to take one match at a time. The big lead we have now may not be so come Sunday. We hope we can at least maintain it after playing Santander. It's a complicated road match, as are the three remaining that we have. Racing, Osasuna, Zaragoza… They all have something at stake. We're up against a great team in Sunday, so all we can hope for is a victory. Does it eat you up inside knowing that Barcelona might have to give you the guard of honour at the Bernabéu? All I want is to win. I don't care who gives us the guard of honour. The sooner we win the better. We've had a similar lead before this season and it faded in just a couple of weeks. We will have to work hard. The possibility of Barcelona having to give us the guard of honour doesn't make me happier or get me more excited. I want the fans to be happy and to share the title with my teammates if we win. Would you give them the guard of honour if the situation was the wrong way round? Of course I would. Would a draw against Racing be a good score? We’ve recovered our good level in the last few games. Anything that means taking points and not losing is good for us because it is important to keep our cushion. The other contenders have to win their games too, which is hard to do. We have to think about winning the game, not drawing, although a draw in the end may be good for us if that’s what eventually happens. It is rumoured Granero and De la Red may return next season. Do you think they will have a spot on the team? That’s not up to me. They are great football players that have been here before. De la red played in several League matches last year and Granero needed to play 30 or 40 games, which he’s done this year. The most important thing when you are young is to find a team in which you have continuity. They are doing a great job at Getafe and our coaching staff will have to decide if they want them back or not. If Granero continues being that humble he may thrill many of us. Does the squad share the President’s wish for Barcelona to win the Champions League? I don’t know what the rest think, but I want a Spanish team to win. The semifinals will be exciting and we would like to be part of them. If Barcelona don’t win I would like Liverpool to do so because they are doing a great job and their coach is Spanish too. Would winning the League act as a smoke screen to cover the eliminations from the Champions League and the King’s Cup? Winning a title like the League is always important, but we haven’t won it yet. As the great team we are, we set ourselves important goals for this season. It was a real shame for us to be eliminated from the Champions League. We all wanted to win it this year, but things sometimes don’t turn out well in the end. I think we should be happy if we win the League. Our new players are performing very well and our collective performance will improve next year. Do you think this League is being underrated? We’re not doing so because we know just how hard it is to win the title. We will be terribly excited if we win. It would also be the first League title for many of our players. There hasn’t been continuity on the Real Madrid bench since Vicente del Bosque left. Would it be important for it to stay the same next season? Continuity is a positive thing for all of us. For the Club, the players... We are sure it will stay this way. Is winning the League just a satisfactory or an excellent result for you? It would be excellent for me. The two most important titles at the start of the season are always the League and the Champions League. We have a new coach and several new players. We’ve done a good job up till now and I hope we manage to finish it off. We would be very happy if we do.

Milan Struggling To Convince Gattuso To Stay According to reports in Italy, Milan Vice President Adriano Galliani has spent the last week trying to convince Gennaro Gattuso to stay at the club. The Italian press has been full of reports that Gattuso could be set to leave the club at the end of the season. A host of clubs, most notably Bayer Munich have been linked with making a move, and indeed the German-giants admitted a few days ago that they were interested in the midfielder. Contrary to some earlier reports, it is believed that Milan do want Gattuso to stay, and in fact it is the player himself who is considering leaving for a new challenge. Transfer guru Adriano Galliani is said to have spent most of this week trying to persuade Gattuso that his future is at San Siro. The 30-year-old however is still said to favour a transfer away, even if club captain Paolo Maldini believes that deep down Gattuso still wants to stay put. “I have read in the newspapers that there’s lots of interest for Gattuso, but I think that there have always been clubs watching him,” Maldini told Milan Channel yesterday. “However, I have no doubt that the club wants to keep him and I don’t think that Rino wants to go.”

Maldini: Milan Still Want Gattuso Milan captain Paolo Maldini has attempted to dampen speculation that Rino Gattuso will leave the club by saying that the Rossoneri have no intention of selling him. Gattuso The Italian press has been full of stories this week that Milan are set to signal a new era at the club by offloading Gattuso in the summer. A host of clubs have been linked with signing him, most notably Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. “I have read in the newspapers that there’s lots of interest for Gattuso, but I think that there have always been clubs watching him,” Maldini told Milan Channel. “However, I have no doubt that the club wants to keep him and I don’t think that Rino wants to go.” No Revolution Maldini went on to reject calls for a revolution in the summer, and says that only a few tweaks are required, and not a mass clearout. “I don’t think that this Milan side needs to be rebuilt,” he stated. “This team won a prestigious competition - the Club World Cup - as recently as December – it wasn’t 20 years ago. “There should be some continuity with this group and not a rebirth.” Inzaghi To Euro 2008? Finally Maldini gave his say on calls in the Italian press that Filippo Inzaghi be taken to Euro 2008. The prolific hitman has roared into form, having scored four goals in his last two league games. “Lots of players are in contention for a place in Austria and Switzerland – Alessandro Del Piero, Marco Borriello, Pippo and many more,” said the 39-year-old legend.

Maldini: Milan Still Want Gattuso Milan captain Paolo Maldini has attempted to dampen speculation that Rino Gattuso will leave the club by saying that the Rossoneri have no intention of selling him. Gattuso The Italian press has been full of stories this week that Milan are set to signal a new era at the club by offloading Gattuso in the summer. A host of clubs have been linked with signing him, most notably Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. “I have read in the newspapers that there’s lots of interest for Gattuso, but I think that there have always been clubs watching him,” Maldini told Milan Channel. “However, I have no doubt that the club wants to keep him and I don’t think that Rino wants to go.” No Revolution Maldini went on to reject calls for a revolution in the summer, and says that only a few tweaks are required, and not a mass clearout. “I don’t think that this Milan side needs to be rebuilt,” he stated. “This team won a prestigious competition - the Club World Cup - as recently as December – it wasn’t 20 years ago. “There should be some continuity with this group and not a rebirth.” Inzaghi To Euro 2008? Finally Maldini gave his say on calls in the Italian press that Filippo Inzaghi be taken to Euro 2008. The prolific hitman has roared into form, having scored four goals in his last two league games. “Lots of players are in contention for a place in Austria and Switzerland – Alessandro Del Piero, Marco Borriello, Pippo and many more,” said the 39-year-old legend.

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Pato Returns To Training Fears over Alexandre Pato’s “mysterious” injury seem to have been allayed for the time being after the young sensation returned to training. The 18-year-old has been sidelined with a mysterious muscular injury in his adductor muscle, and has been forced to miss the recent games against Cagliari and Juventus. Milan doctors had undergone tests on the striker, but had been unable to find anything wrong with him. This was a cause of real concern for the Rossoneri, and some people were inevitably comparing the situation with that of Ronaldo, who earlier this season had also been sidelined by a inexplicable injury which did not show up in medical tests. However Pato has returned to training for Milan, and the reports are that he is now at 100 per cent fitness. Filippo Inzaghi was expected to start as Milan’s lone frontman against Reggina this weekend, but Coach Carlo Ancelotti may now have a rethink if Pato is able to play. The Brazilian signed for the Rossoneri from Internacional last summer, and has made an explosive start to his career in Serie A, scoring seven goals in just 14 appearances.

Raúl Still Holding On To Euro Hope Raúl has revealed that he has not given up on his dream of playing in this year's European Championships, despite not being asked to have a required vaccination to be part of the preliminary squad. All players at Euro 2008 will have had to have had an innoculation against Central European Encephalitis and coach Luis Aragonés named 31 players as a pool of names that he wanted to have the jab from which he will chose his final squad next month. The Real Madrid striker was not one of those named, but he still believes that there is a chance that he could be called upon as the trainer has not told him he definitely will not be part of things. "I respect Aragonés and I am behind him and the national team, who I sincerely wish all the best. I hope that I can be part of it, but it does not depend on me. That story has been talked about so much I am bored of it now," Raúl said. "I have not lost the dream of going to the European Championships because the coach has not closed the door to me and I am continuing to work hard. My level this season has been good. It is a privilege for me to play for Spain and to be called into the squad would be really special." Raúl then reflected on the plan to bring back Rubén De la Red and Esteban Granero in the summer from Getafe as Madrid look to use their homegrown products. Having risen through the ranks himself, the striker is pleased to see the pair doing well. "I believe that are two great players. Rubén has played in the league for us with Granero and both of them needed to experience playing 30 or 40 games in a season. It is not my place to say if they have a space here though," he explained. "Having continuity when you are young is so important to acquire experience. They have done very well at Getafe and the coaching staff now have evaluate if they can play here or ont. They have shown how good they can be. Rubén has been called up to the squad and I think if Granero continues to work like he has been then will see the best of him."

Casillas Aims To Help Atlético Iker Casillas is determined for Real Madrid to beat Racing this weekend in order to help Atlético Madrid's Champions League bid. But why? he goalkeeper revealed that he felt a city duty to Atleti, as well as a desire to repay them for their previous good deeds. He told RealMadrid.com, "They’ve also done us some favours by defeating Barcelona in the past (laughs)... It would make me happy to help them by winning because they are also from Madrid. Atletico and their fans deserve to be in the Champions League. "[but Racing] are having a great season and they would like to finish it off by qualifying for the Champions League. They are playing at a great level and they will face us at their stadium. They will want to defeat the leaders." "It will be difficult, but I think it will be the most exciting game of the weekend," he added, with the Barcelona derby apparently not rating top. Not Over Yet Although Madrid are ten points away from a title win with six games remaining, the Spanish international remains cautious. "The League is far from being over," he warned. "Our calendar is complicated because we will face teams that have much at stake both at the top end and bottom of the table. We have to keep on fighting and take important points in order to win the title. "People may criticise us, but it is obvious to all that winning the title twice in a row is very difficult. "We’ve been leaders since the start of the season and we now have a large lead over the rest because we’ve played good games. We’ve been the most regular side in the competition, so we deserve the title. "The Zamora trophy? Yes, [i'm excited], but I prefer collective triumphs. Winning the League is what I’m most excited about right now.

Sneijder: We Deserve To Be Top, Barca? Who Cares! Real Madrid midfielder Wesley Sneijder insists that his side deserve to be top of La Liga and he’s not worried about Barcelona. Los Merengues are running away with La Liga, given the massive nine points between them and their bitter Catalan rivals in second place. Sneijder scored the winner against Real Murcia last weekend which proved to extend their lead at the top from seven to nine points, and a brilliantly taken goal it was. The Holland international is delighted with his debut season in the Bernabeu and he admits that he’s not bothered by Barcelona. “We have played better than our rivals in most of our games and that’s why we are first,” Sneijder told the club’s official website. “The team who win La Liga will have deserved to win it. “However there are still six games left to play and each and every one of them is not going to be easy. “It was not easy against Murcia. In Spain, easy games don’t exist. “As for Barcelona, they have had some difficult games where they have lost unexpectedly but to be honest I’m not really bothered, I don’t care.” When it was time to praise a team-mate, no surprise that the Dutchman named team captain, talisman and top scorer Raul. “Raul has been the player who has surprised me the most, he has been having a great season and he is simply wonderful to play with," said Sneijder. "I am loving life here in Madrid, the weather is so much better than in Holland." Real will be hoping they can have the title pretty much wrapped up by the time they take on the Blaugrana in El Classico in just over three weeks time should they win their next three matches.

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