Wesley Sneijder

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Real Madrid vs. Villarreal

Goalkeepers: Casillas and Dudek.

Defenders: Salgado, Metzelder, Ramos, Cannavaro, Marcelo, and Torres.

Midfielders: Gago, Guti, Balboa, Drenthe, Baptista, Robben, Sneijder, and Robinho.

Forwards: Higuain, Raul, and Van Nistelrooy.

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3- REAL MADRID: Iker Casillas; Michel Salgado (Drenthe, min.80), Sergio Ramos, Cannavaro, Miguel Torres; Gago, Guti, Baptista (Sneijder, m.73); Robinho (Higuaín, m.88), Raul, and Van Nistelrooy.

2- VILLARREAL: Diego Lopez; Javi Venta, Cygan, Godin, Capdevila; Senna, Bruno (Josico, m.58), Cazorla; Cani (Angel, m.58) Nihat (Tomasson, m.74), and Rossi.

GOALS:

1-0 (m.9): Robinho

1-1 (m.16): Rossi

2-1 (m.56): Robinho

2-2 (m.75): Capdevila.

3-2 (m.76): Sneijder

REFEREE: Alvarez Izquierdo. Booked Gago, Godin, and Senna.

NOTES: Matchday 21 of La Liga played at the Santiago Bernabeu. Attendance: 80,000.

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Thanks Aga!!!!!!!!!

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Sneijder press conference

"We may be the best team now, but what's important is to be so at the end the season"

Wesley Sneijder is more confident thanks to his goal against Villarreal, and so is the team. The player nevertheless said that there is a long way to go in the League still and that they should be cautious.

Must the team do something to calm itself and not think that the League is as good as won?

We must be calm because nine points aren't that much in the Spanish League. We must continue to play as we have been doing so far. We are confident and we feel comfortable, but there are many complicated games left in the competition.

Something drastic would have to happen for the team not to win the Legaue...

Nine points aren't that many; they amount to just three games. We are confident and we must carry on playing this way and stay united. Everything will be ok if we do.

Rijkaard said Real Madrid is the best team in the championship. Do you agree?

We are leaders, we defeated Barcelona and we have a nine point lead on them, so I guess it could be said we are the best team right now... But what matters is that we are the best team at the end of the season.

It used to be said that Barcelona's style was like old-school Dutch style. Could this be said of Real Madrid now?

Barcelona used to have more Dutch players and played like a Dutch team because they also had a Dutch coach. We may have Dutch players, but we don't play like a Dutch team.

Would you like to win the title against Barcelona at the Bernabéu?

Sure. It would be very exciting, but in order for that to happen both teams would have to win all their games. It's more important to think about Saturday's match against Almería right now.

With Diarra in Africa and Gago suspended it looks like you will play in a more defensive position this weekend... What do you prefer?

I feel more comfortable behind the strikers, but it does seem I may play a more defensive role on Saturday. We'll have to see. It's up to the coach to decide.

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Sneijder: Nine Points Are Not So Many

Real Madrid midfielder Wesley Sneijder believes that he and his team-mates cannot afford to be complacent despite their nine point advantage over Barcelona at the top of the league table.

Sneijder has started to recreate the form he showed in the early weeks of the season in recent times and the midfielder believes that everyone on the team has to keep playing as they are now for the remainder of the season if they are to take the title.

"We must be calm and continue playing as we have been, with confidence... there are still many difficult games left," he told Marca.

"Nine points are not so many, it is only three games."

Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard admitted after the weekend's matches that Madrid are a better side at the moment, but Sneijder believes that his fellow Dutchman is using mind-games and that the best team will be the one that takes the title at the end of the season.

"We are first, with a nine point advantage and we beat them at the Camp Nou. For that reason it is clear that we are a good team at the moment, but most important is who is the best team at the end, who is the champion.

"We have a lot of confidence, but we must maintain the same fight and the same spirit throughout the team until the end of season."

Madrid play host to Barcelona on the penultimate day of the league season and it was put to Sneijder that it would be a memorable occasion if his side confirmed the title in that match.

"Naturally it would be very exciting to be champions in that match, but before that there are many games left... now we are thinking about Almeria and not that game."

Finally, with Mahamadou Diarra and Fernando Gago both missing at the moment, Sneijder was asked how he felt about playing in a more defensive midfield role if the situation required him to do so.

"I feel better behind the forwards and do not really enjoy being the most defensive midfielder, but it may be possible due to the loss of Gago and Diarra that usually play in that position. It will be necessary to see what happens, there are days left yet and the decision is purely Schuster's," he concluded.

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Almeria vs. Real Madrid

Goalkeepers: Casillas and Dudek.

Defenders: Salgado, Ramos, Cannavaro, Marcelo, and Torres.

Midfielders: Diarra, Guti, Balboa, Drenthe, Baptista, Robben, Sneijder, and Robinho.

Forwards: Higuain, Soldado, Raul, and Van Nistelrooy.

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2 - ALMERIA: Diego Alves, Bruno, Carlos Garcia, Pulido, Mane, Juanito, Felipe Melo, Juanma Ortiz (Soriano, 80’), Corona (Ortiz, 64’) Negredo (Uche, 78’) & Crusat,

0 - REAL MADRID: Casillas, Salgado (Baptista, 63’), Sergio Ramos, Cannavaro, Torres, Sneijder (Balboa, 74’), Guti, Diarra, Robinho, Raul & Van Nistelrooy (Higuain, 45’).

GOALS:

1-0: (15') Juanito.

2-0: (46') Negredo.

REFEREE: Clos Gomez. Booked Sergio Ramos (15’), Casillas (25’), Sneijder (44’), Guti (74’), Felipe Melo (24’), Diego Alves (25’) and Soriano (87’).

HIGHLIGHTS: Matchday 22 of the Spanish League. Real Madrid wore black arm-bands in mourning for the death of Uli Stielike's son, who passed away on Thursday. Almeria's and Real Madrid's players held a banner supporting Juanma, a three-year old boy from Almería who has a degenerative illness. Attendance: 21,300. One minute's silence was held in memory of Isabel Mª Robles.