Real Madrid vs Osasuna preview - Ramos fires Osasuna warning - 7M sport

Real Madrid vs Osasuna preview - Ramos fires Osasuna warning



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Posted Sunday, January 30, 2011 by PA

Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos was warned his side to beware wounded Osasuna as Jose Mourinho's men look to keep on the coat-tails of Primera Division leaders Barcelona.

Madrid slipped up in their last away match in La Liga, being held 1-1 by then-bottom club Almeria, and although they bounced back with a 1-0 home win over Real Mallorca last weekend, they now found themselves four points adrift of Barcelona and no longer in control of their own destiny.

This weekend Madrid face another potential banana skin against an Osasuna side who have dropped to 17th place - one point above the relegation zone - after picking up just three points from a possible 24 over the last month.

However, Osasuna have proved tough opponents in recent times for Madrid and Ramos admitted on his club's website: "It's always a difficult game, and much more with Osasuna going through a difficult time of it. Right now they are fighting to avoid dropping into the relegation places, but a hurt team is always more dangerous.

"(But) we all have to be very clear that we need to continue winning games.

"Unfortunately we don't depend on ourselves and we mustn't drop any more points. If we don't do that, the points difference (to Barca) will climb too much."

Tomorrow's match could give Karim Benzema the chance to build on one of his most successful weeks in Madrid colours - and in the process prove to new signing Emmanuel Adebayor that he will not give up his starting berth without a fight.

Benzema has struggled to impress since his big-money move from Lyon to the Bernabeu in the summer of 2009 and before this week he had never before scored the only goal in a game for the Spanish giants.

However, he has managed to achieve that feat twice over the last seven days, scoring the match-winning goal in the Mallorca match and following that up with a fine strike in the 1-0 midweek win over Sevilla in the first leg of their Copa del Rey tie.

Those goals could prove crucial to Madrid's hopes of picking up some silverware this season, while they were also a timely reminder of Benzema's talents with the Spanish giants this week acquiring Adebayor on loan from Manchester City for the rest of the season.

It remains to be seen whether Adebayor will be involved against Osasuna tomorrow, but even if the former Togo captain does travel to Pamplona, it seems likely that Benzema will get another chance to shine.

Speaking after the Sevilla win, Ramos hailed the under-pressure Benzema, saying: "Benzema's goal wasn't a great surprise to us because we all know he is a great player. He has great quality and we hope he continues to score goals to help the team win more games."

While Madrid attempt to power on at the top of the standings, things are looking worrying for Osasuna at the other end, especially as rivals such as Almeria, Sporting Gijon and Real Zaragoza are starting to pick up points.

Nevertheless, defender Sergio Fernandez insists his side are not panicking about the possibility of slipping into the bottom three this weekend.

"We're not affected by the fact that we could fall into the relegation zone now. The important thing is not to be in the relegation zone in the final week," he said. "What does give us added pressure is that fact that we've gone eight weeks without winning."

Regarding tomorrow's game, Sergio added: "Madrid have the same quality as other years, but this season they look a more compact team, stronger and more solid. They aren't winning games as easily as Barca are, but they are winning. We cannot allow them to feel comfortable."



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