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​Real Madrid capped off their La Liga season with a 2-2 draw away to Villarreal despite having a two goal lead ahead of their Champions League final in a weeks time. First half goals from Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo but Zinedine Zidane’s side in a commanding position, but Roger Martinez and Samu Castillejo goals in the second half meant both sides had a share of the spoils. 

Chances fell for either side inside the opening 10 minutes at the Estadio de la Ceramica, as Villarreal’s Enes Unal narrowly dragged his effort wide, while Andres Fernandez was called into action at the other end to beat away speculative efforts from Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Madrid, however, would find the breakthrough not long after thanks to Gareth Bale’s 16th La Liga goal of the season. Played in by some quick thinking from Luca Modric, the Welshman’s cute step-over gave himself the room before firing hard and low down to Fernandez’s right and open the scoring after 11 minutes. 

Despite seeing more of the ball after Bale’s strike, Villarreal’s only real effort of note after conceding was a Pablo Fornals strike that drifted wide a debuting Luca Zidane’s post, before Javi Calleja’s side were soon two goals behind. 

Found in space on the left after a lovely ball from Isco, Marcelo was afforded too much time to cross, picking out an unmarked Ronaldo who simply nodded home his 26th league goal of the season and double Madrid’s lead. 

It could’ve been even more for Los Blancos as chances began to fall much more frequently towards the end of the half, with Isco, Ronaldo and Toni Kroos all coming close to adding a much-deserved gloss to the scoreline before the half time interval. 

With fifth place and Europa League football secured, Villarreal looked to make a game of it in the second half, as Nicola Sansone’s free kick brought a fine save from Zidane, while Unal’s set piece effort curled agonisingly wide soon after. 

Sergio Ramos then had to be alert to clear Unal’s header off the line after some brilliant skill from Sansone in the buildup, before a stunning strike from Roger Martinez pulled a goal back for The Yellow Submarine to set up an interesting final 20 minutes. 

Villarreal’s improved performance caused Madrid problems throughout the second half, and were deserving of their equaliser five minutes from time. Beating the offside trap, Samu Castillejo kept his composure to round Zidane and slot the leveller home. 

There was even time for Karim Benzema and Lucas Vasquez to go close late on, but their failure to find a winner meant both sides finished the season with a point. 

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Zinedine Zidane has admitted he faces a huge selection dilemma ahead of Real Madrid’s Champions League final meeting with Liverpool.

​The Spaniards secured their passage through to the final after beating Bayern Munich ​4-3 over two legs, as they look to become the first side to win three consecutive Champions Leagues since Bayern Munich in 1976. The only thing standing between them and the trophy is a Liverpool side who will be looking to secure their sixth European Cup.

Speaking to ​the Mirror ahead of the final at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kiev on Saturday, Zidane admitted he faces a huge selection headache having all 24 members of his squad full fit and wanting to play. He said: “I have 24 players available and I’m f*****.

​“Sorry, but I can’t find a better word, because there are players that will stay in Madrid and not come with us for the last two games. That’s the hardest part for me.”

It’s been a difficult domestic season for Madrid having lost out on the league title to rivals Barcelona and currently sit a hefty 15 points behind them, putting more emphasis on the need for Madrid to win the Champions League. Zidane went onto state how important he believes winning the competition for a third consecutive year would be and that his players are ready.

​He added: “It’s huge. It means a lot, above all that the work we’re doing here is good and we’ve got through to the players as we wanted. The players are very hungry to go on winning and they’ve shown that.

Zidane will be hoping he can win his ninth trophy since his arrival at the club in January 2016 as Real look to cap off what has been a disappointing season by their standard with a major piece of silverware. 

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Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappé has admitted that it is unlikely he will see out the entirety of his five-year contract in the French capital.

The 19-year-old only moved to PSG last summer following a brilliant breakthrough season with surprise Ligue 1 champions, AS Monaco. Despite initially joining the club on loan, the Parisians will have to fork out €145m to sign Mbappé permanently this summer – where his contract will run until 2022.

But the France international has admitted that he is unlikely to remain at the Parc des Princes for the entirety of his contract, even suggesting that he could be out the exit door as early as next summer.

“I have a five-year contract and I am happy here,” Mbappé said, quoted by ESPN. “PSG have given me the opportunity to play and develop. Next year, I will be here, but all five years of my contract? I do not know. We will see – that is football. 

“We worked all year towards an objective, so if there is a black mark, it was the Champions League. However, our entire season should not be judged on Europe. Even if everybody assumed we had already won everything domestically, we still had to go and do that.”

​​Mbappé was linked with moves across Europe last summer, with interest in the teenage striker high in both the Premier League and La Liga. The 2017 Golden Boy winner opted to stay in France last season, but these latest comments suggest that his mind is already on a move away from Ligue 1.

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​​Arsenal representatives have met with the agent of ​Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema to hold talks over a potential summer move to the Emirates.

That is according to Spanish source Diario Gol, who have given just about everyone reason to question their transfer claims in the past. But per their report, the Gunners recently had their people meet with the Frenchman’s agent at a Madrid hotel.

They are also claiming that the London side are prepared to offer £52.4m (€60m) to secure a deal for the player.

Benzema is said to be upset over his exclusion from France’s World Cup squad. And after scoring just 11 goals during the season, Los Blancos are also looking to offload him.

Real president Florentino Perez is rumoured to be keen on a deal for Bayern Munich and Poland forward Robert Lewandowski. But the club are also heavily linked with Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar.

Arsenal, though, are understood to be facing a lot of competition for the 30-year-old, with Serie A outfits AC Milan and Inter also having sent their representatives to Spain for negotiations.

Benzema, who is contracted to Madrid until 2021, has already rejected a lucrative move to China as he wants to keep playing high-level football, and it will be interesting to see what unfolds over the summer.

From a realistic standpoint, Arsenal spending over £50m on a 30-year-old forward who has had a poor season, especially when they already have both Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in attack, just doesn’t seem likely.

They are also in a transitional period and are yet to announce a manager, something which could leave transfer negotiations on hold for a while.

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Villarreal welcome Champions League finalists Real Madrid to the Estadio de la Cerámica on Sunday in the last game of the league season for both sides. 

Villarreal have already secured a spot in the Europa League group stages for next season, and Real Madrid have predictably finished within the Champions League places. The motivation for both clubs, therefore, will be merely to secure the highest possible league position that they can. A win for Real Madrid opens the possibility of a second place finish if ​Atletico Madrid fail to overcome ninth-placed Eibar on the same day; while Villarreal will be looking to consolidate a fifth-placed finish.  

The Champions League final against ​Liverpool is on the horizon, but Real Madrid will be eager to put in one final display against a Villarreal in order to build momentum for the big game on 26th of May. 

Here is everything you need to know ahead of the final day in La Liga:

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Previous Encounter

The last time these two sides faced each other was back in January of this year, and Villarreal came out surprise winners against Los Blancos with Pablo Fornals grabbing the only goal of the game. 

Real Madrid predictably dominated but the home team were uncharacteristically wasteful in front of goal. Madrid’s total of 28 shots included just seven that were on target. Madrid did have the ball in the net though. Cristiano Ronaldo flicked a Toni Kroos cross onto the head of Gareth Bale, but the Welshman’s close-range effort was correctly judged offside by the third official. 

Villarreal looked dangerous on their rare forays into the Real Madrid half. Denis Cheryshev and Carlos Bacca nearly capitalised on Madrid’s hesitant defending, but the breakthrough came midway through the second period.

Cheryshev broke clear down the left hand side and found Enes Ünal in the penalty area. Ünal’s shot was well blocked by an onrushing Keylor Navas but it rebounded into the path of Fornals, who cooly dispatched a first-time chip over the goalkeepers head to settle the game.

Villarreal’s steely determination was characterised by Asenjo in goal for the away side, who’s efforts went a long way to sealing the win.

Before the half time interval the Spaniard denied rasping efforts from Marcelo and Ronaldo, but a heroic save late in the second-half to deny Ronaldo’s close-range effort was arguably his best.

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Key Battle 

Sergio Asenjo vs Gareth Bale

If Villarreal are to come away with something from Sunday’s game, they will need to contain an in-form Gareth Bale. The Welsh forward has scored seven in his last nine games, and turned in a man-of-the-match performance ​last time out against Celta Vigo. 

Villarreal’s season has largely been defined by the man in the sticks, Sergio Asenjo, who will be the key to keeping Gareth Bale off the score sheet this weekend.

Villarreal have conceded a lot of chances this season as exemplified by the performance against Real Madrid in January, and their fifth-place league position can largely be attributed to Asenjo who has kept them in a number of games. 

But the home team have conceded seven in their last two games, and Asenjo was remarkably poor in the 5-1 loss to Barcelona. He made just one save all game, and cannot replicate that performance if Villarreal want to take points off of Madrid on Sunday. 

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Team News

With the Champions League final quickly approaching Zinedine Zidane is expected to heavily rotate his squad for Sunday’s fixture, with youngsters Marcos Llorente and Borja Mayoral likely to be given the nod. 

The game may also see the continued involvement of Gareth Bale who scored twice against Celta Vigo last weekend, in Madrid’s 6-0 victory. The Welshman will be looking to give Zidane a ​selection headache ahead of the Champions League final, with his form in recent weeks justifying his claim for a starting berth in Kiev. 

Villarreal are still without Bruno Soriano, Ramiro Guerra and Rúben Semedo through injury, but the three stars have not made a big impact this season. It is likely that manager Javi Calleja will keep faith with the same back four that he has used all season, with Denis Cheryshev featuring on the left-hand side of the attack against his former club.

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Potential Villarreal Starting Lineup: Asenjo Costs, Ruiz, Gonzalez, Gaspar; Trigueros, Rodri, Cheryshev, Fornals, Castillejo; Bacca. 

Potential Real Madrid Starting Lineup: Navas, Hakimi, Vallejo, Ramos, Hernández; Vasquez, Kovacic, Llorente, Asensio; Bale, Mayoral.

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Prediction

It is difficult to know what to expect from Real Madrid in this fixture. The possible presence of numerous fringe players in the starting lineup may jeopardise their chances of taking anything from the game, especially with Villarreal in fine form.

Villarreal have won four of their last five home games in La Liga, with Valencia, Celta Vigo, Leganes and ​Atletico Madrid all recently falling short at La Ceramica.

Only Barcelona have triumphed over the Yellow Submarine since the middle of April, and the host’s form has allowed them to easily secure themselves a spot in the Europa League for next season.

With Los Blancos having their eyes firmly on the Champions League a tight game may be on the cards this Sunday.

Prediction: Villarreal 2-2 Real Madrid

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​​Chelsea are among three clubs willing to pay ​Liverpool’s asking price of £175m to land star forward Mohamed Salah, per Spanish source ​Diario Gol.

The publication claims that Real Madrid are also keen on signing the Egyptian this summer but are unwilling to meet the Reds’ valuation, while Manchester City and Bayern Munich aren’t averse.

Chelsea, Manchester City and Bayern Munich are all willing to meet Liverpool’s £175 million asking price for Mohamed Salah, according to reports in Spain 

The latest transfer gossip here: https://t.co/bt6c9g0bhc

— Goal (@goal) May 17, 2018

Salah, now considered to be Chelsea’s biggest mistake given the season he’s had at Liverpool, was on the Blues’ payroll after joining from Basel in 2014. But he failed to hit the heights under Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge and was loaned out to both Fiorentina and AS Roma before signing a permanent deal with the latter.

The crafty forward made the switch to Liverpool last summer and has since notched 44 goals in just 51 appearances, winning the Premier League’s Golden Boot and the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award in the process.

Mohamed Salah on Chelsea: “From the first day I left Chelsea, it was always in my mind to make them wrong.

I made them wrong.” pic.twitter.com/c1VSP1Sk97

— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) May 11, 2018

He is also set for a Champions League final against Madrid later this month and could possibly end his first season at Anfield in the best way possible by winning the coveted European trophy.

City, who won the Premier League title this season, could have an interest in the player and it wouldn’t come as a shock if they decided to spend the aforementioned amount. But Bayern are notoriously careful with their purse strings and spending £175m on one player just doesn’t seem like something they’d be keen on doing.

It would be quite a surprise to see the Blues get involved too, based on the asking price, especially for one of their former players.

Madrid, meanwhile, are said to be ready to offer Gareth Bale, Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez in a part-exchange.

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​​Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has handed rivals ​Real Madrid some high praise, claiming that they have the best players in the world position for position.

The crafty Argentinian notes that, while Barca are similarly built, Madrid can win games even if they’re playing badly, something typified by their run to the Champions League final despite being seemingly outclassed by most of their opposition.

“Position by position, Madrid have the best players in the world,” Messi said in an interview with TyC Sports. “[Barca] do as well, but Madrid have something that only they have. When they play badly, they still get results. We have to be the far superior side to win.”

The Catalan side made quite the mess of their own European campaign, going out in the quarter final stage courtesy of AS Roma despite claiming a 4-1 advantage in the first leg.

“The Champions League [loss was a mistake],” he lamented. “Given the [4-1] advantage we had before the second leg, we [should have reached] the semi final. It was a huge disappointment.

“[But] it motivates me to see Madrid in the Champions League final again; to see them winning leagues. I want to win the Champions League every year. I want to be a league champion every year — it’s what we all want.”

The forward also ​touched on the rumours linking him with a Pep Guardiola reunion at Manchester City, claiming that the only way he will play alongside compatriot Sergio Aguero at club level is if the City forward joins Barcelona.

Messi will be hoping to end his ten-year international drought with Argentina in this year’s FIFA World Cup after several disappointments. La Albiceleste won their last piece of silverware in the 2008 Olympics, going home with the gold. 

Yet that’s hardly something for Messi to look back on, especially as he’s been to a World Cup final.

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5. Settle on a Starting XI

4. Improve Tactical Discipline

3. Add Fresh Impetus This Summer

2. Maximise Youth Potential & Manage Squad More Effectively

1. Stop Depending on Ronaldo

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