Free Live Odds - Scores and Odds - Sports News - Sports Information - Live Scores - Sports Statistics - Sports Articles - Sports Standings - Live Scor

O&N HOME | NFL MLB NBA NHL NCAAF NCAABk Nascar Golf Soccer Tennis Boxing Horse Racing All Sports

SOCCER-SPAIN Home | Live Odds | Scoreboard | Standings |

Real gunning for 14th straight home win

Fri 19th, March 2010

Madrid, Spain (Sports Network) - Real Madrid's Alvaro Arbeloa admitted it will be "hard to win all of our home games," but added, "we'll try."

Real has won its first 13 matches at the Bernabeu in La Liga this season, and although it settled for a 1-1 draw at home against Lyon to exit the Champions League, six more La Liga wins could help Madrid dethrone Barcelona in Spain.

Real Madrid hosts Sporting Gijon on Saturday, and Arbeloa knows the club isn't "invincible at home," although the numbers say otherwise.

Madrid has scored 44 goals and given up just 10 inside the Bernabeu in La Liga matches. Ten of its home victories were by least two goals.

"We are very confident because we know it is hard for us to drop points at the Bernabeu, where the crowd fervently supports us," Arbeloa also said on Real's website.

Real still faces a few home tests, including Atletico Madrid later this month, and Barcelona in the second week of April.

But with the Champions League over for Madrid, and Barcelona still alive, the La Liga title is all the club, its nearly $400 million in transfers, and coach Manuel Pellegrini have to focus on.

"We have to concentrate on La Liga to win the title. Saturday's match against Sporting will be complicated," Arbeloa said.

Real managed just a 0-0 draw at Sporting earlier this season and Arbeloa knows the team will be just as tough as visitors this weekend.

"They made it difficult for us in the first leg and we failed to defeat them," he said. "They are in good form and confident. We'll have to work very hard to defeat them."

"We're going to have to play a good game to keep our home streak alive."

Real has already put its disappointing result against Lyon in the past, thanks to a 4-1 win over Valladolid last week. Gonzalo Higuain scored a hat trick and is second to Barca's Lionel Messi on the league scoring charts, and Cristiano Ronaldo also scored.

Barcelona advanced in the Champions League on Wednesday with a 4-0 win against Stuttgart in the second leg at the Camp Nou. Stuttgart earned a 1-1 tie in the first leg, but Messi scored twice and added an assist in the return leg. Barca was drawn against Arsenal in the quarterfinals.

Barca sits second based on goal differential in La Liga but holds a tiebreaker based on its 1-0 win over Real earlier this season. Barca visits Real Zaragoza on Sunday, when it could overtake Madrid if it slips up at home.

Also Saturday, Athletic Bilbao hosts Getafe, Deportivo hosts Valladolid, Xerez hosts Tenerife, and Espanyol hosts Sevilla. Also Sunday, Osasuna hosts Racing, Malaga hosts Villarreal, Mallorca hosts Atletico, and Valencia hosts Almeria.