Julen Lopetegui News

Sevilla top La Liga with 10 points after four games and while Real are also unbeaten and only two points back, they are smarting from a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Paris St Germain in the Champions League which has coach Zinedine Zidane feeling the heat.

The only goal came on the counter on Friday as the two Andalusian clubs renewed their rivalry after a two-year gap while Granada toiled in the second division.  

Gnagnon launched a wild challenge on the 18-year-old Larouchi, which launched him into the air and led him to being carried off on a stretcher during Liverpool`s 2-1 defeat at Fenway Park on Sunday.

Torres, 24, has known Lopetegui since playing under him at the 2013 under-20 World Cup for Spain and followed him to Porto a year later on loan from Atletico Madrid, eventually signing a permanent deal in 2017, a year after Lopetegui was sacked.

Coach Santiago Solari may have a contract until 2021 but no-one expects him to remain beyond the close season after overseeing Tuesday`s catastrophic last-16 second leg defeat which ended the club`s 1,012-day reign as kings of Europe.

In 2018, Lopetegui was not only sacked by Spain days before the World Cup, but was also subsequently fired by Real Madrid three months into the season.

The 18-year-old was left out of the squad when Real last visited the Nou Camp in October, deemed too young and too inexperienced to face a Barca side who went on to defeat Madrid 5-1.

With victories over Melilla in the Copa del Rey, Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League, and Real Valladolid and Celta Vigo in La Liga, Solari has enjoyed the best start of any manager in the club`s history.

Lopetegui was dismissed last week after less than five months in charge of Real, following a hefty Clasico defeat by Barcelona and a dire run of form in which they sunk to ninth in La Liga.

Perez also stressed that the redevelopment of Santiago Bernabeu stadium is to begin in the near future, and that this would in turn bring new resources and revenue streams to the club.

Solari admitted he had taken over in a "delicate moment," but insisted "that in moments such as this you see the personality of the players."

Lopetegui initially avoided the question of whether he would be in charge against Barcelona by saying "that is not a question for me". 

After two matches, Real Madrid is currently third in Champions League Group G with three points, right behind Roma.

La Liga outfit Real Madrid are the defending champions of the tournament having emerged victorious in the last two editions as well.

Defending champions Real Madrid are scheduled to meet CSKA Moscow in their Group G match on Wednesday at the VEB Arena in Moscow.

“Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the main players in the recent history of Real Madrid. He expressed a desire to leave and we allowed him to. Gareth Bale is a magnificent player, with so many qualities. He can help fill the void,” Lopetegui said

President of the federation Luis Rubiales announced the appointment of head coach and sporting director during a press conference on Monday.

The sense that Spain had been let off the hook against Morocco was reflected on the front covers of the two main sports newspapers AS and Marca, who had identical headlines declaring: "Long Live VAR!"

"It was surprising and I think that even though there were motives and reasons behind the decision, the players had no say in it and it was not the right time," Saul Niguez said.

The Spanish soccer federation fired Julen Lopetegui on Wednesday after Lopetegui was appointed as Real Madrid's new head coach and hired Fernando Hierro, as the new head coach.