'Ronaldo and Casillas will leave Real Madrid'

Cristiano Ronaldo and Iker Casillas are "certain" to leave Real Madrid, according to the club's former goalkeeper Agustin Rodriguez.

Casillas' future has been the subject of speculation following his patchy form over the past 12 months and persistent rumours linking Madrid with Manchester United's David de Gea.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, has often cut a frustrated figure in recent weeks and has upheld a blackout with mainstream media in recent weeks.

Agustin is adamant that Madrid fans can expect both players to leave the Santiago Bernabeu at the end of the season, despite the club suggesting contrary.

"I think Iker Casillas is going to go, genuinely. And Cristiano, too. I'm certain on that," the 55-year-old, who spent 10 years at Madrid, told Radio Marca.

"We'll see in the news that comes out next Wednesday."

The European champions take on Juventus in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday, having lost the first leg 2-1 in Turin.

Barcelona are more than just Messi - Rafinha

Bayern Munich defender Rafinha has warned his team-mates not to become preoccupied with the thought of stopping Lionel Messi on Tuesday.

The Argentine scored twice in a devastating final 13 minutes in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final as Barca raced into a 3-0 first-leg lead.

Rafina, however, says it would be dangerous to forget about the strength across the Blaugrana team sheet when they attempt to overturn the deficit at the Allianz Arena this week.

"Everyone knows how good Messi is. Of course we wanted to stop him, a player like him can decide games on his own," the 29-year-old told a press conference. "But Barcelona are not just Messi. They have a great team, just think about Luis Suarez.

"For 77 minutes last week we played very well, defended very well. After that we made some mistakes and we paid for that. Now we are going to try to score three or four goals – perhaps we will even have to take it to extra-time.

"Against players like this you take a risk by playing with just three at the back, but we will do what the coach says. It's the details which will decide games like these."

Rafinha is adamant Bayern can consider their season a success regardless of the result on Tuesday but feels their stunning comeback against Porto should give them hope of keeping their European dreams alive.

"If we are German champions, that means this has been a great season for us. We are still in semi-finals of the Champions League. We had had bad luck with injuries, and of course we wanted to go to the DFB-Pokal final, too.

"We did not expect to be 3-0 down at this stage, but we have another game, and when we are at out stadium we will have shown that we can score a lot of goals."

Arsenal 0-1 Swansea City: Late Gomis header stuns Gunners

Lukasz Fabianski came back to haunt Arsenal as Bafetimbi Gomis returned from injury to grab a dramatic late winner for Swansea City in Monday's 1-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium.

After a forgettable first half, Arsenal pummelled the Swansea goal after the break, but Polish goalkeeper Fabianski - who joined Swansea in the close-season after a seven-year spell in north London - made a string of superb stops to deny the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Nacho Monreal and Theo Walcott.

And Fabianski's contribution proved priceless as Gomis, who came on as a second-half substitute following a month-long lay-off with an ankle injury, headed home an 85th-minute winner, with goalline technology showing the ball clearly went in despite David Ospina's best efforts.

It was the second time Gomis has scored against Arsenal this term after he bagged in Swansea's 2-1 home win in November, and Garry Monk's side maintained their challenge for a sixth-placed finish that will offer Europa League football should Arsene Wenger's team beat Aston Villa in the FA Cup final.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have surrendered the advantage in the race for second to Manchester City with just two games remaining.

Wenger named the same starting XI for the fifth straight match, and the hosts had the first sight of goal when Olivier Giroud nodded Aaron Ramsey's cross over the bar.

Both teams struggled to create clear-cut chances, though, as Swansea's Jonjo Shelvey attempted an ambitious long-range half-volley - more out of hope more than expectation - that sailed well over.

Arsenal had tentative penalty claims waved by away referee Kevin Friend in the 27th minute when Alexis Sanchez claimed he was tugged to ground by Neil Taylor from a Santi Cazorla free-kick.

Arsenal continued to dominate possession as the half wore on, but aside from a 25-yard effort that Giroud curled wide, they failed to trouble Fabianski.

There was more intent about Arsenal's game after the restart and Federico Fernandez made a superb sliding block from Hector Bellerin's low centre from the right to deny Giroud a chance at goal.

Soon after, Giroud's clever flick was pounced upon by Sanchez who showed great strength to hold off Fernandez before shooting into the side-netting.

Arsenal continued to surge forward and Ramsey rifled into the side-netting, before Cazorla dug out a shot from the edge of the penalty area that Fabianski saved well low to his right.

Swansea were under siege, but Arsenal substitute Theo Walcott could only prod Bellerin's centre straight at Fabianski.

Fabianski was in unbeatable form, with Wenger left scratching his head when the Pole denied Monreal one-on-one before making a fine double save from Sanchez and Walcott in the 78th minute.

And Arsenal's profligacy was punished five minutes from time, as Taylor chipped in a cross from the left and Gomis leapt highest to head home, with Ospina's attempted save not enough to prevent the ball from crossing the line.

Carvajal: Madrid can't go mad against Juventus

Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal has warned his team-mates that a gung-ho approach against Juventus will get them nowhere.

The Bianconeri lead the European champions 2-1 from the first leg of their Champions League semi-final thanks to strikes from Alvaro Morata and Carlos Tevez, but Cristiano Ronaldo's away goal could prove crucial.

The former Bayer Leverkusen right-back feels his side should adopt a patient approach and look to slowly break down Massimiliano Allegri's men rather than attack en masse.

"We must keep a cool head, be patient and not go crazy," he is quoted as saying by Marca.

"We know what a game of football lasts 90 minutes. We have to make them pay a high price for suffering without possession.

"We have to learn from the game in Turin. They created danger for us. If we stay calm, have patience and move them, the game will fall to us.

"We cannot make mistakes on easy passes in simple situations. That gives them life."

Morata began his career at Real Madrid before moving to Juventus last summer and, though Carvajal is happy to see him playing well, he is not looking forward to facing his old colleague.

"To find a friend in the semi-finals of the Champions League is great but playing against him is a disadvantage because he's a great player and a big danger."

Madrid are expected to be boosted by the return of star forward Karim Benzema and Carvajal feels his comeback could shift the tie in his side's favour.

"Karim brings us a lot of things. I hope he can get to the game on Wednesday and do his bit, which is always important."

Carvajal also called upon the Santiago Bernabeu faithful to get behind the team to give them extra motivation to reach the Berlin showpiece.

"We will feel the breath of the fans; they'll be our 12th man."

Liverpool players must improve after 'irreplaceable' Gerrard leaves - Lallana

Adam Lallana says Liverpool's midfielders must raise their game next season to compensate for the loss of Steven Gerrard.

Gerrard will join MLS club LA Galaxy at the end of this season and was given a standing ovation by both Liverpool and Chelsea fans as he was substituted during Sunday's 1-1 draw, in which he scored.

With only two games of his Liverpool career to go, Lallana has already begun to mentally prepare for life without the 34-year-old and feels every player is required to soften the blow.

"I feel we're all going to have to give an extra percentage to fill the gap left by Gerrard," Lallana told the club's official website.

"We all need to dig in and work hard because he is irreplaceable, really. I feel the best way to replace him is not just through one certain individual; it's going to be a combination of every single player.

"He's proved against Chelsea and last week against QPR, coming up with a goal, what a man he is and what a player he is for this club."

Jordan Ibe wants to emulate Steven Gerrard

Jordan Ibe is hoping to emulate the lofty achievements of captain Steven Gerrard as well as follow his path to greatness.
The Liverpool legend is set to leave Anfield at the end of the season as the club's third-highest appearance maker of all-time and fifth-highest scorer ever.

Ibeh, who moved to Merseyside 2011 revealed how the former English international has been a role model to upcoming players while lamenting his department from the Reds squad.

"[Gerrard]'s been a big deal for us. He's always helped all the other players in the team," Ibe told Liverpoolfc.com

"He's helped a lot of the young lads, including me, so it's going to be a shame to lose him. But I'm happy for him to continue his journey.

"Sometimes he doesn't even have to say anything but you just see the way that he conducts himself on and off the pitch; you can just see that he’s a legend for the club.

"Playing with him, you just want to play to the best of your ability and it keeps you on your toes. He's a great role model for the club and other players."

He admits he was worried that he would find playing time hard to come by in the event of a return, but credits the manager for throwing him into first-team action immediately.

"I thought I was going to be at Derby for the rest of the season but my aim was to always come back at one point and it obviously happened and I've enjoyed it since," he continued.

"I was thinking if I came back I might not play, I'd just be on the bench and watching most games just for experience.

"But everything's gone well enough and I have to thank the gaffer for that and I’m enjoying it.

"[Rodgers] spoke to me two weeks prior to me coming back and he said the way we’re playing now would give me a chance to fit in,” he added.

"He said, 'When you get back we'll just start training and hopefully you can get in and start playing games'.

"I slightly doubted it because I was starting games at Derby, but he's come through and delivered so I've been grateful for that,” Ibeh concluded.

Barcelona not too confident ahead of Bayern clash - Mascherano

Javier Mascherano has admitted that Barcelona are not too confident heading into Tuesday's Champions League semi-final second leg with Bayern Munich, despite holding a 3-0 lead from the first game against the German side.

A Lionel Messi double followed by a strike from Neymar gave Barca the advantage in the tie as the sides battle for a place in the final.

Mascherano, though, feels his side must forget about their lead when the game starts and look to prevent Bayern from getting anything from the game in Munich.

"I think we need to forget that we are leading 3-0, we have to try to win this match. We know that we are doing well in the league. If we try something different in this competition, we would be making a mistake.

"We are not excessively confident about what could happen in the game - they are going to try everything to progress.

"Tomorrow's game is really exciting for us. Playing in the Champions League final is a dream."

The Argentine midfielder has urged his side to put in the perfect performance against Pep Guardiola's men as they look to become one of Europe's greatest sides.

"We will attack because we do not know how to play any other way - it's the club philosophy. To reach the final in Berlin, we will have to play the perfect game, because Bayern will demand it of us.

"This Barca team is aiming to become a great side. We are on the way and let's hope we can get there. We are very competitive, we want to win titles - we are 90 minutes away from the final. We will do everything to fulfill our dream. If you get to this stage, every mistake can be punished - we have to take it step by step tomorrow.

"I don't know how Bayern will line up. But I expect a hungry Bayern team, right from the start. They will try to score, we know how they play at home. But we are prepared for everything, nothing will surprise us. If we just defend they will come to us - now we are in the semi-final, it would be a mistake just to defend."

Mascherano was then asked about his thoughts on his team-mate Lionel Messi, who he hailed as a unique player.

"I am a huge fan of Messi - I enjoy watching him. You can’t compare him to anyone. For me he is the best player of all time."