Real Madrid

Raúl Albiol faces his team's Liga debut with the confidence gained by the recent extension of his contract, which will link him to Real Madrid until 2017. The Whites' defender is aware that starting on the right foot is a step forward towards his team's objective of defending the title they won so brilliantly last campaign and he makes this clear in statements to the Bwin website: “It's important to start out winning and more so playing a home game. There's no choice but to think about victory and the three points”.

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A player for the Spanish national side, he analyses his team's pre-season and praises the work accomplished this Summer in which they won all four of the matches that they contested on their American tour. “I think the team is in good shape and is prepared for their debut. We've had a very good pre-season with very intense training sessions. We've played games in which we've seen the team getting up to speed and also winning, which is important. There was little time and we've all had to get into shape quickly because the season is already about to commence and we start out against difficult teams”.

The Whites' defender is aware that the last campaign was brilliant but that Real Madrid's history requires the team to improve and he foresees even more hard work in the search for titles: “We hope to fight for all the titles and, of course, win them. The team is committed and we have to fight for each match as we did last year”.

His team's first rival in an official match will be a renewed Valencia with Pellegrino at the helm. Albiol understands his former team's motivation and desire to please their new coach and warns of the dangers of the Valencian team: “Valencia almost always plays good matches in the Bernabéu. I imagine that they'll also be very motivated because it's the first match of the Liga and they're playing against us. We'll have to be really good, very focused and play a good match in front of our fans. Their offense is dangerous but I think that if we're all focused and the team defends well, we'll be on our way to winning. That has to be our objective for the match”.

The objective for Sunday's rival, who finished last season's Liga in third place, is to once again fight for a ranking that will allow them to compete in the Champions League and compete for a championship that Real Madrid and Barcelona have won in recent campaigns: “If I had to pick a team besides Real Madrid and Barcelona that could be in the running for this title, it would definitely be Valencia as they've come third in recent years. This is just starting and when it starts everyone is very keen to at least not be left trailing behind Real Madrid and Barcelona".

The Whites' defender also spoke of his personal and professional situation in which the extension of his contract with Real Madrid has offered him further motivation to face a team plagued with challenges for his team: “I'm really very happy. Renewing a contract with a club where you're happy is always a big boost and keeps you keen to continue working. I hope to stay for many years and prove that they haven't made a mistake”.

Lastly, he commented on the second consecutive European Championship that Spain won in Poland and Ukraine: “Every title has its beautiful moment and that moment that you remember. You can't choose one moment between two European Championships and a World Cup, it's complicated. I think that the Spanish national team have done something historic. I'll always remember participating and having been there”.

	Camiseta de Albiol en la tienda del Real Madrid para España
	Camiseta de Albiol en la tienda del Real Madrid Internacional