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Celtic Glasgow Vs. Real Madrid Game Recap: Bring On La Liga!

NEW YORK - AUGUST 08:  Head coach Jose Mourinho of Real Madrid leaves the field after victory over A.C. Milan in their match at Yankee Stadium on August 8, 2012 in New York City.  (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - AUGUST 08: Head coach Jose Mourinho of Real Madrid leaves the field after victory over A.C. Milan in their match at Yankee Stadium on August 8, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
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It wasn't brilliant, but Real Madrid managed to get another win against Celtic Glasgow to end the 2012 preseason. Mourinho's boys look ready to start competing for la Liga BBVA with the exact same players that won them the trophy last year, and it's likely that another midfielder will join the squad, improving it immensely.

There have been no serious injuries other than the one that Álex suffered; the canterano will not begin the season with Castilla. Even Benzema, who played well in the previous games (while still lacking goal-scoring punch) was able to net against the Scottish team off a beautiful counter attack.

Unfortunately for both Kaká and Real Madrid, the Brazilian playmaker didn't play as well as he did in the Yankee Stadium match against AC Milan. Every time Kaká plays well he gives Real Madrid fans the hope that they will see the former Ballon D'Or winner again, but every time he plays well, he tends to follow it up by disappointing in his next game. Such was the case tonight.

Could he be under too much pressure? Would he be happier playing for AC Milan? The fans can only wonder.

Callejón scored the first Real Madrid goal to finish the preseason as the team's top scorer. The 'goals per minute' rate this young man has is amazing, and it's usually hard to remember one game in which he has played without scoring a single goal. His main skill is his off-the-ball movement: Callejón always provides a good passing line for his teammates, and Real Madrid has very good passers in the likes of Özil, Xabi Alonso or Di María, which explains why Callejón is so incredibly successful.

The first half brought to light a curious situation in Alonso's and Khedira's midfield. It seemed for quite a long time that Khedira was trying to help the team offensively while Xabi Alonso was left alone (consciously) on the defensive end. Alonso played really well while he was on the field, but Khedira wasn't as brilliant as in his usual role with los blancos. Mourinho could be trying to import the German version of Sami Khedira to Real Madrid, but that's still a work in progress so far.

While Coentrao looked in shape, he didn't shine. The Portuguese player is going to surely have the edge over Marcelo in this beginning of the season, since the Brazilian hasn't completed a single practice with the team yet due to his Olympic Games experience (Brazil won the silver medal today, losing to Mexico). In previous years, an out-of-shape Marcelo would be worrisome for Real Madrid fans, but Coentrao showed in the Eurocup that he is more than capable of being a starter for this team.

Benzema was finally able to score a goal in the new 2012-2013 Real Madrid jersey, and he finished the preseason with the exact same number of goals as his rival for the spot, Gonzalo Higuaín. It will be hard for José Mourinho to pick one of them, but Benzema's playmaking skills are very valuable for this team.

Luckily enough, Di María is certainly ready to start. He's been arguably the best Real Madrid player in this preseason, and if Higuaín is finally the chosen one, Di María should be enough to replace what the team loses without Benzema on the field.

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