La Liga Wrap: Atletico boost title hopes, Sevilla beat Villarreal

Atletico Madrid heaped pressure on Barcelona by topping La Liga after beating 10-man Levante 3-2 in an enthralling encounter on Saturday.

Title-chasing Atletico fell behind inside two minutes against Joaquin Caparros' men, Andreas Ivanschitz giving the visitors the lead with a close-range finish.

Atletico looked to have turned things around as a Diego Godin header and a smart finish from Diego Costa put them in front, only for Levante midfielder Pedro Rios to equalise on 56 minutes with a fine solo goal.

VIDEO :Villarreal 2-2 Real Madrid (All Goals)

                             

                           

Diego Lopez: We must support Casillas

The 31-year-old insists the club captain must be given full backing against Galatasaray in midweek after he was once more left on the bench against Villarreal on Saturday.

Diego Lopez has stressed that Iker Casillas has his full support after Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti confirmed he will restore the Spain No.1 to the team against Galatasaray.

Lopez was once more preferred for los Merengues' 2-2 draw with Villarreal on Saturday and the former Sevilla man continued his excellent run of form as Casillas watched on from the bench.

Debut goal was great for Bale – Ancelotti

The coach praised the Welshman's first appearance for the club, although he remained unsatisfied with the draw against Villarreal.

Carlo Ancelotti was delighted Gareth Bale got off to the best of starts in his Real Madrid career after the winger netted in the 2-2 draw against Villarreal on Saturday.

The €100 million arrival was handed his first start for his new club and immediately repaid Ancelotti's faith with a goal when he slid in Daniel Carvajal's cross.

Although Giovani dos Santos ensured Villarreal took a share of the spoils with a late goal, Ancelotti was pleased to see Bale hit the ground running alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.

Villarreal 2-2 Real Madrid: Bale & Ronaldo goals cancelled out by Submarine strikes

The Welshman equalised following Cani's opener and, though the Blancos' No.7 gave the visitors the side, Giovani dos Santos saved the day for the hosts.

Gareth Bale's debut was ruined by an admirable Villarreal performance as the newly promoted hosts held Real Madrid to a 2-2 draw.

The Welshman made his first competitive start for the club since his world-record move from Tottenham and he began repaying his huge fee by cancelling out Cani's opener at El Madrigal just before half-time.

Martino: Neymar was flawless

The coach lauded his Brazilian prodigy's decisive output in a tense encounter which saw Jordi Alba suffer a thigh injury.

Gerardo Martino branded Neymar's performance as flawless after Barcelona survived a Sevilla fightback to win 3-2 on Saturday.

Dani Alves and Lionel Messi's strikes were cancelled out by Ivan Rakitic and Coke, leaving Alexis Sanchez to net a last-ditch winner in a game that saw the visitors also have a goal controversially ruled out.

Gareth Bale hoping to prove fitness ahead of weekend trip to Villarreal

Gareth Bale has revealed he is hoping to start for Real Madrid on Saturday despite his lack of match action.

The world's most expensive footballer spent a second day training with his new team-mates on Thursday ahead of the weekend trip to Villarreal.

Bale has had just 31 minutes of competitive action this season - a substitute appearance in Wales' defeat to Serbia this week - and his national manager Chris Coleman has said the player is not ready to play 90 minutes.

But, speaking at a launch of Real's third kit, the 24-year-old insisted he will be ready to answer Carlo Ancelotti's call on Saturday.

Gareth Bale trains with Real Madrid for the first time after leaving Tottenham

Gareth Bale is edging closer to his Real Madrid debut after training with his new team-mates for the first time.

The 24-year-old became the most expensive player in world football after securing an £86m move from Tottenham late in the transfer window.

And he is expected to play some part in Real's La Liga clash at Villarreal on Saturday following the rescheduled run-out which was delayed to accommodate players returning from the international break.

"Bale started the session with some individual physical work and later joined the rest of the outfield players," Real said on their official website.

Cristiano Ronaldo Must Rest Against Villarreal After Sustaining Injury

Cristiano Ronaldo put together a great effort for his national team, but it comes at a cost to Real Madrid for the near future.

The Portuguese star scored three goals in the final 30 minutes against Northern Ireland to help his team get a come-from-behind win. This helped the squad sit near the top of the group in World Cup qualifying, which will be finalized next month.

However, it was not all good for Ronaldo. According to the FIFA website, Ronaldo was unable to play in his team's friendly on Tuesday due to tendinitis.

Gareth Bale Unlikely to Play 90 Minutes on Real Madrid Debut

Gareth Bale is unlikely to complete a full 90 minutes on his Real Madrid debut despite making his first appearance of the season for Wales in the World Cup qualifying defeat to Serbia, according to national team boss Chris Coleman.

Bale missed much of Tottenham Hotspur's pre-season schedule while negotiating his move to the Bernabeu and is severely short of match fitness, with Coleman omitting the 24 year old from the team that lost to Macedonia on Friday.

But the Madrid new boy played 32 minutes in the qualifying defeat to Serbia on Tuesday night, to raise hopes over a potential debut for Real's trip to Villarreal on Saturday, however Coleman doesn't expected Bale to end the game should he earn his first start.