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Saturday May 1, 2004

All eyes on Becks again

MADRID: David Beckham seems fated to spend his sporting life tangling with Argentine players and the Real Madrid midfielder could be set for another clash at Deportivo La Coruna today.

Beckham had a face-to-face confrontation with Deportivo’s Lionel Scaloni when the two teams met earlier this season in Real’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, and Scaloni warned the England captain on Thursday that he was ready and waiting for him on his home turf.

“I won’t be shaking his hand, that’s for sure. And I’m going to play to the limit, like I have always since I arrived at Deportivo,” commented Scaloni, clearly having not forgotten or forgiven Beckham.

“It was him who caused all the trouble (in December) but it has been me that has been labelled the bad guy. The truth is, he is one as well. It’s best to say we are as bad as each other,” added the 25-year-old wing back.

Argentine players have featured high in the lowlights of Beckham’s career.

David Beckham is set to tangle with another Artentine player when his team Real Madrid visit Deportivo La Coruna in the Spanish League today.
He was sent off in the 1998 World Cup quarter-finals for apparently tripping Diego Simeone, although the former Argentine later admitted he dived.

Beckham’s appearance in the next World Cup Finals four years later was jeopardised following a tackle by Deportivo’s Aldo Duscher in the Champions League in April 2002, which left the then Manchester United player nursing a broken bone in his left foot.

Duscher later apologised to Beckham for the tackle but the two crossed swords again in the December encounter, which Real won 2-1, and it is a distinct possibility that he could link up with Scaloni to provide double-trouble for Beckham today.

Deportivo coach Javier Irureta is expected to make several changes to his usual starting line-up in order to give key players, including Spanish internationals Juan Carlos Valeron and Albert Luque, a break before their Champions League semi-final second leg against Porto on Tuesday but Duscher is likely to get the nod.

Beckham desperately needs to produce a good performance in Deportivo’s intimidating Riazor Stadium, where Real have not won for 12 years, to put behind him the distractions of having his private life splashed on the front pages of newspapers around the world.

Real also need a good performance from Beckham, whose recent outings for the reigning Spanish champions have been distinctly lacklustre, in order to revitalise their bid for the championship after being humiliated in front of their home fans last Sunday when they lost 2-1 to bitter rivals Barcelona.

Valencia still lead the league, despite stuttering with draws in their last two games, with 71 points from 34 matches and four to go, and start the weekend one point ahead of Real.

The UEFA Cup semi-finalists play host to the ever-erratic Real Betis tomorrow, who will be without their suspended but mercurial midfielder Benjamin Zarandona.

The team in form though are third-placed Barcelona, who have gone 16 games unbeaten and are now only five points behind Valencia.

The Catalans could extend their streak in the Nou Camp against their relegation-threatened local rivals Espanyol tomorrow.

“We have to win if we are going to stay in the race for the title,” said Barca coach Frank Rijkaard.

“However, both teams need three points for different reasons so I have told my players it would be an error to under-estimate Espanyol,” added Rijkaard, who will be without the injured Spanish international defender Carles Puyol. – AFP

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