AC Milan and Ronaldinho have both seen their stock lower in recent seasons...

Kaka believes that Real Madrid are a bigger club than AC Milan and has admitted he is mystified by Ronaldinho's drop in form in recent seasons.

Los Merengues' Brazilian star is preparing to face his former club only four months after his Milanello departure and while he is looking forward to seeing old friends, he has also stoked things up.

Madrid and Milan both struggled last term wuthout winning silverware, but the Spanish behemoths spent €250 million in the summer and Kaka thinks that they have more global appeal.

"I think Real Madrid are slightly bigger throughout the world because people follow them everywhere. That's the greatest difference between both teams," he told a press conference on Tuesday.

"Milan have always been a strong team in Italy and in Europe. That has changed in the last two years.

"They haven’t been able to beat big teams and perhaps their signing policy has changed. What I gathered during my time there was that it was a good mix of youth and experienced players.

"It will be the first time I play against a former team of mine.  It will be a new experience, but I am a professional and I now play for Real Madrid. Let’s see what happens tomorrow. I will do my very best.

I feel very Madridista. I do my best to win every game with this team because I feel well here. I am grateful to the club for everything they've done for me, both in the past and in the present."

Ronaldinho is being touted as Milan's player to watch in the game against Madrid, but Kaka does not understand why his form dipped so suddenly in recent years.

"Ronaldinho is a different player with the ball at his feet because he can place it wherever he wants.  I would love to have that ability," he continued.

"I don't know what's happened to him or why he's dropped his performance level so much. He hasn't been able to make a difference on the team as he used to do at Barça or with Brazil.

"I think he needs to find motivation in order to be one of the best players in the world."

The Rossoneri will face Real Madrid in tonight’s big Champions League clash between two of the biggest European sides in history.

Milan defender Alessandro Nesta is looking forward to the clash against Real Madrid tonight at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium for the third matchday of the Champions League group stage.

The Rossoneri will have a difficult time against the high-scoring Merengues, but Nesta does not want to bet on how many goals his team will concede.

“I never bet, not even on the defence and I don’t do them today on the goals that Real could score against Milan,” declared the former Lazio player to Milan Channel.

Nesta then commented Kaka’s declarations about Milan during the press conference.

“Kaka knows us, he fears us, because he knows that in the Champions League we have always done well,” he explained.

“It will be a pleasure to play against him. We will be looking forward to see him. We know that Ricky is quick, it’s true we know that, but those like him are unpredictable players.”

Losing could spell trouble for Milan considering Zurich and Marseille face each other in the other group game of the night.

Ahead of Wednesday’s monster Champions League clash, Carlo Garganese light-heartedly looks at 10 things to expect before, during and after Real Madrid vs Milan…

10) Even though Ronaldo will be in the stands, and not on the pitch, he'll get more camera time than Rino 'scares the kids' Gattuso.

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According to Sky Sport Italia, Real Madrid midfielder Wesley Sneijder is in Milan, and a deal to join Inter is on the verge of being reached...

 Wesley Sneijder's move from Real Madrid to Inter is about to be rubber-stamped after the player touched down in Milan to finalise the move, according to the latest reports in Italy.

Sky Sport Italia claims the Dutch international has been summoned by the Italian club and a deal that will see him play there is on the verge of being agreed.

Earlier reports this morning claimed the Beneamata had reached a transfer fee agreement with Real Madrid believed to be around €15million. But the player's wage demands were holding up the deal.

Sneijder is said to be adamant on earning €4m per season, but Inter were only willing to stretch to €3.5m. It now appears a deal over the wage question has been reached, and voices suggest the move could make further ground within the next few hours.

Negotiations have been rumbling on and an official announcement is expected soon.

Despite Sky Italia's report, Real Madrid, Inter or Sneijder have not confirmed the latest developments just yet.

Despite having a vast catalogue of top European sides chasing his signature, the man dubbed the next Zinedine Zidane, Sofaine Feghouli, appears destined to stay loyal to Grenoble until the end of the season.

Comparisons with the great Zinedine Zidane may be a little premature for 18 year-old attacking midfielder Sofiane Feghouli, however, the Grenoble player already has a lengthy list of clubs chasing him that even the great Zizou would be proud of.

The majority of Europe’s elite sides are represented in the hunt for the French U-21 international, with Liverpool, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Barcelona amongst a clutch of clubs chasing the highly regarded young talent.

It seems that these teams will have to wait until the summer before a bidding war begins for the Paris-born star as he revealed to 10Sport that he is not prepared to leave the south-east of France before the summer.

“I want to finish the season with Grenoble and do my best to help the club continue in Ligue 1,” he explained. “Personally, I’d like to stay in France. That is my priority. I don’t want to go abroad to be regarded as a player well down the order and rarely play. I need game time and I will leave my advisor to handle these things. For the moment, nothing is concrete.”

The news that Feghouli is receptive to a move to one of Ligue 1’s bigger sides is sure to alert the likes of Olympique Lyonnais, Olympique de Marseille and even hometown club Paris Saint-Germain, all of whom would surely like an additional player of Feghouli’s quality amongst their ranks.

Manchester United's Argentine striker Carlos Tevez will be playing for Real Madrid next season - according to Los Blancos' media mouthpiece, Marca.

"Tevez said 'yes' to Madrid...for next season," trumpeted Spanish sports daily Marca.

According to the newspaper - known for publishing stories that advance whatever agenda Real Madrid are interested in pursuing at any given time - a deal between Los Merengues and the Argentine international has already been signed.

It is certainly true that Real Madrid are desperate to bring in reinforcements for their depleted attack, with Dutch striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy - another ex-Manchester United star - ruled out for at least six months with a right knee injury suffered in the Champions League defeat by Juventus in October.

It has also been speculated - though denied by United boss Sir Alex Ferguson - that the Red Devils would be willing to offload Tevez rather than bite the bullet of buying his expensive contract from the MSI agency that 'owns' him, especially as Ferguson seems to have settled on Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov, when both are fit, as his regular starting strike force.

However, that does not necessarily mean that Marca have put the two situations together and come up with the right answer.

Madrid are currently fourth in La Liga, five points behind leaders Barcelona.

Arshavin is the most likely player to sign for real madrid this summer transfer window.He has declared his decision of moving to a big club as soon as possible.Crespo is also an another candidate but this reamins unlikely ,especially considering Nerazurri coach Jose Mourinho's unwillingness to let hin go.

Let's just start by saying that Real Madrid are still the team to beat in La Liga this season.
 
They were Champions in 2006/07 as Beckham said bon voyage and they held their nerve on the last game of Capello’s tenure.

They were Champions last season convincingly as Barcelona toiled towards the end of the Rijkaard era. 

They have set the benchmark; it is up to the rest to dethrone Los Merengues.
 
But things just don’t appear to be running smoothly at the Bernabeu currently. The well-oiled cogs that aided the romp to the title in 2007/08 have shown signs of losing motion. The derby victory over Atletico and the heavy 7-1 victory over Sporting Gijon merely paper over the cracks that the defeat to Juventus, draw at home to Espanyol and loss at the Riazor threatened to expose. Real Madrid will be trophy-less at the end of the 2008/09 campaign, and these are the reasons why.
 
1) The Challenge is stronger.
 
Despite the unequivocal fact that Madrid were the strongest side in Liga last season, Villarreal aside, there was no consistent challenger to knock them from their stride. Barcelona were all over the place from Christmas time until the end of the season, Valencia were clueless under Koeman, and Sevilla couldn’t cope with the exertions of their first foray into the Champions League. This season, however, it is all change; Sevilla only have UEFA cup football and have managed to survive a midfield reshuffle with their rhythm remaining intact. Expectations at Valencia were low due to the debacle of last season, but they have made the best start to a campaign in their history, and with David Villa firing on all cylinders, they will have a major say on the destination of the title. Then we have Villarreal who were worthy second last season, and but for a dreadful start could have fared better. They have started this season as they ended the last – winning matches.  The form of these sides has created a log jam of sides jostling at the top of the table.  Madrid glanced down from the top for almost the entire season last year – to look up and see good sides performing well has a psychological effect on the way a side approaches a match.
And let’s not forget Barcelona.
 
2) Barcelona are back.  
 
After the lack of discipline that was all too apparent eventually caused the Blaugrana to implode last season, many were unsure that the appointment of an inexperienced coach such as Pep Guardiola was the correct option. They needn't have worried. After a shaky start, Barcelona are positively flying, clinically tearing through teams with brutal efficiency. Messi is in the form of his short career. Xavi and Iniesta are establishing themselves as two of the greatest players in the world. And Samuel Eto'o, thought to be on his way out of the Nou Camp in the summer, is top scorer in the league and looking unplayable again. After demolishing everyone in their wake, how can Madrid even begin to cope with that attacking quartet?  
 
3) The defence is suspect  
 
Especially with a back four as unreliable as this. Yes, they have arguably the best goalkeeper in the world, and they have a World Player of the Year centre-half in Cannavaro, but the whole is not represented by the sum of its parts. Heinze has had a dreadful start to the season, out of position constantly and looks to be out of his depth. Pepe is an accident waiting to happen almost every week - unpredictability is not a positive characteristic for a defender to employ yet this guy has 'mistake' stamped all over his erratic performances. Perhaps most worrying is the stroppy antics of Sergio Ramos. On a par with any defender in the world, but appears unhappy and undervalued by Schuster.  
 
4) The midfield offer little protection  
 
Not all the blame can lie with the defence for Madrids record of two clean sheets in 15 games. The midfield, as flair-filled and flamboyant as it is, concentrate too heavily on the positive and ignore their defensive duties. They can still outscore the majority of sides in La Liga, but against quality attackers such as Sevilla or Barcelona, Pepe and Cannavaro will be brutally exposed. Schuster knows this, but Diarra can't screen them on his own - he needs the others to muck in and chase back.  
 
5) Unrest in the dugout and behind the scenes  
 
Madrid have always had a penchant for firing managers - 19 manager changes in 21 seasons tell its own story, and rumour has it Schuster is on a sticky wicket with the top brass, particularly Predrag Mijatovic. The Ronaldo saga also left a bad taste in the mouth, and left Madrid, a club who always get the man they are after, without the man they were after. Alex Ferguson had the cheek to admit as much - and got labelled 'old' by Calderon. The Chairman really should show some manners. A war of words with Fergie is the last thing he needs.  
 
6) Their Champions League record is poor  
 
Yes,we all know the club's history in the European cup, but their last victory was in 2002 and they have done precious little of note since. Juventus, Arsenal, Bayern, and Roma have defeated them in the first knockout round in the last four seasons, an unacceptable run for a club with such heritage. With that record behind them, and their dissapointing loss in Turin to Juventus this season, it looks unlikely they will get anywhere near the Stadio Olympico in Rome for this years final. There are simply better teams in Europe at the moment.
 
7) Raul is past his best  
 
The Spaniard has shown flickers of his greatness this season, but his legs have gone. He can be completely anonymous for long spells of the match and simply can't play as a lone striker any longer with the way that Madrid's formation is set up. He can still be an excellent impact player from the bench, but cannot be seen as a replacement to Van Nistelrooy should the Dutchman be unavailable. Higuain is emerging, but can't be the focal point of the team just yet, and Saviola may as well not be there at all, such is his lack of first team action. If - and it is a big if - Van Nistelrooy suffers a lack of form, the legendary forward is not up to the task of spearheading the attacking play.  
 
8) Coach, we need wingers!  
 
Robben is the only true wide midfielder at the club, and 'The Glass Man', as he is dubbed, is incapable of staying fit for an extended period. Higuain has performed a decent job deployed on the wings, but he recently spoke of his desire to play a more central role. Sneijder and Van Der Vaart drive from central midfield, while Guti, Diarra and Ruben De La Red all prefer to sit in the middle of the park. This at times makes Madrid an extremely narrow opponent, relying heavily on their full backs to get forward. There is no Roberto Carlos in this team though to be able to assist in both defence and attack.
 
9) They have been fortunate so far to have the points they do.  
 
A 96th minute penalty in the Vicente Calderon.  
A last-minute Van Nistelrooy goal against Betis, while playing with ten men.  
Espanyol missing sitters in the 2-2 draw at the Bernabeu.  
Marcelo not being red carded, and Llorente smashing the post in the dying seconds against Athletic Bilbao.  
 
Madrid have rode their luck slightly. Is it the mark of champions, or will the rub of the green run out on Schuster?  
 
10) Cristiano Ronaldo stayed in Manchester.  
 
David Villa stayed at Valencia, Santi Cazorla stayed at Villarreal, and with the exception of Van der Vaart, no-one wanted to come to the Bernabeu in the summer. A lack of fresh faces can breed lethargy, with no new talent to perk up the battle for a first team slot. Madrid need a galactico.  
 
I prepare myself for a backlash from the Madrid faithful. Your comments, please.