Casillas' future takes spotlight against Galatasaray

Image
IANS Madrid
Last Updated : Nov 26 2013 | 7:20 PM IST

With Cristiano Ronaldo out, the spotlight will be on Iker Casillas' future as Real Madrid face Galatasaray at home in Wednesday's Champions League football match.

Spanish press Tuesday raised doubts on Casillas' future at the club, reports Xinhua.

Spanish sports paper Diario AS insists that Casillas will be on his way to Manchester City before long and the goalkeeper himself did little to quell the rumour Tuesday with an enigmatic message on Twitter, promising "interesting" news in the near future.

With England international Joe Hart out of favour at the Ethiad Stadium, Manchester City are in the market for a big name keeper, and Casillas, who is currently substitute in the league for Madrid, could fit the bill perfectly.

Real Madrid have already assured their place in the last 16 of the Champions League, but need one point from their last two games to guarantee the top finish of their qualifying group and thus avoid a slightly tougher draw in the knockout phase.

Galatasaray travel to the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium with memories of the six goals Madrid put past them in Istanbul still fresh in their mind.

But the Turkish side also knows that if they can take a point it would keep their hopes of qualifying for the next stage, given that Juventus are struggling in the group and Real Madrid still have to play Copenhagen.

They will take comfort in the fact that Ronaldo will miss the game, although the sight of 40,000 fans wearing Ronaldo facemasks in support of his bid to win the Balon D'Or, may be a slightly off putting sight.

It will be interesting to see how Madrid fare without Ronaldo in the starting 11 and the absence of the Portuguese striker will pass more protagonism to Gareth Bale, who could see more of the ball.

But the game will also be about Iker Casillas. Just over a month ago, he said he would have to think about his position at the club unless his position changed.

With the transfer window opening in just over a month, he is still watching league games from the dugout and the Wednesday's game may be his penultimate appearance for the club.

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Nov 26 2013 | 7:14 PM IST

Next Story