Iker Casillas looks to Schalke 04 contest

Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas has revealed his excitement ahead of Wednesday's last-16 Champions League clash with Schalke 04.

The Spanish outfit travel to Germany for the first leg this week having remained unbeaten in all competitions since October last year.

"You have to enjoy the moment. Aside from it being a key game in the last sixteen of the Champions League, you also have to enjoy these kinds of encounters," he told bwin.

"They're the kind of games that any player would look forward to playing in. I really like playing in clashes like these, because they're important and have global impact."

Los Blancos moved top of La Liga at the weekend following defeats for title rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

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Ancelotti: Iker could return

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has hinted he could pick Iker Casillas for the club's La Liga

matches later on in the season.

The Italian, whose side host Elche in the Primera Division on Saturday, has followed a strict selection policy as regards to his goalkeepers this season, with Casillas playing every Copa del Rey and Champions League game, and Diego Lopez turning out for every league match.

In an informal chat with journalists, Ancelotti was asked what he would do if Madrid qualified for the Champions League final, given Casillas would not have played since the Copa del Rey final a month earlier.

He said: "I'm not ruling out fielding Iker in one or two league games. We will discuss that if we do make the Champions League final".

Real go into the weekend fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu unbeaten in 25 games, equal with their second-best mark set in the 1996-97 season. Their all-time unbeaten streak in competitive matches is 34, set in the 1988-89 campaign.

Elche goalkeeper Manu Herrera insists his team are looking forward to their trip to the Bernabeu, while at the same time acknowledging they will have to play a "perfect" game if they are to pick up a positive result.

"We have a great week ahead of us because we are playing Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, a stage everyone wants to compete on and we are very keen to perform well there," he told reporters.

"We go there with the hope of winning, of going there and competing and making things difficult for Real Madrid. We're going to try and complicate the game for them and make our presence felt."

But he added: "We will have to have a perfect game."

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Iker Casillas Has Reached the End of the Line with Real Madrid

A Spanish player, who loved his club and was adored by the fans, but left because he was not featuring regularly.

No, this isn't another story about Juan Mata.

Instead, we're talking about his compatriot, Iker Casillas, who finds himself in a similar position to the Manchester United playmaker. Come the summer, the situation may repeat itself.

Jose Mourinho, incidentally, played a key role in both players being sidelined.

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5 Possible Destinations for Iker Casillas Next Season

 

When Los Blancos decided to part company with the mischievous Jose Mourinho last summer,  Carlo Ancelotti's appointment was met with an expectation that Iker Casillas would be reinstated as Real Madrid’s No. 1 goalkeeper.
Cue disappointment in many quarters, as Real's favourite son has not experienced a single minute of La Liga action this season. Instead Diego Lopez has been preferred in the league, while Casillas has been installed as Real’s cup goalkeeper—for Copa del Rey and Champions League matches.
It's a perplexing scenario.
Vicente del Bosque has continued to pick Casillas in the middle of the sticks for the national team. When interviewed last month by Football Espana, the La Roja boss said, “he is playing in the Champions League and I don’t see any problems. Physically he’s fine.”
Yet Ancelotti arguably sees Lopez as his No. 1 ("arguably" because it depends on whether he rates La Liga as a priority competition ahead of the Champions League).
With this in mind, Casillas’ 14-year stay at Real is likely to come to an end this summer, with this season's Champions League and the summer's World Cup enabling him to showcase his undoubted talents.
Similarly, Raul ended his 16-year Bernabeu stay in 2010 after falling down the Los Blancos pecking order, as reported by ESPN reporter Dermot Corrigan, and his encouraging comments could inspire Casillas to find a new club:

Going to a new country made me recover that excitement that I did not have here [Bernabeu]. I enjoyed my football and felt more liberated. I was only thinking about playing. That was more difficult at Madrid.

At 32, Casillas is at his goalkeeping peak and should command a long list of potential suitors. Here are the five possible destinations.

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Casillas: "No hay dudas. Ahora mismo Cristiano Ronaldo está por encima del resto"

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Iker Casillas • The Best Goalkeeper | The Best Saves Ever

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AC Milan Plotting Ambitious Double Signing Of Iker Casillas & Nemanja Vidic In January

Serie A giants to raid Manchester United and Real Madrid.

AC Milan are plotting an ambitious double swoop on Manchester United and Real Madrid this January, with Forza Italian Football reporting that they will target both Nemanja Vidic and Iker Casillas.

Casillas’ future has come under much speculation recently, following his surprise omission from the Real Madrid starting lineup under new manager Carlo Ancelotti.

The likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Barcelona have also been linked with the 32-year-old, who is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation, and who will be desperate to be playing regularly in the build-up to next summer’s World Cup.

Milan are the latest club to be offering the Spaniard an escape route from the Bernabeu, and they will also hope to lure Vidic away from Old Trafford.

The Serbian has been a key player for United over the years, though his form looks to have dipped somewhat after a series of injury problems, and the Red Devils may be willing to listen to offers for the 31-year-old as he nears the end of his current contract.

Both these signings would represent significant additions for Milan, as they look to improve their squad after a difficult start to the season.

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