UEFA Champions League: Real Madrid vs FC Copenhagen - Preview
Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas will make his first appearance at the Santiago Bernabeu in nearly nine months when Los Blancos host FC Copenhagen in the Champions League on Wednesday.
|Last Updated: Oct 02, 2013, 03:41 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Madrid: Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas will make his first appearance at the Santiago Bernabeu in nearly nine months when Los Blancos host FC Copenhagen in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Casillas has lost his place in the side to Diego Lopez since breaking a bone in his hand in January, but coach Carlo Ancelotti has opted to play the Spanish number one in the Champions League and Copa del Rey.
The 32-year-old has played just 15 minutes of competitive action so far this season after being forced off with a rib injury early in Madrid`s 6-1 win away to Galatasaray on matchday one, but has recovered in time to take his place between the posts against the Danish champions.
Despite their incredible start to their European campaign, Madrid are under some pressure to bounce back from their 1-0 derby defeat to Atletico Madrid on Saturday.
That result left Ancelotti`s men five points behind Atletico and Barcelona in La Liga and the Italian`s tactics and substitutions were heavily criticised after Real created little of note against their city rivals.
However, Cristiano Ronaldo defended his new boss afterwards and said the responsibility lies with the players to perform better.
"There are new players and new ideas, but the coach is doing a phenomenal job," he told reporters.
"He is a great person and a great coach. This doesn`t have anything to do with him, the responsibility is ours.
"I don`t think we are doing so badly, we have only lost one game, but hopefully we can improve."
Gareth Bale could also make his first start as a Real player at the Bernabeu after making his home debut as a second-half substitute against Atletico.
Another former Spurs player Luka Modric is expected to come back into the side after surprisingly being dropped from the start at the weekend, whilst 20-year-old striker Alvaro Morata may finally get his chance up front ahead of the off-colour Karim Benzema.
Copenhagen, meanwhile, also got their campaign off to a good start by holding Italian champions Juventus to a 1-1 draw at home two weeks ago.
However, veteran defender Olof Mellberg, who enjoyed two spells in Spain with Racing Santander and Villarreal, believes they will have to play even better to take anything from the game on Wednesday.
"I expect it will be an even more difficult game than the one we played against Juventus at home," he told Madrid sports daily AS.
"To obtain something positive we need to play extremely well, them to have a bad day and to have a bit of luck. We need everything to go our way to get a good result."
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.