Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas has played down the importance of his side’s El Clasico clash on Saturday against arch-rivals Barcelona.
“The winner’s position in the table will be strengthened, but the league is still far from over,” Casillas said after training on Tuesday.
“The Clasico will be a great game, but it won’t be decisive. Three very important points will be at stake and our goal is to win the match. There are still many matches and points to win,” he said.
Real are on top of the standings on goal difference from Barcelona with eight games remaining after beating Racing Santander 2-0 on Sunday — their 12th successive win in La Liga.
“We hardly concede any goals because we all help out. Everyone is involved in defending set pieces. Our quality in attack can guarantee us to win games as long as we don’t concede any strikes,” he said.
Real’s Brazilian playmaker Kaka did not train on Tuesday and is a doubt for the weekend game because of a groin strain that has sidelined him a month.
“He’s getting better slowly, but it’s a complicated injury,” Casillas said.
“Kaka wants to help the team. The team will benefit if he’s in good form. He is angry because he hasn’t performed as he wished, but we’re delighted with him because he’s a team worker who sets a great example,” the Spanish international said.
“We want him to recover as soon as possible,” he said.
No team in the CPBL can surpass the Taipei Dome attendance record set by the CTBC Brothers, except when the Brothers team up with Taiwanese rock band Mayday. A record-high 40,000 fans turned out at the indoor baseball venue on Saturday for Brothers veteran Chou Szu-chi’s first farewell game, which was followed by a mini post-game concert featuring Mayday. This broke the previous CPBL record of 34,506 set by the Brothers in early last month, when K-pop singer Hyuna performed after the game, and the dome’s overall record of 37,890 set in early March, which featured the Brothers and the
When Wang Tao ran away from home aged 17 to become a professional wrestler, he knew it would be a hard slog to succeed in China’s passionate but underdeveloped scene. Years later, he has endured family disapproval, countless side gigs and thousands of hours of brutal training to become China’s “Belt and Road Champion” — but the struggle is far from over. Despite a promising potential domestic market, the Chinese pro wrestling community has been battling for recognition and financial stability for decades. “I have done all kinds of jobs [on the side]... Because in the end, it is very
Nick Castellanos, Trea Turner and Kody Clemens homered on Wednesday as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Chicago Cubs 9-6 and clinched a first-round bye in the playoffs. Castellanos had three hits and scored three times. Bryson Stott also had three hits and Brandon Marsh drove in three runs for the Phillies, who on Monday claimed their first National League East title in 13 years. Coupled with the Milwaukee Brewers’ 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia secured the bye and home-field advantage in the NL Division Series. The Phillies owned the tiebreaker with the Brewers after winning the season series against the
With a quivering finger, England Subbuteo veteran Rudi Peterschinigg conceded the free-kick that sent his country’s World Cup quarter-final into extra-time before smashing his plastic goalkeeper on the floor in frustration. In the genteel southern English town of Tunbridge Wells, 300 elite players have gathered to play the game they love. “I won’t say this is the best weekend I’ve ever had in my life, but it’s certainly in the top two,” said Hughie Best, 58, who flew in from Perth, Australia, to compete and commentate at the event. Tunbridge Wells is the “spiritual home” of Subbuteo, which was invented there in 1946