Real Madrid vs Levante preview - Casillas to sit out Levante clash

Posted Saturday, April 06, 2013 by PA

Iker Casillas' stint on the sidelines is likely to continue when Real Madrid take on Levante, but the club captain insists he is still hungry to win titles with the club.

The Primera Division trophy is effectively gone this season, with Real lying 13 points behind rivals Barcelona heading into the weekend programme.

And while the Champions League is a distinct possibility for Jose Mourinho's side following their 3-0 defeat of Galatasaray in the quarter-final first leg, Casillas' chances of aiding that quest grow slimmer by the week.

He last featured on January 23rd and although the 31-year-old is fit again following a broken hand, transfer window signing Diego Lopez has remained Mourinho's first-choice.

Indeed, on Wednesday night Casillas was a surprising omission from the matchday squad.

But rumours continue to circulate that the Portuguese coach will leave the Bernabeu in the summer, something that does not appear to be on Casillas' mind.

He told Marca: "My challenge ahead is to win as many titles as possible because it makes me happy and I know it also makes them happy at Real Madrid.

"(I want to be known) as a player who has worn the shirt of Real Madrid and the Spanish national team with pride and respect and has tried to give everything for these shirts."

Real are in a rich vein of form, undefeated in 11 matches in all competitions in a run that includes nine wins, but have only nine more in which to reel in Barca.

Levante approach the weekend in 10th place, having broken a troubling sequence of seven league games without a win by beating Sevilla 1-0 last weekend.

But manager Juan Ignacio Martinez is aware Real present a different calibre of opponent.

"We had not won in a while. We had a good game against Sevilla and players who came in gave an outstanding performance," he said.

"We will try to win again but Real Madrid at home only drawn two games. Only Espanyol and Valencia have managed to equalize. The rest are wins.

"Unquestionably, the challenge is not without complexity."