A 'Clasico' without class acts Casillas and Xavi

Posted Wednesday, November 18, 2015 by Marca.com

Iker Casillas and Xavi Hernandez will not be out on the Bernabeu pitch on Saturday. Nor will they be on the bench or in the stands. They will not even be in Spain. Two of the greatest stars of this century's 'Clasicos' will not be representing their clubs for the first time in 15 years.

Casillas and Hernandez, winners of the Prince of Asturias Sports Award, instrumental figures in Spain's glory years, captains and legends for Real Madrid and Barcelona, will be watching from afar.

Since they first faced off in the fixture in February 2000, they played against each other on a total of 36 occasions. The Real shotstopper triumphed in the first game, starting in the 3-0 win for the Madrid-based outfit, in which the Barca midfielder came on after the interval.

Something similar occurred in their final showdown. Casillas started and Xavi replaced Iniesta with 10 minutes to go. On that occasion, Barcelona took home the spoils (2-1). In total, the Barcelona star won 15 of their meetings and the Real Madrid custodian 12, with nine draws.

Their 26 league games, two Champions League clashes, four cup fixtures and four Super Cup matches left them (and us) with countless memories, such as Xavi's four goals over the 15-year period or his team's 6-2 win at the Bernabeu. Meanwhile, Casillas can treasure Real's two wins over the 'Cules' in two Copa del Rey finals.