Real Madrid and Juventus will face off in a hotly anticipated Champions League draw on Wednesday.
Iker Casillas is slated to make his third start of the season for Madrid and his first since hinting at the possibility of leaving the team during the transfer window. The World Cup and two-time Euro Cup champion has lost his starting spot to Diego Lopez and could be looking to join a team that will give him more playing time.
His rival at the other end of the field will be the iconic Gianluigi Buffon. Casillas' constant rival for the title of top goalie in the world recently revealed that he understood Casillas' conflict.
"I admire Iker a lot," Buffon said according to ESPN. "But due to the type of player I am, and as I still feel a very strong goalkeeper, it would take a lot out of me to accept certain situations. However he deserves a lot of praise, and I respect him much more as a man because of this. For me it is very strange to see a keeper like Casillas on the bench."
He did note that Lopez was excellent and expected Casillas to fight for his job.
"Within this debate you must also respect Diego Lopez who, apart from what he is doing this season, has always been an excellent keeper," Buffon said. "Iker has always shown himself to be a great champion. I believe great champions in these negative situations have the character to find this competitive rage when they return to play, which sometimes, with time, you can lose for a while. When these unexpected things happen you have more strength when you return."
Madrid sits atop Group B with six points while Juventus sits in second with only two points thus far. Juventus must win this game to avoid falling behind Galatasaray, another top group contender.
Prediction: Madrid wins 3-1 at home.
Start Time: 2:45 p.m. EST
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