Real Madrid suffer key injury to regular starter

Champions League title holders Real Madrid have received bad news about their first choice keeper Keylor Navas.

Real Madrid have been a bit off the pace this season. They are currently third in La Liga and sit five points behind rivals Barcelona. Now, the team has a new issue to worry about.

An injury to their star goalkeeper Keylor Navas puts the team in a tough spot. The Costa Rican international will reportedly be out for two weeks, which means backup keeper Kiko Casilla will be starting in net.

Casilla has seen some action already this season. In his two starts against Getafe and Levante, he made three saves total and let in a goal in each. Navas has been the mainstay in the Real Madrid net for a few years now, so Casilla will need to take this opportunity head on and put in some solid performances.

Luckily for Madrid, their schedule is not too tough for their next few matches. The team plays 16th place Eibar and 17th place Girona in their next two league matches, which should be fairly straight forward. They also have a Copa del Rey match against third division side Fuenlabrada in which Zidane’s son Luca could see a start in net.

The only real worry is that Real travel to London to take on Tottenham in the Champions League group stage on November 1st. Kiko Casilla will likely still be the starting goalkeeper at this time, so it will be interesting to see how much that impacts the outcome of the match. Navas made four saves in the first meeting against Spurs, so his absence could prove costly to Los Blancos.

Kiko Casilla is by no means a bad choice for Real Madrid to have. He is a proven keeper that has started over 125 La Liga matches for a reason. Though Real will be eager to get Navas back in net, Starting Casilla should not cause too much trouble for the team. They still have Sergio Ramos leading the backline and plenty of defensive cover to ensure Casilla’s stint in net is as easy as possible.