Fierce competition between the goalposts

The debate regarding who should be standing between the goal posts for Real Madrid has led to some fierce competition between the main contenders. Ancelotti's controversial decision has led to an unbeaten run from the two goalkeepers.

Casillas began his in November and Diego López has kept a clean sheet since the end of the year. They have clocked up a total of 847 minutes without conceding a goal between them.

The division of tournaments seems to have brought out the best in Iker and Diego. Even though Ancelotti has made it clear that he will not go back on his initial decision, neither one wants to get left behind. The rotation has generated some healthy competition from which Real is reaping the rewards. Both goalkeepers appear confident and secure, with little sign that the situation is affecting them.

The successful run started with Casillas, accumulating 502 minutes without letting a ball get past him. Bulut was the last to score against Iker on Galatasaray's visit to the Bernabéu on 27th November, the captain maintaining his clean sheet since then.

During the trickiest period of his career, Casillas now has a shot at beating his own personal 518-minute record without conceding a goal. If the Real goal sees no ball in the back of its net in the first 17 minutes of Tuesday's tie in Cornellà, he will have raised the bar again.

Diego López has risen to the challenge laid down by Casillas by also establishing a lengthy unbeaten run. The Galician player has guarded his goal closely so far this year and has now clocked up 345 minutes without conceding a goal. No-one has been able to get past Diego since Mathieu scored the 2-2 in Valencia in 2013.