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Evening of goodbyes as Real Madrid end the season on a low note

Xinhua, May 22, 2015 Adjust font size:

It looks as if it will be an evening of goodbyes when Real Madrid end their season at home to Getafe on Saturday evening.

Real Madrid's Champions League exit at the hands of Juventus and Barca's win at the Vicente Calderon a week ago means they are out of Europe and their Catalan rivals have claimed the BBVA Primera Liga title.

As always at Real Madrid failure comes at a price and at Real Madrid the man who pays the price is the coach and the growing rumors are that Carlo Ancelotti will be sacked next week with Napoli coach Rafa Benitez the favorite to replace him.

It would be harsh on Ancelotti, who last season led Real Madrid to a Champions League and Cup double and was being hailed as a peacemaker after Jose Mourinho's turbulent reign and the Italian will not even have the chance to direct his final game from the dugout given that he is suspended on Saturday.

Another who could be heading for the exit is Iker Casillas, who is expected to move on after being made the scapegoat for the club's misfortunes by a sector of the fans.

Casillas has apparently been told there is a place for him at the club, but if Real Madrid seal the signing of David De Gea from Manchester United, it's hard to imagine the man who has defended the Madrid goal since the 1998-9 season wanting to stay on to be a reserve.

Gareth Bale' s future is also in doubt after a disappointing season in which he too has been singled out for criticism despite being forced to play on the right of the Madrid attack to accommodate Cristiano Ronaldo on the left.

Bale is being linked with a move back to England, where he will probably not be asked to be a square peg in a round hole as he has during his two years in Spain.

And finally Javier Hernandez will play his last game covering for the injured Karim Benzema. The Mexican has performed well in recent weeks, but needs more first team action.

Expect a muted atmosphere for the game where neither side has anything at stake and the main point of interest will be the crowd's reaction to the possible departures and Ronaldo's attempts to score as many goals as possible to ensure he ends the season as La Liga' s top scorer ahead of Leo Messi, who will presumably take consolation in lifting yet another league title. Endi