Republic of Ireland will need to turn around a 1-0 first-leg defeat in Wednesday’s second encounter against France if they want to make the 2010 World Cup Finals. Get all the BestPrice betting here.

Real Madrid skipper Raul has admitted he would like to see out his playing days at Santiago Bernabeu.

Raul, who is Real’s all-time leading goalscorer, has spent his entire career to date with the Spanish outfit.

At 32, he accepts that his career might be winding down, but hopes that he will be able to bow out at the top when the day comes to hang up his boots.

“I intend to continue fighting and enjoying the game, so we’ll see how long I hold up,” Raul told Real’s official website.

“My dream was to begin and end here, but circumstances change and decisions sometimes need to be made.

“I think the Real Madrid-Raul relationship is hard to break, so I hope to end my career here.”

Raul also leapt to the defence of coach Manuel Pellegrini, who has come in for criticism in recent weeks.

“Pellegrini knows this league well. He knows what he wants, he likes good football, he likes his teams to maintain possession and he tells us that all the time,” added Raul.

“His ideas go hand-in-hand with Real Madrid’s and the history of the club. Time will show that Pellegrini is right and he will build a championship team.”

Republic of Ireland will need to turn around a 1-0 first-leg defeat in Wednesday’s second encounter against France if they want to make the 2010 World Cup Finals. Get all the BestPrice betting here.

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