Home SPORTS Real Madrid Boss Ancelotti Confident Ahead of Man City Clash

Real Madrid Boss Ancelotti Confident Ahead of Man City Clash

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Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti believes Pep Guardiola is downplaying Manchester City's chances of advancing in the Champions League.



Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has suggested that Manchester City's Pep Guardiola is downplaying his team's chances of advancing to the Champions League last 16. Ancelotti believes Guardiola's comments are a tactical ploy, given City's struggles this season and their current fourth-place standing in the Premier League.


Ahead of the second leg of their Champions League tie on Wednesday, Guardiola stated that City have only a “one percent chance” of overcoming the 3-2 deficit against the European champions. However, Ancelotti remains skeptical about Guardiola's assessment. “He does not truly think that,” Ancelotti said during a news conference. “Tomorrow, I'll ask him before the game - do you really think you've got a one percent chance?”




Ancelotti acknowledged that Guardiola likely believes City have a better chance of advancing than he lets on. “He really thinks they've got more chance than that... we don't think we have 99 percent chance,” Ancelotti noted. The Real Madrid manager emphasized the importance of his team staying focused and building on their strong performance in the first leg. “We think we have a small advantage that we have to take advantage of, and try to play the same game we set up in the first leg, which went well.”




Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has provided a fitness update on his players ahead of the Champions League tie against Manchester City. Defender Antonio Rudiger has been declared fit to start after recovering from an injury, while Lucas Vazquez will be available on the bench.


Ancelotti also took the opportunity to express his frustration with the standard of refereeing in Spanish football. He pointed out that the Champions League has a more consistent and reliable refereeing system. “Statistics speak for themselves, in Europe there's less controversy in this sense, there are less VAR interventions,” Ancelotti explained. “The VAR only intervenes when it's necessary, and usually the Champions League features the best referees from each country, so the quality is very high in this sense.”




Meanwhile, Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde has come out in support of his teammate Jude Bellingham, who was sent off for dissent during the 1-1 draw against Osasuna in LaLiga. Valverde believes that Bellingham's passion and competitiveness are essential assets for the team. “What I want is players who leave their soul out on the pitch, in this case with Jude in the last game, I always want him to be like that,” Valverde told reporters. “Jude is a player who shows character, who always wants to win, who always wants to fight. This time he got a red card, but I like that he's giving everything, his spikiness... we have to stay united as a team.”



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