Ancelotti: “Glad to be here, although it’s normal for Real to be in the semifinals”

Like last year, Real’s European Cup match against Manchester City will take place in the Champions League semi-finals this year, with Real aiming for a 2-2 draw against the English champions but now challenged in a different way.

And that’s because last year it caused the big upset at home, while this year it gave the Bernabeu their first semi-final, the 1-1 in that game making the merengues “compulsory”, a good result in the ” Etihad” on Wednesday night to secure the ticket to the June 10 final in Istanbul.

“We’re very happy to be here, although that’s almost normal for a club like Real as we’ve reached 11 semi-finals in the last 13 years. It’s not easy and we should enjoy it.”

We are close to something important like last year and we are very motivated. The second leg will be different than the first leg and we want to improve some things.

City currently have the best team in Europe and it will be an exciting game.” stressed Carlo Ancelotti at Tuesday’s press conference, to add meaningfully.

“The players should read the game well and know that they have to suffer. They should also be ready to bite if they see the opponent in a difficult position.”

Guardiola says he doesn’t know our secret? That’s not easy to explain. For Real, the Champions League is historic because of its history. From the first 5 trophies to today. It’s a club capable of keeping history alive. We don’t forget our history.”

When asked if he intends to play with Valverde in the Merengues’ attacking trio, he replied: “As a winger, Valverde won us La Liga and Champions League last year, while Vinny-Benzema-Rodrigo’s treble took us to the semi-finals of this year’s Champions League. It’s not an easy decision, but I’ve already made it.”

Of course, “Carleto” couldn’t avoid questions about Erling Haaland, Guardiola’s team’s great attacking weapon. The four-time Champions League winner explained: “We are not only thinking about Haaland, but also about De Bruyne, Gündogan and Mahrez.”

One thing is certain: if you score a goal, you better do it early. This gives us more time to react. We know City are likely to score in the opening minutes. We all know what happened last year. It is certain that we will experience an exciting game.”