Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti admitted he really worried before the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals with Man City at the Bernabeu.
“I’m very worried. The hours before the match are the time you have to endure,” coach Carlo Ancelotti said before the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals between Real Madrid and Man City at Bernabeu’s home field tomorrow morning.
This is the third consecutive season that the two European giants have met in the knockout round, with Real Madrid claiming a remarkable comeback win in the 2022 semi-finals but Man City avenging that loss strongly 12 months later.
The match will be Ancelotti’s 200th as manager in a competition he has won a record four times, but he admits it will not be simple.
“The other day I thought that defeat is suffering and victory is happiness, but it’s not like that. Victory is a relief. It’s happy if you win trophies, but a big victory is also a relief.
The days that follow are calmer and happier, but suffering is part of your job. That’s what keeps you alive. That’s fuel for me,” coach Carlo Ancelotti said when facing Man City in the quarterfinals.
The 64-year-old will face arguably the best coach of his generation in Pep Guardiola, who, after two previous successes with Barcelona, now has three Champion League titles to his name.
However, Ancelotti insisted he was not interested in comparisons: “Guardiola is a great coach, I don’t care much about what they think of me. I care what my club thinks. But Guardiola is a great coach.” great and there’s no doubt about it.”
Last season, Real Madrid scored the lead in the first leg but Man City fought back to win a draw before winning convincingly 4-0 in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium.
Ancelotti said: “We didn’t play with courage and character, which are fundamental aspects in this type of match. We lacked that in the second leg.
They put a lot of pressure on Real Madrid and we couldn’t find an alternative. We want to avoid such things in this match. I am confident that we will try our best. We have enough quality to compete. We know they will excel in some aspects and we will excel in others.”
Notably, the Italian strategist praised star Jude Bellingham – who is expected to shine when facing Man City: “Bellingham is having a very good season in the penalty area.
He is physically very strong and helps us a lot both defensively and offensively, to create space and provide movement.
He is very mature. He is only 20 years old but very professional, very serious and humble,” Ancelotti concluded.