Champions League
Ancelotti Confident As Team Faces Manchester City At The Etihad
Real Madrid and Manchester City at The Etihad, both teams are preparing for what promises to be another thrilling encounter. The memories of last season’s heavy defeat at the hands of City may linger, but Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti insists that his team has put that behind them and is solely focused on the task at hand.
Ancelotti’s calm and composed is reflected in his statements to the press, where he exudes confidence in his team’s abilities to create problems for City. “I think we’ve forgotten what happened. We are focused only on tomorrow, thinking about what happened a week ago,” Ancelotti told reporters on Tuesday. “The last game was close, now anything can happen. We believe we have the necessary quality to create problems.”
Speaking about City’s prolific striker, Erling Haaland, Ancelotti acknowledged his threat, stating, “If we are talking about individuals, Haaland is one of the most dangerous players City have,”. “He didn’t appear much in the first leg, but Haaland could be one of the best strikers in the world right now. He is always dangerous.” Despite Haaland’s subdued performance in the first leg, Real Madrid’s defense will have to be on high alert to contain him.
On the other side, Madrid’s young talent, Jude Bellingham has been instrumental in their European campaign, contributing with goals and assists. Ancelotti praised the 20-year-old midfielder, saying, “For the future of Real Madrid, he will be one of the most important players. Sometimes we forget he is only 20, he is a fantastic player.”
Bellingham’s confidence in his team’s abilities reflects the belief within the Real Madrid camp that they have what it takes to come out on top. Bellingham himself stated, “They (City) are treble winners, an amazing team. But that is the impression from the outside,”. “I don’t go to the bookies, so I don’t see the favorites, but we are a pretty good team ourselves. We trust in ourselves and our ability in the changing room.”
