Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has said that he and his side want to take advantage against Manchester City tomorrow and produce a “complete” performance.
The tie between the pair is the second consecutive season in which they have faced each other in the semi-finals of the Champions League, as Ancelotti looks to lead Los Blancos to the final of the competition for the 18th time in the club’s history, while City will be looking to take their Premier League momentum into what will be their toughest game of the season yet.
Speaking to the press yesterday (quotes via AS), Anncelotti began by explaining what he wants to see from his side against Pep Guardiola’s Cityzens.
“Our game plan is to put in a complete performance and play at our best in terms of physicality, technique, and motivation. The second leg will decide the outcome of the tie. But we want to take advantage.”
The Italian was asked what kind of result would be best for his side tonight and he responded by saying that despite the pressure that comes with a match like this, any result in favour of them is a good one.
“A positive result would give us an advantage. Having a small advantage would make us feel good about ourselves going into the match. Not being up against it. It’s not just about the result.
“If you manage to avoid having problems, that can also be a small advantage. We will try to do well tomorrow. It’s very demanding on everyone, but when you reach a semi-final, that’s normal.”
Ancelotti was then quizzed on how he plans to stop Erling Haaland, the Norwegian scoring 51 goals in all competitions this season, with 12 of those coming in the Champions League.
Haaland has broken all sorts of records this season when it comes to goals
“He’s very dangerous. He’s incredibly impressive when it comes to scoring goals, that’s obvious. Talking about Haaland means not just talking about one player, but also about a complete team that attacks and has lots of ideas.
“Our game plan isn’t just to stop Haaland, but rather to stop a team that seems unstoppable. But I think it’s possible for us. We can win.”
For fans of these two sides, this match could turn them into a bag of nerves, but for the neutral, it promises to be a match for the ages.
Kick-off between the pair tonight is at 20:00 BST.
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