Carlo Ancelotti Prepares for Clasico: No Fear of Barcelona Despite Their Lead
Carlo Ancelotti expressed his deep respect for Barcelona ahead of the highly anticipated Clasico on Saturday, but he emphasized that Real Madrid does not fear the LaLiga leaders. Currently, Barcelona holds a three-point advantage at the top of the table, having won nine out of their ten matches this season.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, remains unbeaten in the league and is on the verge of making history. They are just one match away from equaling the longest unbeaten streak in LaLiga history, a record set by Ernesto Valverde’s Barcelona (43 matches) between 2017 and 2018. During this impressive run, Madrid has secured 31 victories and 11 draws, with their last league defeat occurring against Atletico Madrid on September 25 of the previous year.
Ancelotti, the reigning champions’ coach, stated that his team will not be intimidated by the challenge ahead. “Fortunately, at the moment, nobody keeps me awake at night,” he remarked during a press conference on Friday. He acknowledged Barcelona’s strong performance but noted that predicting a favorite in a match like the Clasico is challenging. “It depends on the dynamics of the match and how well you handle the pressure and tempo,” he explained.
Barcelona arrives in Madrid following a commanding 4-1 victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League, showcasing their excellent form under coach Julian Nagelsmann, with 11 wins from 13 matches across all competitions. In contrast, Madrid has faced some criticism for their slow starts in recent games, raising concerns about their motivation after clinching both the LaLiga and Champions League titles last season. Their latest match against Borussia Dortmund saw them come back from a two-goal deficit to win 5-2, with Vinicius Junior scoring a hat-trick.
Despite the critiques, Ancelotti is confident in his players’ mindset, believing they will be ready from the outset due to the intensity of the rivalry. “In matches like this, you don’t need to say much beforehand,” he said. “The goal is to define a clear and simple strategy.” He added that while replicating their second-half performance against Dortmund for the entire match is unrealistic, it should serve as their starting point.
Ancelotti concluded by emphasizing the importance of playing a complete game, both with and without the ball, to secure victory in the Clasico. “We will prepare thoroughly to execute the right strategies and aim for our best performance,” he stated.
As the Clasico approaches, all eyes will be on this thrilling encounter between two of football’s greatest rivals.
