Ancelotti talks Mbappe, Bellingham, Vazquez, Asencio, Tchouameni refereeing ahead of Real Madrid vs Man City | OneFootball

Real Madrid will lock horns with Manchester City tomorrow at the Santiago Bernabeu, hoping to secure a place in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League.

Coming into the game with a slight advantage, having won the first leg at the Etihad Stadium 3-2, the Merengues will be keen on ensuring they avoid any complacency and slip-ups in front of their home supporters.

Addressing the media ahead of the heavyweight encounter, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti revealed what they can expect from the match, saying:

“It’s an entertaining, complicated, difficult game. We are trying to prepare well and recover our players. The idea is to play the same game, taking into account all the difficulty of this type of match. It’s a tie in which everything is at stake in 90 minutes.”

On refereeing controversies

Refereeing has once again been in the spotlight in La Liga over the past few days, with controversial decisions going against Real Madrid against Osasuna on Saturday while Barcelona enjoyed some favourable calls in their win vs Rayo Vallecano on Monday.

On being asked about what he thought of the refereeing in Barça’s game, which saw them reclaim top spot in La Liga, Ancelotti remarked:

“There is nothing to say. I already gave my opinion on what’s going on, it’s quite surprising. I have nothing to add in this regard.

“What happened against Osasuna, against Atletico…. These are three games in which we were harmed by some decisions that we still don’t understand.”

On whether he thinks La Liga has been ‘adulterated’, he replied: “I’m commenting on what I see and I just think that in these three games they have made some pretty clear mistakes.”

The Italian tactician went one step further and stated that he is far more comfortable with the refereeing in European competitions like Champions League, saying:

“Yes, the statistics speak for themselves. There is less controversy and less intervention by the VAR, which only intervenes when necessary.

“In the Champions League, only the best referees from each country referee and the quality is very high in this respect.”

One of the major talking points in recent days has been the red card shown to Jude Bellingham against Osasuna, for his verbal protests directed at the referee.

The manager, though, insisted that he expects the red card to be overturned, saying: “Obviously, yes.”

Ancelotti is far from happy with refereeing in La Liga. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

Pointing out why he has concerns about the refereeing and the VAR system, Ancelotti added:

“I have doubts because I think the VAR has taken too much or too little responsibility away from the referee. It’s a bit of a dangerous system. The VAR has come in to avoid blatant and obvious mistakes, not for interventions that are football-related.

“Often the aim is to remove all the naturalness of football for the sake of an image. A lot of stomping as penalties that are part of the game.

I don’t know how many penalties are in agreement with these penalties, like the one of Le Normand to Borja Iglesias, the one of Tchouameni, the one of Camavinga….. It’s difficult to understand.

“Referees can make mistakes, obviously, but that the decision is made by the VAR is something I don’t understand.”

On the UCL tie

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola claimed this past weekend that he believes his team stands only a 1% chance of winning the tie against Real Madrid. Commenting on that, Ancelotti remarked:

“He really doesn’t think so. Tomorrow I’m going to ask him before the game. He thinks he has more just like we don’t think we have 99%. We think we have a small advantage, take advantage of it and play the same game as in the first leg, which went well.”

Ancelotti also confirmed that Antonio Rudiger is ready to start tomorrow but did not give away if he will be partnered by Raul Asencio or Aurelien Tchouameni, as he said:

“That’s the doubt you have, that I’ve had, but they’ve been dispelled. Give me a chance to leave you in doubt until tomorrow. I’m joking.

“Rudiger can play from the start, Tchouameni can play as a pivot and Asencio can play as a centre-back. We’ll see how Valverde, who had a knock against Osasuna, is. Raul can also play at right-back.”

The Real Madrid boss also revealed that Lucas Vazquez will be available but not ready to start, saying: “Not yet. Lucas Vázquez will be on the bench, but he has not yet completed his recovery plan.”

Highlighting the team’s defensive commitment in recent matches, he noted: “It’s been three demanding games. We didn’t just get a good result, the team is working well. This gives us confidence and a positive spirit.

“We have to keep playing well, with quality and I would like to highlight the sacrifice and collective commitment.”

Finally, on being asked if he thinks Kylian Mbappe is now at his best for Real Madrid, Ancelotti replied:

“I don’t see anything new. He’s motivated, physically well, he shows it…. He handles the stress before the game very well, he’s very calm. He has good stress management. At the moment he is doing very well.”

Source: AS