Ancelotti is not afraid of Barça: "No one keeps me awake at night"

Carlo Ancelotti has no fear of the visit Barça will make to the Santiago Bernabéu this Saturday. "For now, no one keeps me awake at night," said the Real Madrid coach, who nevertheless showed his respect for the Blaugrana team, "a brave team" that has "a very clear idea of play" and whose approach alongside Hansi Flick "has worked very well for them."

"In a classic, it's very difficult to choose a favorite," Ancelotti recalled during the press conference before a match that Real Madrid approaches "motivated" and predicted to be competitive as well as entertaining. "It's a football festival, and we want to do well in front of our fans," the Italian pointed out on the eve of a clash where he was sure there would be opportunities for both. "In a classic, as in a derby, it's difficult to choose a favorite beforehand. It's not just a matter of quality, but also how you can handle the pressure and moments of the match. There will be moments when we have control and others when Barça has control," Carletto argued.

"Usually, in this type of match, you don't have to talk much. The idea is to propose a very clear, very simple strategy, and nothing more. These are matches where you don't have to say much because everyone is motivated and focused. When I played, I worried a lot, and Van Basten would tell me: 'Relax, the strategy is very clear, just give me the ball,'" revealed the Reggiolo coach, who kept his cards close to his chest when asked about how he plans to confront the high pressure that characterizes Barça since Flick took over the bench. "I have something in mind, but I don't think it's right to explain it today. You have to see it tomorrow, and then you can tell me if I was wrong or not," joked a coach who highlighted the change in Barça since the German's arrival. "The philosophy has changed a bit, they play differently, more directly. I don't want to compare with Xavi, but it's a different Barça that we respect, just like Xavi's," he insisted.

Saturday will be Ancelotti's 17th classic as Real Madrid coach, and he faces it with the calm that characterizes him despite the criticism his team receives. "Criticism doesn't bother me, I understand it very well. I don't dwell on it much. I want to clarify my ideas first and then try to explain them in the best way to the players. I like to know what the players think about the ideal strategy for each match," he revealed.

Real Madrid will face Barça with the need to show that the wake-up call from Dortmund this Tuesday served to learn from their mistakes. "The second half against Dortmund said many things that can be done if we are capable of doing them together. This is the goal," said Ancelotti before what will be Kylian Mbappé's first classic.

"He has experience, he has played many times against Barcelona and knows what he has to do," he said about the French prodigy, who should not be overwhelmed by the pressure of the occasion. "His way of preparing for the match is very calm because he trusts his quality a lot. Tomorrow he will contribute as he always has," the coach noted.

He also focused on Vinicius, whom he already considers a Ballon d'Or winner and whose human qualities he also praises. "He is a boy who remains very humble. He has progressed a lot as a footballer while maintaining the same humility and seriousness he had when I first met him," he said about the Brazilian, one of the leaders of a team that doesn't have "just one" but "many," in the coach's opinion. "Vinicius can be one, Valverde can also be one, Modric continues to be one," he explained in a press conference where he closed ranks with Bellingham despite the Englishman not yet scoring this season.

"He is doing very well, progressing, he had problems with his ankle and shoulder, but now he is contributing a lot, not with goals but with work, which is very important for us," he said about the Briton, whose role has changed with Mbappé's signing. "Last year, it was crucial for him to score because we didn't have a forward like Benzema. We replaced him with the goals of Bellingham, Brahim, and Joselu. We don't have this problem this year because a player has arrived who can score 30 or 40 goals," he concluded.