Ancelotti: Are you afraid of Haaland, De Bruyne… But I’m trying to fight it off with thoughts of Vinicius and Benzema

Real Madrid face a Champions League rematch at Manchester City on Wednesday night. The first leg at the Santiago Bernabéu ended in a 1-1 draw, with Carlo Ancelotti speaking at a press conference about his fear of the Citizens’ attacking stars.

Real Madrid’s defence did their job in the first game, so halfway. They defended the world’s best striker at the moment, Erling Haaland, in particular Antonio Rüdiger did not give him an inch of space.

But the second threat, Kevin de Bruyne, has already hit Real. The Belgian midfielder scored with a shot from distance to level the match at 1-1.

The Norwegian-Belgian duo will be the biggest threat in the rematch at the Etihad Stadium. Real coach Carlo Ancelotti spoke at a press conference about how he is banishing thoughts of the Citizens’ attacking stars.

“Today I am calm, very excited and with great faith. I know tomorrow very well, it will be a day of worry. If Haaland scores, if De Bruyne shoots from distance… But you have to forget about that and think that Vinicius will make a good tackle or Karim will do some foxy thing from a penalty kick. You have to set your head to think positively,” Ancelotti told a news conference.

The big dilemma in the Italian coach’s mind is the line-up. Antonio Rüdiger played a great game in the first leg, defending Haaland, but the leader of the defence Militao is already available after being sidelined last time.

“Rüdiger can play, as well as Camavinga, Militao and Alaba. I am lucky to have all the players available and that makes it difficult to choose the line-up. I also know that if we win, I have chosen the line-up well and if we don’t, I have made a mistake. I already have the line-up in my head,” Ancelotti revealed.

Another question mark is in the attacking formation. Last season Valverde operated on the right wing, but now Rodrygo has come into great form. However, according to behind-the-scenes information, this time the young Brazilian will start as a joker, although Ancelotti did not want to confirm it.

“The line-up with Valverde on the wing allowed us to win the Champions League last year. The formation with three strikers got us to the Champions League semi-finals again this year, when they decided several matches. The selection is not easy, but I have already made my decision, ” concluded the Italian coach.

Source: UEFA