Ancelotti: In El Clásico, form plays no part. Xavi: Real Madrid is on a roll, but that doesn’t mean anything

The second El Clásico of the season takes place on Wednesday at 8pm, with Real Madrid and Barcelona taking on each other in the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia. What did coaches Carlo Ancelotti and Xavi have to say about the match?

Real Madrid clearly enter the match in a better frame of mind. They are safely ahead of Sevilla in the league, they beat Valencia 4-1 at the weekend and have been in great form all season.

Barcelona, on the other hand, are struggling. They are only sixth in La Liga, 17 points behind their rivals from the capital. Moreover, they lost to Granada at the weekend, with the Andalusians only equalising towards the end of the game.

But in El Clásico, the differences and current form are closing, so a heated match usually has no favourite. And both coaches are well aware of that.

“The position in the league table and the points earned do not play any role, this match is only about who will advance to the final. I’m sure both teams have the same motivation,” said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti at a press conference.

“I am no more worried about the match against Barcelona than against anyone else. I felt the same way before Valencia. I would be worried if the players thought they were favourites, which they don’t. However, we believe in ourselves enough to give our best and hope to reach the final,” added the Italian coach.

Barcelona coach Xavi has a similar view of the match. The former great believes that his charges can bounce back from this match.

“Our team is in the process of being built, while Real Madrid is treading water and leading the league, but that doesn’t mean anything here. We have a lot of experience with these games, we have faced Real in all kinds of situations, whether we have done well or not. But they have the best form in Spain at the moment, so it will be a tough game,” Xavi told reporters.

Source: Marca