Ancelotti: "Cristiano is 100% ready"

Ancelotti still has some doubts about Saturday's lineup. At least that's what he said.

I'm not going to announce the lineup because I still have some doubts, but I'm confident that we will be able to play well. We don't need to forget what happened in Anoeta, our goal is to play as well as we played for the first half an hour there.

After the 4-2 loss at Anoeta, Ancelotti will need to work in order to find the balance once again.

Our philosophy and style will not change, and the players' positioning will not change either. We're gonna find the balance with this same philosophy that brought a lot of success. To have balance means that the team is capable handling well the offensive and defensive part of the game.

It seems that Cristiano Ronaldo will be able to start the game. At least, that's what someone could understand by listening to what Ancelotti had to say.

Cristiano has worked great, he's at 100%. He plays when he's alright, when he's not tired or risking injuries. I don't think he played too much last season, he played those games in which he wasn't risking anything. We handled him well, he scored a lot of goals. He doesn't have a chronic injury.

Atleti and Real Madrid have a big rivalry going on after Simeone took over los rojiblancos. When asked about Atleti's style, Ancelotti was clear.

Every team have their own style that depends on the players' skills. We will try to play the game the way we want to play it. If we're able to do that, we have a good change to win. Atleti are not violent, this is football. They play with intensity. This is a men's sport, not one for ladies, they play this way and this brought them success. We play different because or players are different as well.

Once again, Ancelotti insisted that the team will not change tactically, meaning that the squad will play 4-3-3 on the ball and 4-4-2 without it.

We play 4-4-2 when we do not have the ball. We will not change our system neither attacking nor defensive-wise.

Chicharito just arrived in the Spanish capital, and Ancelotti is happy.

We're happy, not only because we signed a good goalscorer but also because we signed an excellent person who loves to be here. He's not going to start tomorrow but I think he will be very useful throughout the match. Karim helps the midfielders a lot, Chicharito is very good at attacking the defensive line. They're different.

James still has a lot of room for improvement, but Real Madrid's manager is satisfied with his performances so far, especially if he considers that it will take James some time before he gets used to his new squad.

He's training well. He needs to get used to play a bit differently, but it's obvious that he needs this time in order to get used. I'm happy about what he has done so far because it's normal to experience some troubles. I'm sure he will contribute brilliantly.