Ancelotti: “This is a more complicated game for us than for Liverpool”

Even though Real Madrid hold a 5-2 lead over Liverpool ahead of the second leg at the Bernabéu on Wednesday night, Carlo Ancelotti isn’t taking anything for granted. He spoke in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday about how the team almost threw a first-leg advantage away last season against Chelsea and about the nuances of heading in to such a big game aware that you have something to protect.

The coach said: “What happened against Chelsea last year will help us to approach this second leg differently. It is a more game complicated for us than for Liverpool. Liverpool will come and know they have to go all out from the first minute. But, the first-leg result can create doubts for us. It’s undeniable that we have more doubts than our opponents [in terms of how to play]. But, we will try not to make calculations during the game. The message is quite simple and clear: we have to play the best we can. We’ll try to play with intensity from the first minute and try to win the match. We’ve looked at the good and bad we did in the first leg. In this game, we need to play well in defence and in attack, but we’re thinking more about attack.”

Ancelotti on whether he wants energy or experience

The coach was asked if he’d prefer the energy of the young players of the experience of the veterans for this second leg, to which he replied: “That’s a trick question. So, I’ll reply with a trick. For tomorrow, both experience and energy are going to be important.”

Ancelotti on Benzema’s fitness

Discussing Karim Benzema, Ancelotti confirmed that: “For tomorrow he is 100 percent fit. He started to work on Sunday and has had good training sessions. He is very motivated. This is a very important competition for him, for me, for the club and for everyone.”

Ancelotti on the Benzema vs Deschamps feud

The latest chapters of the Benzema vs Deschamps feud were brought up in the press conference and the coach was asked about it, to which he replied: “Deschamps was also one of my players and I respect him. Karim doesn’t talk about that and I don’t think he’s concerned by it. I’m not getting involved in this.”

Ancelotti on Camavinga being undroppable

During the press conference, the coach was asked if Eduardo Camavinga has become undroppable. To that, he replied: “For me, he is a really important player as he is performing really well. He makes some mistakes, but he plays so well that you forget his mistakes. In the Espanyol game, for example, he made an obvious mistake when playing in a position that isn’t his, but then did so well afterwards. For me, he is undroppable right now and in the future.”

Ancelotti on his relationship with Hazard

After Eden Hazard revealed in an interview that he barely speaks with Ancelotti, the Italian was asked about this. He said: “It’s not a cold relationship, but Hazard was right in saying that we don’t speak much. That can come down to certain personalities. Even with children, you have some you speak to more than others. The most important thing for me is, even if we don’t speak much, that there’s respect. Why doesn’t Hazard play? Because there’s a lot of competition. In his position, there’s a player who is doing really well in Vinícius.”