Ancelotti: 'Real can't play with Liverpool like last season' final
* Liverpool - Real: 3am on Wednesday 22/2, Hanoi time.
"We are very excited and want to perform as well as we did last season," Ancelotti said on February 20 at his pre-match press conference at Anfield. "But the next confrontation will be very difficult. Last season's final was even, with Liverpool holding the ball more and Real defending firmly. But this meeting is different from the final because we have to play two rounds. 1/8, and need to play well for at least 180 minutes."
Before facing off in the Champions League final of the 2021-2022 season, Real won La Liga, and Liverpool was only one point behind Man City in the race to win the Premier League. But the position of the two teams is now somewhat reduced, when Real is five points behind Barca in La Liga, and Liverpool even ranks eighth in the English Premier League.
However, Ancelotti insists: "I don't think the quality of Real or Liverpool has changed much. The next match will be very tight with a lot of pressure. Liverpool will not give you time to breathe because they press very well. I know that and I'm ready."
The Italian coach confirmed Karim Benzema will start, after missing the 2-0 win over Osasuna in round 22 of La Liga on the evening of February 18. The French striker was the top scorer in the Champions League last season with 15 goals in 12 matches. But he missed the last five matches with 324 minutes, since the decisive penalty kick in the semi-final second leg against Man City in May 2022.
Meanwhile, Toni Kroos and Aurelien Tchouameni are not on the registration list. Tchouameni was sick with the flu, missed the Osasuna match last weekend, and Kroos was not in the best shape after a stomachache that made him absent from the 4-0 win over Elche on February 15. Ancelotti is not worried, leaving open the possibility of pulling Federico Valverde down the midfield and is confident Luka Modric will shine. He said: "Modric didn't play well in January, but now he's back to his best. Modric's fitness is fantastic and he's hungry to play."
Vinicius scored three times in his last three meetings with Liverpool, including the only goal to help Real win the Champions League last season. But the Brazilian striker is currently under a lot of pressure because of a wave of racism in Spain, including Atletico fans hanging a dummy with a Vinicius shirt on a bridge in the capital Madrid, before the derby at the end of the month. first.
Ancelotti wants the authorities to take strong action to protect Vinicius and many others against this problem. The 63-year-old coach also emphasized that Vinicius only focuses on professional issues, and praised his student as one of the most potential players in the world, alongside Pedri, Gavi or Kylian Mbappe.
In the final at the Stade de France in May, Liverpool dominated with 54% possession, 24 shots with nine on target - compared to Real's four and two. When asked if he was concerned about pressure at Anfield, Ancelotti replied: "We worry more about Real, and focus more on ourselves. I want Real to make Liverpool worry, not the other way around."
Ancelotti revealed that Jurgen Klopp gave him an e-cigarette before the final last season, and will give gifts to colleagues in the second leg of the 1/8 round at the Bernabeu on March 15.
After the first leg today, the Royal team had two difficult matches, against Atletico in the 23rd round of La Liga on February 25 and Barca in the semi-finals of the King's Cup on March 2. Both matches take place at the Bernabeu.
