Ancelotti: 'The second leg is more complicated with Real'

"The second leg is more complicated for us than for Liverpool," Ancelotti said on March 14 in his pre-match press conference. "Liverpool approached the game knowing that they had to give their all from the first minute. But the result in the first leg could make us think. It is undeniable that Real have many doubts about how to play the game. better than Liverpool".

At Anfield on February 21, Liverpool led 2-0 thanks to Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah after only the first 14 minutes. But then, Real scored five goals in a row, when Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior both scored twice and Eder Militao contributed one, to win 5-2 back and take a big advantage before the return leg at the Bernabeu.

However, Ancelotti still warned the students not to be subjective by recalling last season's Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea. In the first leg, Karim Benzema scored three goals to help Real win 3-1 at Stamford Bridge. In the second turn, the host was pushed into a difficult position when Chelsea led three goals after 75 minutes. But then, in turn, Rodrygo and Benzema scored to help the royal team reach the semi-finals with the final result 5-4.

Therefore, the Italian coach emphasized that Real will try not to calculate and enter the game with high intensity towards victory. "The message is quite simple and clear: we have to play as well as we can," said Ancelotti. "In the second leg, Real need to play well both in defense and in attack, but we think more about attack."

When asked if he prefers the energy of the young players or the experience of the veterans in the second leg, the 63-year-old coach replied: "It's a trick question. So I will answer in this way, that Both experience and energy are important in the next match."

Sharing on Belgian television station earlier this week, Eden Hazard said he respects Ancelotti, but the two teachers and students no longer talk to each other. The Italian coach admitted this, and denied that the relationship with Hazard was "cold". He added: "You have to respect both points of view. Hazard has been very honest. We don't talk much, because it can be a matter of character. But the important thing is that we both respect each other." .

Ancelotti confirmed Benzema is ready to play, and declined to comment on the controversy between the French striker and Didier Deschamps. In Le Parisien newspaper last week, Deschamps said that it was Benzema who took the initiative to leave the French headquarters just before the 2022 World Cup kicked off.

Then, the 35-year-old striker responded by writing "Oh shameless. Dear Deschamps. Good night" with a clown face emoji on Instagram Story. The 2022 Golden Ball also posted a video of a man with the line: "Liar, liar".