"I would also be happy if we won even if we didn't deserve it"

Calm and confident, as is usual for the experienced Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid's Italian coach spoke to the media ahead of the 'Clasico' against Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final.

On the fitness and morale of the squad, Ancelotti is calm: "We're fine. We're calm, the players have recovered or will recover by tomorrow. The team is motivated in terms of morale. We are close to the first title of the season. We must try to win".

He has no doubts about Carvajal's fitness, who was absent from the last session: "He's fine, he's going to be able to play. He needed one more day to recover because the older players need it more than the youngsters. I know the starting XI, but I don't want to give any clues".

"Xavi is doing an excellent job at Barca. When you start you have no experience, but his track record is already very good. It helps him to have been one of the best midfielders in the world. I think he's doing very well," Ancelotti said when asked about Barca's poor performances in recent matches.

"Every match can change because of small details. It's very difficult to think about a possible change before a game. We did it with Vinicius because he was coming off injury. But before a game, before this Sunday's game, I don't think about the changes I'm going to make. It's during the game, because of fatigue, strategy, because I'm not doing well... the good thing is that I'm convinced of how prepared the players on the bench are. Sometimes this doesn't happen, but not here", admitted the Italian coach.

Asked about the style of both teams and their aim to play well as well as win, Ancelotti ironised: "If we play better than Barca, we're going to win in most cases. I would also be happy to win if we don't deserve it too much."

 

January 13, 2024