The Merengues coach warned his players ahead of the challenge against the ‘Azzurri’: ‘We must be careful with their counterattacks.’
Carlo Ancelotti and Real Madrid are preparing to face the Champions League challenge at the Bernabéu against Napoli. A victory in this match would allow the Blancos to finish on top of Group C, with one game to spare. Ancelotti, the former Napoli coach, is well aware that his team needs to be cautious against the Azzurri, who have recently been under the guidance of Walter Mazzarri.
“He’s an experienced coach, I’m not surprised with the win on the weekend. A coaching change brings additional motivation to the players. And we need to be careful with Kvaratskhelia and Osimhen, and their counterattacks which can be deadly.”
Speaking about the upcoming match against Napoli, Ancelotti added, “The first game was balanced. There were moments when Napoli dominated, and moments when we did. Tomorrow’s match won’t be much different. I enjoyed my time in Naples; I don’t have any vendetta or claim to make.”
Real Madrid, however, is facing the challenge against the Italian champions with several absences: “I don’t like to make excuses about injuries; it would be disrespectful to those who are playing. The players who are on the pitch are doing well, contributing more than perhaps we expected. We’ve stepped up on several occasions, sometimes even when people didn’t believe in us.”
The solution lies in the youth academy players: “We’ve talked a lot about who’s playing and who’s not. Now is the time to make use of these players. Nico, Gonzalo, Martin, Zidane: I have a lot of confidence in these guys. The work Raul is doing is exceptional. There are ready players in the academy, but we also have players like Brahim and Lucas Vazquez, who have played less.”
Speaking about the goalkeeper situation, Ancelotti said, “Lunin in goal? He won’t think that tomorrow will be his last game, he will compete with Kepa for the future games. Lunin has earned it; he has played very well. It’s a positive thing for us; we have two top-level goalkeepers that can contribute.”
