Carlo Ancelotti spoke in the press room at the RB Arena on the eve of the matchday five clash of the Champions League group stage, which sees Real Madrid take on RB Leipzig (9pm CET). The coach set the goal for his tem and claimed that Madrid’s main intention is to win the group. He spoke about the absences and the youngsters and confirmed Benzema and Modric will not play vs the Germans. The busy schedule had had him thinking and trying to arrange the team in the best way possible without losing quality but also without putting more physical stress on his players.
The Italian had the following to say: “The aim for tomorrow is to finish top of the group. We’ve got the chance to do it and we’re focused. We have to put on a good performance to be able to forget about this stage. This is a very intense period of the season, with games coming thick and fast. There are too many for me. We’re handling it well, but, like all teams do, we have some injuries and players out. This is normal when you always play every three days”.
Absences from the squad: "Of course the players are thinking about reaching the World Cup in good condition, but you’re also in good condition when you’ve been playing regularly. We don’t want to take any risks at such an important moment, it’s better to lose Karim or Modric for one game than for one month. That’s how we manage these kinds of situations. The four of them, also Ceballos, will return on Sunday".
On Asensio: "The club fully knows what I think and also what Asensio thinks. A lot of players’ contracts are coming to an end and the fact that there’s quite a long break might be the moment to speak about this issue. But until this first part of the season is finished, there’s no point talking about this. There’s a lot of time to talk”.
He continued: “What I ask of a player who plays less often is for him to be professional, serious and to keep going in the difficult moments. That’s what Asensio is doing and all the other players who feature less. As we have some absences tomorrow, of course some of these players will play and they’ll do their bit for the side”.
Rodrygo’s position: “A centre forward’s mobility is an important issue for us. I’ve told him he has to be mobile, and he’s doing that. Karim is his teacher, and he’s taught him really well in this regard. When you watch Karim you understand how a centre forward for Real Madrid has to play”.
On Vinicius: “He’s going to play, he’s not tired”.
The importance of every game: "At this club every game is important, you have to be at your best in every one. It doesn’t matter too much if it’s the Champions League or the league. The break is not far away, we’ve done well and the aim is to finish this part of the season well. Nothing will be decided, but it puts you in a good position for the return.”
On putting his faith in Valverde: “I was joking with him about that. He’s got that quality, but he didn’t show enough of it last year. Fortunately, he has been this year”.
On Leipzig: “They’ve got really good players. I’ve been following the Hungry national team as their coach is Italian and they’re doing a fantastic job. Szoboszlai is a really strong player, with great quality, and he's going to be important in the game tomorrow”.
On his visit to Leipzig with Bayern: “I remember it clearly, it was the last game of the season. We ended up winning after a great goal by Alaba. We spoke about it when we came. Leipzig are a better team now, they play better football and are full of confidence. I think it’ll be a great game”.
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