Real Madrid will face Alcoyano on Wednesday night and will officially start the adventure in Copa del Rey for this season. Carletto’s team will travel to Alcoy and try to turn the page and get the first victory of 2022.Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the media at a virtual press conference ahead of the match and told everyone that CdR is an important competition for the team and that Real Madrid will enter the competition with the objective to go until the end and win.
The Italian boss said: "It's a different game because it's a one-off match and we're playing away. It's an important competition for us. It's not a potential banana skin, but it's going to be a different game to others because of the competition we're playing in. The objective is to win the competition and it's going to be a game in which we must be at our best. Not only in terms of quality, in which on paper we're stronger”.
"It's also going to require concentration, winning duels and being focused at set pieces. We want to go out and demonstrate that tomorrow. We've got players who’ve been struggling after the Getafe game, such as Benzema, Mendy and Modrić. I want to give Lunin minutes and that's why Courtois won't be there either", he added.
Motivation going to Alcoy: "I've got a lot of confidence in this team and they’re motivated to play in this match. We're taking it seriously and that's the only way to approach it if we want to reach the final of the competition. We have to respect our opponents and know the problems that they could cause us. I'm going to play the best possible team. I've not seen the game last year against Alcoyano. I know what happened because the players have told me about it. It's an open wound because it came at a difficult time of the season. They know what happened and what can't happen tomorrow".
January transfer window: "We're not thinking about anyone leaving as nobody has asked to leave and the squad balance is quite good. I've not got any problems with anyone. Everyone is training well and wants to be involved. I don't think there'll be any departures in January".
Planning: "We are always planning ahead at this club. Next season is already planned out. It's not very professional to think that a club like Real Madrid doesn't think about next season".
"Lunin knows the ground very well, the atmosphere and he could put in a good performance in Alcoy. All I have said to him is that he has the quality to play more. Hopefully he will have a good game. Vinicius is back tomorrow, but he's staying here to prepare for the game against Valencia after going through the COVID-19 protocol".
Ceballos:L "He's available and could get the chance. I like him as a player and his character on the pitch. He's going to be important for us in the second half of the season because he has the quality of a Real Madrid player".
The Getafe match: "These games are more difficult for us and we have to do something different. There's no space between the lines, we have to look for more movement without the ball. We have to play a more direct game in this type of match. In order to have that direct attack, the players need to think about getting the ball behind the line and the forwards need to look to attack it. We're going to work on having more chances against teams who are more compact".
Mbappé: "It's not right to talk about a player who isn't here. I've got a very good relationship with Branchini because he's an Italian friend, but I'm not going to talk about this".
Changes: "The only payer I want to give minutes to in this game is Lunin. I'm going to select the best squad for this game because we take this match very seriously."
Bale: "He's not injured. He's not feeling well and is doing some work on his own. I don't know if he'll play against Valencia, but I'm going to take him to Saudi Arabia to see if he's available for the Spanish Super Cup. Bale is committed as he has six months on his contract and he wants to respect that. We've got to do everything possible to make sure he's OK. If the player isn't comfortable with the group work or is worried he might have a problem we have to evaluate him and incorporate individual work. Not commenting on injuries isn't a sporting issue, it's a problem for society as we have to respect each player's privacy".
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