Ancelotti: “We're really excited and highly motivated to make it to the final again”
"It could be a magical night for us and for the fans, but we're aware of the difficulties we may encounter," said the coach.
Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the media in the press room at Real Madrid City in the build-up to the Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich. The coach gave his thoughts on the game at the Santiago Bernabéu (Wednesday, 9pm CEST): "We have to try to be at our best. We're really excited because we've got a great opportunity to make it to the final again, considering the difficulties, which there are a lot of. We're in good shape, highly motivated, and we'll try to do our best. I don't know what will happen tomorrow. Anything can happen, but we are looking forward to another fantastic night".
"It could be another magical night for our fans, but we're not optimistic, just aware of the difficulties we may encounter in the match. We need to play an intense game with good tempo, both in attacking and defensive terms. We could have done a lot more defensively in the first leg. We want an intense match".
Are you confident of progressing tomorrow?
"I'm confident because we're talking about Real Madrid and we have this squad, which has done very well this season. I'm confident in the fans who will get behind us... we're in a good position, but Tuchel will also thinks that he's in a good position in the tie. We enjoyed preparing for the game today and tomorrow we'll focus on the match".
"Today is a day that is worth savouring and it is a great source of motivation to be in the limelight. There's a lot of worry and fear before the game, but it's amazing today: preparing for a semi-final with the prospect of reaching another final really motivates you. They have experienced players at Bayern who know this team's character very well, like Neuer, Müller, Kimmich... If it goes to extra time, we'll play extra time".
Similarities between Real Madrid and Bayern
"Real Madrid and Bayern are similar clubs, both have a great tradition and history in the European Cup. We respect them too because they did very well and better than us in the first leg. Both teams play very well in transitions because we have quality and fast players. They're the two most dangerous teams in Europe in this sense, but if you have the right balance, you can manage the risk well".
His coaching philosophy
"Your idea has to adapt to the characteristics of the players and I don't want to have a team that has a single identity".
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The goalkeeper
"Lunin will play tomorrow. Courtois has to take his time to get back to his best. He played against Cádiz after training very well and had an excellent game transmitting security and confidence, but he has to get back to his best".
His spell in Munich
"We have a job to do and we have to have the support of the club. When that support isn't there, it's better to leave. That's it. I have a great relationship with those who work there and it's the job. If you don't have the support of the club it is better to part ways and avoid problems".
Kroos and Modrić
"They haven't played together, but could do. We're not looking at what the future will be like without them because at the moment they're still here, they contribute a lot and we're very happy with them".
La Liga title celebrations
"We were happy on Saturday because we won the league, but we had to control our happiness because we had to prepare for this game. We'll put the league aside and on then, on Thursday we'll figure out how we're going to celebrate the league title. Of course we're going to celebrate it".
The transition between the squad he had in 2014 and the current one
"Part of the squad that started in 2014 is still here. The transition has been managed very well during this period. The overall approach is always managed by players like Kroos, Modrić, Nacho, Carvajal, Lucas Vázquez... They're dealing with this transition and the young players are learning very well how they have to conduct themselves at Real Madrid".
The relationship between Bellingham and Kane
"We have to respect everybody. Bellingham and Kane have a very good relationship between the two of them".