NEWS STORY. 19/09/2023
"Union Berlin are a strong and solid side, and we'll have to play at a high intensity," said the coach.
Carlo Ancelotti spoke in the press room at Real Madrid City on the day before the Champions League Group C opener against Union Berlin (6:45pm CEST). The coach stated: "The Champions League is a special competition for us. We're going to treat tomorrow's game as something special. We want to get off to a good start in the group stage and we're playing at home. Our opponents are a well-organised, strong and solid side. We will need to play at a high intensity".
"Carvajal has a strain and we wanted to rest him to avoid problems. We'll test him again tomorrow. He feels good and we don't think it's anything serious, so hopefully he'll be back soon. As things stand today, he has a chance of playing on Sunday. The player's general condition is pretty good. Lucas Vázquez will play in place of Carvajal".
Objective
"To advance from the group stage, the round of 16, the quarter-finals... We want to fight until the end. Making it to the quarter-finals is a goal we can achieve".
Favourites to win the trophy
"City are favourites because they have a squad that saw them to win it last season and they haven't changed much. However in the Champions League, like always, there are surprises at the end".
"Real Madrid are a team that are going to fight until the end. We never think of ourselves as favourites, just as I think City don't. They won it last year, they can win the Champions League. They won last year, you could say they are the favourites".
Union Berlin
"They're a new team in the Champions League but the fact they're here means they've done very well. They're well organised defensively, they're solid and they play with intensity. We've studied them carefully and hopefully we can put in a good performance tomorrow".
The team's current shape
"We're ready, like last year. Some players in the squad have changed. Some have left and others have arrived. The new ones are bringing a lot to the team".
Luka Modrić
"He's fine, I speak to him every day like I do with all the players. It's a personal relationship that we have. The fact that he is not playing as much as he used to can sometimes affect him a bit. But that doesn't affect the personal relationship, which is still fantastic and will continue to be fantastic. Having said that, he's going to play tomorrow".
Arda Güler's progress
"His recovery is going well, he's not having any problems. He's completing his individual work and will return to the team on Monday".
Can you see Nadal as president?
"During my time here we've had a president who is Florentino and he's doing a fantastic job, I can't think of a better president. We're very proud that Nadal, who we totally admire, is a real madridista".
Spanish women's national team
"I'm not going to get into this subject. That being said, "I've got a lot of respect for the players. I've got nothing more to add".
