Real Madrid will look to extend their unbeaten start to the season when they face Atletico Madrid at the Civitas Metropolitano on Sunday night.
The Merengues, who currently lead La Liga, could lose their lead to Barcelona, who play Elche later today. And a win against their neighbors will be required for the reigning champions to go into the international break as league leaders.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti held his customary pre-match press conference on the eve of the game, during which he discussed a variety of topics ranging from Karim Benzema’s injury to the controversy surrounding Vinicius Jr’s celebrations.
“Benzema will not be there tomorrow,” Ancelotti confirmed, “but he has begun working alone.” He did not, however, reveal who would replace the Frenchman, saying, “I have an idea, but I won’t say it.”
Ancelotti commented on Real Madrid‘s form and momentum ahead of the derby, saying, “We arrived well, on a good run, against a strong rival, it is a special match and that is how we prepare for it.”
“He’s fine as usual, he wants to play and win this match,” he said of the racist abuse directed at Vinicius Jr. He and the club have issued a statement, so let’s get back to football, and it should be noted that I don’t see racism in Spain.”
“It will be a competitive match,” he says of the derby. They don’t expect anything new, and they anticipate a fierce duel, a good football match because both teams have excellent players. The match is still ongoing, but nothing has been decided. Rivalry is expected.”
“It sounds strange, but I don’t like getting into these discussions, every coach has to make decisions, Simeone and Atletico have been and are doing well in Spain and Europe,” he says of Antoine Griezmann’s unusual situation at Atletico.
“He is ready to play and has trained well,” Eder Militao said of his availability. He can play from the start or for a few minutes; I’ll have to think about it.”
“He has a great relationship with his players, he is able to build that bond, and that’s an important part of being a coach,” says Simeone.
“It’s something we don’t touch on in the locker room, these are topics that aren’t normally discussed in the locker room, we usually talk about football,” Vinicius said of the support he has received.
“There is a lot of talk about provocations, but racism is a much more important issue than what happens on the field.” However, as Vinicius stated in his statement, we will not address the issue of racism.”
“No, I’m not his father, I’m not his brother,” he says when asked if he has any advice for Vinicius. I’m his boss.”
“I’m not worried, we’re going to play a football match, in the opponent’s field, and the pressure from the stands supporting their team is normal,” he says of the atmosphere at the Metropolitano. Period. There is nothing more to say. We only played against a strong opponent.”
“He has had more minutes, and he is making the most of them,” says Rodrygo. You have to be patient and keep improving; he’s taking advantage of his opportunity and learning from more experienced players. That gives him more confidence.”
“This is football, he is very happy to have been called up to the national team, he has the ability to go to the national team,” Asensio said of his call-up to the Spanish national team.
On why Real Madrid performs better in the second half: “We use the tiredness strategy” (laughs). Our opponents believe we are tired, which we exploit.”
Leave a Reply