Real Madrid will be aiming to move to the top of the La Liga table when they take on Rayo Vallecano on Saturday night away at Vallecas.
Currently two points behind leaders Barcelona, Los Blancos can temporarily go past their arch-rivals given that Hansi Flick’s men are scheduled to play only on Sunday.
Following their hard-fought win over Atalanta earlier in the week in the UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid will be eager to build on that and keep the momentum going ahead of next week’s FIFA Intercontinental Cup Final.
Ahead of the game, Los Merengues manager Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the media today and discussed various topics including the injury to star man Kylian Mbappe.
Looking at tomorrow’s game and how his team will approach it, the Italian said: “It will be demanding, we have always struggled against Rayo.
“They play well, they are intense. But we are confident. The team has recovered well, after an extra day’s rest and we’re going with all our enthusiasm.”
When asked about a fitness update on the French duo of Kylian Mbappe and Eduardo Camavinga, Ancelotti confirmed the former’s absence while also revealing that the latter is fit and ready.
“Kylian is not serious, he won’t be here tomorrow, but he will travel to Qatar and there, we will assess the risk. Camavinga is fine. He’s available for tomorrow,” said Ancelotti.
About Mbappe’s injury and whether these small niggles are a cause for concern, he stated: “It’s a difficult thing. In the last few breaks he’s been here, resting, working… you don’t know.
“Fortunately he’ll only be out for a small period and he won’t lose what he’s achieved in recent times.”
On whether the win against Atalanta has helped the team, the Real Madrid boss remarked:
“Yes, because it was an important moment… and we pulled off a tough night. There was a lot of commitment, attitude. Collective work. It was a complete match that adds optimism, of course.
“Wednesday [Intercontinental Cup] is very important, but for now we’re only thinking about tomorrow.”
In the last two matches against Girona and Atalanta, Ancelotti has preferred to use Aurelien Tchouameni at centre-back ahead of breakthrough starlet Raul Asencio.
When asked if he sees the Frenchman more as a defender than a midfielder, he replied: “The first thing is to thank him for his commitment, his unselfishness. He plays there without complaining and makes the best of it.”
Ancelotti happy with Tchouameni at CB. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)
“Against Atalanta and Girona he did very well and it’s no coincidence that we won those two games with him. Bearing in mind that it’s not his position, but he does it for the team,” he added.
“He’s a fundamental pivot, one like few others on the market, but we’re in an emergency….”
Talking about how Jude Bellingham has stepped up for the team in recent matches, the legendary tactician answered a question about whether the Englishman was a leader of the team, saying:
“I don’t know, but he is very important. He is chosen by his teammates for his attitude and performance. But he is a very important player in this sense. Because he adds commitment.”
On the topic of the plethora of injuries in the Real Madrid squad, Ancelotti was asked if the blame was solely on the fixture schedule or if there was scope for him to rest some of his players in a more effective manner. In response, he said:
“That’s true, that’s true. I can rotate certain players, but when I have a squad of 14-15… I can rotate very little. And it’s not always positive to put certain players in, if they are young.
“There’s a lot of talk about Endrick, minutes… …blablabla, there’s a lot of talk, but I also have to think about when to put players in. It’s not easy. If I have few players, it’s normal to rotate less.”
On whether he and Real Madrid have been treated and criticised harshly this season, he said: “We are going to compete and fight for everything, that’s what I know. Things are starting to look up, as you can see. Alaba and Camavinga are almost back….”
Ancelotti also went on to state that he is not very much bothered by criticism of how he does not give a lot of minutes to younger players, saying:
“No, it doesn’t. Because it’s not the reality. That’s why it doesn’t bother me.”
So when asked why Endrick has not been playing and what he needs to work on to get more minutes, Ancelotti replied:
“But it’s not just him who needs to work, it’s everyone. He is very young and has one of the best strikers in the world in front of him.
“We have to be patient. He would like to play more, of course, but he’s not asking for anything. Let him continue his apprenticeship like this. That’s all.”
Meanwhile, the Real Madrid boss was also asked for his opinion on Pep Guardiola amidst Manchester City’s unending struggles in recent weeks, to which he said:
“I don’t give him any advice, no. My opinion doesn’t change about him, because of the last results. He has been an innovator. We can control a lot of things, but not the outcome of games.”
Source: AS