Real Madrid will make the short trip across the Spanish capital on Wednesday to face Atlético Madrid in the second leg of their 2024/25 UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie.
_Los Blancos_ head into the clash at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano with the advantage, having claimed a 2-1 win on home turf last Tuesday. Speaking to the press ahead of the deciding leg, Carlo Ancelotti suggested that _“it will be a difficult match and we know it, but we have the confidence to continue in this competition which for us is so special.”_
The Italian revealed that _“it is a match that allows us to keep on dreaming, as we have done in previous years in this competition. This year it’s a bit more complicated, but we carry on with the same confidence and we’ll fight until the last game.”_
Wednesday’s opponents are familiar foes for Real Madrid; their two stadiums are less than five miles apart, and clashes between the sides tend to produce spectacular matches. Ancelotti insists: _“I remember all the games against Atlético and they’ve been fairly equal. Sometimes we’ve won more in the Champions League, and at other times, so have they. Tomorrow, it’ll be equal – the tie will be decided by quality and small details.”_
The 65-year-old piled on the praise for his managerial counterpart, Diego Simeone, who he labels as _“a great football coach. We’ve both got a similar idea of football, so I have lots of respect for him.”_
_“Atlético can play in different ways: defensively, attacking-minded or on the counter-attack,”_ Ancelotti accepted – but quickly warned that _“Real Madrid can do the same.”_