The Real Madrid coach treated his upcoming opponent in the Champions League semi-final with the utmost respect
Head coach Real Madrid Carlo Ancelotti on the eve of the first meeting with Bavaria in the semi-finals Champions League shared his expectations from the confrontation and spoke about the tactical aspects of the upcoming duel.
“Everything that happened in the past, of course, leaves good memories, but tomorrow will be a different story. The first leg of the semi-final, we are confident, but we are aware that we are up against a team with excellent characteristics, quality and real individual talent.”
“We are confident, but we have a lot of respect for this team. They didn’t have the best season in the Bundesliga, but they put up an impressive performance against Arsenal. They were very good in both games. We have to take this into account: Arsenal are a very strong team in Europe and they played two great games. This club’s history is more or less the same as ours in the Champions League and that makes a lot of sense.”
“In comparison, they are very strong in transition, they have fast players and they can play in different ways: high pressing or low blocking… We are both teams without a clearly defined identity, which means we can play in different ways.” .
“No tactical changes. Each team has its own characteristics and we must appreciate them well without losing our identity. Tomorrow we will need all the qualities that we have shown this season. We will have to play strong defense, avoid counterattacks and attack well. The semi-final cannot be lacking in any aspect, it must be a complete performance.”
Let us remind you that Bayern, under the leadership of Thomas Tuchel, failed to defend the championship title for the first time in 12 years – Bayer Leverkusen won the Bundesliga for the first time in its history. The coach of the Munich club announced in advance that he would leave his position at the end of the season.
In the quarter finals, Bayern beat Arsenal (2:2 away, 1:0 at home), which is fighting for the Premier League title. Real, in turn, coped with another English top club, last year’s Champions League winner Manchester City (3:3, 1:1 and 4:3 on penalties), largely thanks to the outstanding play of Ukrainian goalkeeper Andrey Lunin. By the way, his competitor Thibaut Courtois was included in the Madrid club’s roster for the first time this season – he and the team went to Munich.
The first leg of the Champions League semi-final between Bayern and Real Madrid will take place on Tuesday, April 30, in Munich at the Allianz Arena. Starts at 22:00 Kyiv time. The meeting will be served by a French brigade led by Clement Turpin. The return match will take place in Madrid on May 8.
Source: Sportarena
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