In a press conference to discuss the return leg against Manchester City in the Champions League, Carlo Ancelotti revealed that he doesn’t know yet who, between Federico Valverde and Raúl Asensio, will be deployed as right-back.
This Wednesday, at around 8pm GMT, the Santiago Bernabéu will come alive to the sound of the Champions League. After a successful trip to the Etihad Stadium last week, Real Madrid will host Manchester City for the return leg of the qualifying round for the round of 16. For this crucial match, Carlo Ancelotti has one dilemma: who to position as right-back? Without Lucas Vázquez for a few days, the Madrid coach is still unsure about Federico Valverde’s condition, as the player has been feeling discomfort since Saturday’s match against Osasuna. Given the situation, Ancelotti made an announcement about Raúl Asensio on Tuesday.
Ancelotti’s defence announcements
Arriving for the press conference to discuss the big clash against Pep Guardiola’s side, who claim to have only a 1% chance of qualifying, Carlo Ancelotti said he could play the 21-year-old defender as right-back if there’s any doubt. “I have no doubt. The doubts have been cleared. Rüdiger can start, Tchouaméni as a pivot, and Asensio as a central defender. We need to see how Valverde is doing, as he trained today and feels good. We still have one day of recovery, as he got injured during the match against Osasuna. Even Asensio could play right-back,” warned the 65-year-old coach.
In the press conference, just like his coach on Tuesday, Federico Valverde looked in good shape and visibly ready to play. In case Raúl Asensio is needed to fill in on the right side, it would likely mean another start for Aurélien Tchouaméni in central defence. As of now, that situation hasn’t arisen yet.
“We don’t think we have 99%”
While Real Madrid isn’t exactly on good terms with Spanish referees, Carlo Ancelotti said he isn’t worried about European referees. In the match against the Citizens, which will be crucial, the refereeing decisions will be very important. “I feel more comfortable with referees in Europe. The statistics speak for themselves. In Europe, VAR interventions are far fewer and it only steps in when necessary. It’s worth noting that the best referees from each country generally officiate in the Champions League. The quality is very high in this regard.”
In any case, Real Madrid will have to play as if they haven’t won the first leg. That’s Ancelotti’s advice. “I don’t think Guardiola believes he has a 1% chance of qualifying. I’ll ask him tomorrow before the match, but he probably thinks he has more, which is completely normal. We don’t think we have 99%, but rather that we have a slight advantage, and we must make the most of it by trying to play the same way we did in the first leg, where we played well.”
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