Abraham P. Romero Madrid
Madrid
Updated Monday, April 8, 2024-13:27
Carlo Ancelotti
and Antonio Rüdiger were the protagonists of
Real Madrid in the preview of the first leg of the
Champions League
quarterfinals
against
Manchester City
. Coach and centre-back, leader from the bench and leader on the pitch, insisted on the importance of the Santiago Bernabéu as a boost for the tie and the need to have "courage and mentality", something that according to the Italian they lacked last year at the Etihad .
"I'm very nervous, yes. The hours before on a personal level are all suffering,"
Carletto
admitted . "The other day I was thinking that defeat is suffering and victory is a relief, not happiness. The days after a victory you are happier. Suffering and stress keep you alive, it is gasoline for me," he reflected.
Previously, the coach had made his lineup for the match quite clear. The only doubt is who will accompany Rüdiger in the center of defense, whether Nacho or Tchouaméni, and it seems that Ancelotti is going to bet on the Frenchman: "I won't do strange things, things are quite clear. At most you can miss one player" , concrete.
Asked about Nacho and Tchouaméni, Rüdiger praised the Spaniard and added a fact to the pairing he makes with the Frenchman: "I think that Tchouaméni and I together have never lost a game, it depends on the coach."
The defender insisted that they will not wait for City locked in behind: "We are not going to speculate, we are not going to lock ourselves in and see City have possession," he said, and focused one of his answers on his duel with Haaland, "one of the forwards more difficult to defend. "I know that last year that image of me sticking my head out from under Haaland's armpit went viral, it's not something I plan, it's a feeling. For me it's a totally personal duel, me as a footballer against a super striker."
And he recalled his confrontation against him last year, where he was a starter at the Bernabéu and a substitute in Manchester: "We played a good game at the Bernabéu, a good job stopping Haaland that day. He didn't touch many balls, as we wanted. In the second leg I was a substitute and the coach doesn't have to apologize, we have to accept his decisions," he said.
Ancelotti recalled that they have had enough time to work since the match against Athletic Club, on the 31st, and admitted to being "confident that we are going to get the best we have in every sense, mental, physical and technical. We have the quality enough to compete."
City's losses in defense, among them the most likely right-back Kyle Walker, put the tie at the feet of Vinicius Júnior, although Ancelotti did not want to specify: "It is at the feet of the highest quality players, as always happens "The matches are determined by the players, beyond the strategy. There are many things, individual quality, counters, defense... It is not just one aspect."