Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti believes “there are no favourites” for next Saturday’s Champions League final in Lisbon. The Italian predicted “it will be tight” and claimed Los Blancos “will work hard” to conquer La Decima against Atletico Madrid.
In Real Madrid’s media day, Ancelotti gave his views on their rival: “With the season they’ve had, Atletico have shown that they are a team with a lot of quality. There are no favourites in the final. It might be the case that after winning the league, Atletico are still in a state of euphoria, but we are really up for winning this competition because we have been playing so well in it up until now,” he said.
When asked about the tactical preparation for the game, the Italian explained “there are no secrets ahead of this match.” “Both teams know each other well, and finals are always very tight. It will be difficult and in order to win we have to work really hard, stay united and the fans will need to help us,” he added.
Ancelotti believes many factors will be key: “The first is having the required amount of cool-headedness to prepare for these kinds of matches. Fear is not a good thing. We will try to get the tactics right; when you’re focused on what you have to do on the pitch, you forget about the fear.”
The Italian called for the fans to support the team the way they did in the semi-final against Bayern Munich and in the Copa del Rey final: “I remember our journey from the hotel to Mestalla with our fans by our side, who were really excited and up for the game. That helped us massively towards beating Barcelona in that final. I wish for the same thing to happen in Lisbon and I’m sure it will.”
