Madrid — Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti stated that he intends to keep things simple as he prepares his team for Sunday’s “El Clasico” encounter at home against Barcelona.
After putting midfielder Luka Modric up front to replace then-injured striker Karim Benzema in the last El Clasico in March – only to be routed 4-0 by the Catalans – the Italian stated that he would refrain from making significant changes to his lineup this time.
Saturday at a news conference, Ancelotti said with a wry smile, “I’m not going to reinvent the wheel.”
“The last time I attempted to play the inventor, they trounced me. Therefore, I do not anticipate that we will do anything out of the ordinary on Sunday.
We will play as we have in the past. They are a formidable opponent, therefore we must be at the top of our game.”
Ancelotti stated that Thibaut Courtois will miss the game owing to a lack of practice while he recovers from the back ailment that caused him to miss the previous four games.
“His recovery is wonderful news for us. But he needs additional practice to regain his optimum performance. We will not rush him back until he is fully recovered,” Ancelotti remarked.
However, he revealed that defender Antonio Rudiger, who had 20 stitches in his forehead after colliding with Shakhtar Donetsk’s goalkeeper in their Champions League match on Tuesday, will be available.
“He must wear a face mask but is otherwise fit to play.” Rudiger is a warrior, and if you look at him, he is so enthusiastic and looking forward to the game on Sunday,” remarked Ancelotti.
The Real Madrid manager stated that Barcelona’s poor Champions League performances would not be an influence. Barca are on the verge of elimination from Europe’s best competition at the group stage for the second consecutive season, having won only one of their four Champions League matches.
“Barcelona have won all of their LaLiga matches with the exception of their debut.” They’ve seen difficulties in the Champions League, but this is a different competition with a different mindset. They have been fantastic in LaLiga,” stated Ancelotti.
“We are going to have fun, and we want to win, but we have a long way to go.”