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Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti seen during the press conference at the Etihad Stadium.
Carlo Ancelotti says Manchester City is the worst possible rival Real Madrid could have been drawn against in the Champions League playoffs and described the preparation process for the showdown as a nightmare.
Tonight’s match at the Etihad Stadium has pitted the most successful club in the history of the UEFA Champions League with City for the fourth consecutive season in the knockout stage.
Ancelotti says this fixture has now become Europe’s biggest continental rivalry.
Ancelotti talks from experience as his side won the title in 2022 and last year after eliminating City, who reached the final in 2021 before finally claiming their first European crown in 2023.
The 65-year-old Ancelotti dismissed the idea that his side would be facing a weakened opponent compared to the previous years, with City languishing fifth in the Premier League, 15 points adrift of leaders Liverpool, calling Pep Guardiola the best coach in the world.
Real and City failed to advance automatically to the last 16, as one of the top eight sides in the new Champions League format and will clash in a two-legged playoff in which one of the tournament’s top contenders will be eliminated early.
“Yes, City are the most difficult rival. The most important rival. As I said, against the best manager. I think that the team that passes through this qualification has the possibility to go far in this competition as it’s usually been in the last years. In past years, whoever has won this qualification, has won the Champions League. That can maybe happen also this year,” says Ancelotti.
Manchester City coach, Pep Guardiola, says his side is well aware of Real Madrid’s habit of producing their best in tough times, with a string of injuries having depleted the visitors’ defence ahead of tonight’s match.
The clubs will clash for a fourth consecutive year, having met in four Champions League knockout ties since 2020.
“Definitely. There are a few clubs in Europe that with their history and everything, it doesn’t matter where – in a group stage, or a knockout stage, they are always difficult. We have obviously not done quite well in the group stage, so we deserve to be where we are. The draw is the draw and we have to accept the challenge,” says Guardiola.
City came from behind to beat Club Brugge and squeeze into the play-offs. Liverpool and Arsenal joined the likes of Barcelona, Aston Villa, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and Lille with automatic progression to the last-16.
Other teams that will be involved in the knockout phase play-offs include Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Paris St-Germain and Juventus. In other matches tonight PSG will be away to Brest, Dortmund will travel to Sporting, and Juventus will host PSV.
The round of 16 starts on the 4 March.
