Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti isn’t ready to call his team the favorites, even at the Santiago Bernabéu.
While Pep Guardiola has labeled Manchester City as “underdogs” ahead of their Champions League second-leg clash, Ancelotti doesn’t share that view. He believes City remain a dangerous opponent in any situation, and despite Real Madrid’s home advantage, he refuses to see his team as clear favorites.
Real Madrid head into Wednesday’s match with a slight edge after securing a 3-2 victory in the first leg at the Etihad. However, history suggests a tough challenge for City at the Bernabéu, where they have won just once in seven attempts— a 2-1 victory in the 2020 Round of 16 first leg.
Guardiola, however, seems to have little hope for his side’s chances, suggesting that City have “only a one percent chance” of progressing. But Ancelotti isn’t convinced.
“To be honest, even he doesn’t believe what he said. But I’ll ask him about it before the match,” Ancelotti said with a smile.
“He thinks they have just a one percent chance, and we don’t believe we are 99 percent favorites either. We are slightly ahead because of what we did in Manchester, and we have to make that count.”
Despite the first-leg advantage, Ancelotti sees maintaining that lead as a major challenge. He insists Real Madrid must approach the game with the same intensity as before.
“Playing from a favorable position is a psychological matter… I could come here and say we’re not ahead and that we’ll play as if the first leg ended 0-0, but that would be nonsense—nobody would believe me.”
“You can only control the team’s mindset. We have to ensure we play the way we did last week because that performance was strong. But at the same time, we can’t forget that we have an advantage.”
