Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has replied Pep Guardiola’s comment on Real Madrid ahead of their Champions League quarterfinal first-leg in Madrid.
Pep Guardiola had stoked reactions when he berated the Premier League and FA for refusing to cooperate with domestic English clubs by replanning domestic fixtures for clubs playing in European competitions.
Speaking ahead of the top-of-the-table clash with Arsenal at the Etihad, the Spaniard berated the fact that Manchester City will be forced to play seven games within 21 days, including their double-legged Champions League quarterfinal tie against Real Madrid.
According to him, Real Madrid will have nine days to prepare for the Champions League cracker unlike his side who have been inundated with a list of domestic fixtures before the game.
Guardiola was particularly furious with Manchester City’s FA Cup semifinal fixture against Chelsea, and questioned the FA’s decision schedule matches on Saturday’s, especially for domestic clubs involved in continental European club championship.
While Guardiola was basically calling for English football administrators – the Premier and the FA – to revisit their match schedules, the 56-year-old inadvertently implied his opponents Real Madrid are on the advantage going into the game as they will have more time to prepare for the clash.
Reacting to Guardiola’s comment, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has disputed the Spaniard.
According to him, the preparatory timeline will have little or no influence on the game although he is happy to have nine days to prepare for the game as Guardiola said.
“This is football, I’m happy with nine days to prepare City game. We have a small advantage yes…”.
“But this won’t influence the game. We have time to prepare the game and we’ll do our best,” Ancelotti said (via Fabrizio Romano)
Manchester City eliminated Real Madrid with a 5-1 aggregate victory in Champions League semifinals last season, and went ahead to clinch their first-ever Champions League trophy.
The two teams are top favourites to win the competition this season. Real Madrid will hope to avenge the semifinal defeat while Manchester City will hope to consolidate on their European dominance.
Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti have a rich history in the elite club competition in Europe, having won the trophy in their managerial careers. They are among the most successful managers in the competition with most wins, and will hope to consolidate their dominance when they square up again in another Champions League cracker.
