Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelloti admitted that Barcelona have been impressive so far, but emphasized that he is not worried about their arch rivals ahead of Saturday’s El Clasico, Soccernet.football reports.
Los Blancos remain unbeaten in the league this season and are on the brink of making history. They have recorded 31 wins and 11 draws, with their last La Liga loss coming against Atletico Madrid on September 25 of last year.
Ancelotti’s men are just one game away from equaling the longest unbeaten streak in La Liga history (43 games) set by Ernesto Valverde’s Barcelona between 2017 and 2018.
The Blaugrana currently top the table by three points, having won nine of their 10 games. However, Ancelotti, unfazed by the challenge that lay ahead, asserted that his team will be ready.
“Fortunately, at the moment nobody keeps me awake at night,” Ancelotti told a reporters on Friday as quoted by Reuters.
“[Barcelona] are doing very well. But in a match like the Clasico, it’s very difficult to pick a favourite beforehand. It depends on the dynamics of the match.
“It’s a matter of how you are able to handle the pressure, to deal with the tempo and how to identify the moments of the match…
“Barca have a very clear idea of how they play the game, they are performing very well. They are a very brave team, and we need to prepare well for the game and try to play our best version.”
Barcelona head to the Spanish capital following a 4-1 Champions League victory over Bayern Munich on Wednesday. That win extended Flick’s impressive record to 11 wins in 13 matches across all competitions.
Madrid, on the other hand, have faced some criticism from pundits for their slow starts in recent games. The champions recently needed a second-half fight back to overturn a two-goal deficit against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
Ancelotti isn’t concerned about his players’ mindset going into Saturday’s game. The 65-year-old is confident they’ll be prepared from the outset given the intensity of the rivalry.
“Usually, in this style of match, you don’t have to talk as much beforehand… The idea is to define a very clear, very simple strategy… and nothing else,” Ancelotti added.
“It’s not a type of match where you have to give big speeches. Playing like we did in the second half against Dortmund for 90 minutes is impossible, but that should be our starting point, what we will try to achieve. I think we did a lot of things right.
“We will prepare the game to do the right things with and without the ball. We have to play a complete game to win, and we will try to do that.”