UCL: Guardiola underestimating Man City chances, says Ancelotti
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Tuesday that his Manchester City counterpart, Pep Guardiola, was deliberately underestimating the English side’s chances of reaching the Champions League last 16.
European champions Madrid hold a 3-2 lead over City, who have struggled this season and are fourth in the Premier League, ahead of the play-off round second leg on Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabéu.
After thrashing Newcastle 4-0 on Saturday, Guardiola said the English champions had only a one per cent chance of ousting the record 15-time European Cup winners.
“He does not truly think that. Tomorrow, I’ll ask him before the game—do you really think you’ve got a one per cent chance?” Ancelotti told a news conference.
“He really thinks they’ve got more chance than that… We don’t think we have a 99 per cent chance.
“We believe we have a small advantage that we must make the most of and try to play the same way we did in the first leg, which went well.”
Guardiola later admitted that he had given his team a bigger chance of progressing than he initially suggested.
“This time, I lied to you,” said Guardiola.
“I always say what I think, and you never believe me, but this time you are right…
“(After the first leg) nobody would have bet on us. The one per cent was there. The truth is that as the days pass, you get more excited. It’s not the best result for us, but we will try to go through, for sure.”
Ancelotti confirmed that defender Antonio Rüdiger was fit to start for the holders after an injury, but Lucas Vázquez would only be ready for the bench.
City attackers Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish trained ahead of the game following injury concerns, and Guardiola said it was “good news” that they had been able to travel to the Spanish capital.
‘Leave Referees in Peace’
Ancelotti reiterated his frustration with Spanish refereeing following some controversial decisions that went against his side in recent La Liga matches.
The Italian said he was more comfortable with refereeing in the Champions League.
“Statistics speak for themselves. In Europe, there’s less controversy in this regard, and there are fewer VAR interventions,” said Ancelotti.
“VAR only intervenes when necessary, and the Champions League usually features the best referees from each country, so the quality is very high.”
England international Jude Bellingham was sent off for dissent during Madrid’s 1-1 draw at Osasuna on Saturday in La Liga.
Bellingham’s teammate Federico Valverde said he did not want the midfielder to change his ways.
“What I want is players who leave their soul on the pitch. In this case, with Jude in the last game, I always want him to be like that,” Valverde told reporters.
“Jude is a player who shows character, who always wants to win, who always wants to fight.
“This time, he got a red card, but I like that he’s giving everything—his spikiness… We have to stay united as a team.”
The referee who dismissed Bellingham, José Munuera Montero, has been subjected to online abuse in recent days and, according to Spanish reports, is being investigated over an alleged conflict of interest due to links with a sports consultancy agency.
Guardiola shared his thoughts on Bellingham’s dismissal.
“The problem is not the translation—it’s the intention. You have to ask Jude what intention he had… You can insult someone with a big smile, and it can seem nice,” said the coach.
“Have you seen that they are investigating the referee now? Wow, leave them in peace.
“That’s the best thing we can do—leave them in peace.”
Guardiola, who led City to their first Champions League triumph in 2023, said his team needed to play an almost “perfect” game to progress.
“You have to play an almost perfect game. Obviously, the (first-leg) result is not good,” added Guardiola.
“A bad result is not the perfect situation. We have to attack, we have to score goals. That is the plan.”
AFP
