'There is something special' - Carlo Ancelotti on 'history' of mythical Real Madrid shirt in Europe ahead of semi-final
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Updated 29/04/2024 at 20:00 GMT
Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid side are preparing for yet another Champions League semi-final and a chance to fight for a record 15th trophy in the competition. The Spanish giants are unbeaten in Europe this year, and will face a Bayern Munich side who despite losing the league title, have looked formidable in the UEFA Champions League. The first leg kicks off 20:00 at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday.
Carlo Ancelotti, head coach of Real Madrid talks to the media during a press conference ahead of their UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg match against FC Bayern München at Allianz Arena on April 29, 2024 in Munich, Germany
Image credit: Getty Images
Carlo Ancelotti said "there is something special" about the myth-like magic of the Real Madrid shirt and the club's UEFA Champions League history.
The Italian and his side are preparing for another semi-final, this time against Bayern Munich, as they target a record-extending 15th title. Coverage starts at 19:00 UK time on Tuesday on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Ancelotti spoke to TNT Sports ahead of the tie at the Allianz Stadium, where he coached for just over a year before being sacked by Bayern Munich in 2017.
“There is something special for this shirt, for this club. I think it’s the history, the tradition," he said when asked about the challenge of playing against the mythical shirt of Real Madrid.
"But I could say the same about Bayern Munich. I trained here, they have the same history, the same tradition in this competition, so it will be an exciting semi-final.”
The Spanish giants have yet to lose in this year's competition, making the semi-finals for the eighth time in 10 seasons. But for a club like Real, Ancelotti knows that only the trophy will suffice.
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“[I feel] happiness to be in the semi-final another time," he said. "We played difficult games to be able to stay here. And of course happy, we want to try to do our best.
"It’s not the goal, the semi-final, the goal is the final, but against Bayern Munich we have to work hard."
This semi will be Bayern's 21st in European Cup and Champions League competitions, and only Real can better that with a record 33 appearances.
But it's been an up and down season for the German side, who have impressed in Europe, but saw a potential 12th straight Bundesliga crown slip away as Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen secured the title with five games to spare.
Despite that, Harry Kane recently took his tally for the campaign to 42 goals and will be a danger to Madrid's chances of qualifying for the final.
“I think they’ve had difficulties in the Bundesliga but in the Champions League they did really well," Ancelotti said.
"The quarter-final against Arsenal, they beat them. Arsenal are a really good team, so they played really well, working hard as a team.
"Also they have a fantastic quality in front. Everyone knows Harry Kane, Gnabry, Sane, Musiala, fantastic players."
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Despite dispatching the reigning champions and competition favourites Manchester City in the last round, Ancelotti feels his players aren't getting ahead of themselves.
“The confidence I think is the same, it’s exactly the same," he said.
"We understand the difficulty of the game against Bayern Munich, that is a club and a team that has the same history as us in this competition.”
Tuesday's game is not only a return for Munich for the Madrid manager, but another clash against Thomas Tuchel. The pair faced off in the Champions League quarter-finals in 2022 when Tuchel was still at Chelsea.
The Blues looked set to cruise through to the semi-finals as they found themselves 3-0 up against Madrid at the Bernabeu, only for late goals from Rodrygo and Karim Benzema to see off the Londoners on aggregate.
“It was a really difficult game, the game that we played at the Bernabeu," laughs Ancelotti.
"I have a lot of respect for him as a manager and of course, I like to see him.”
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