Carlo Ancelotti has warned Manchester City that they will face a spirited Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday during the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final.
The Los Blancos manager said Madrid’s fans in the stadium will be the club’s “12th player” as City will field 11 players.
“We know that they (Manchester City) will push us. We have a small advantage in the first leg where we will play 12 [people] against [Man City’s] 11,” Ancelotti said on Saturday after Madrid beat Osasuna 2-1 to lift the Copa del Rey trophy.
That was Madrid’s first Copa del Rey trophy since 2014.
"Tonight we'll celebrate a little bit... then we'll think about Tuesday. My message is let's go for Tuesday, that's it,” Ancelotti said during the post-match press conference.
Rodrygo scored twice in the finals held in Seville to grant Madrid its 20th Copa del Rey trophy.
The forward’s first goal came in 106 seconds after kick-off to become the quickest goal in a Spanish cup final in 17 years.
Osasuana pulled level in the 58th minute through Spanish midfielder Lucas Torró.
Rodrygo scored again in the 70th minute after teammate Toni Kroos’s attempt at goal rebounded into his path, securing a win for the Los Blancos.
Real Madrid beat English side Chelsea 4-0 on aggregate in the Champions League quarter-final to book a date with Manchester City.
City, on the other hand, stunned German giants Bayern Munich 4-1 on aggregate to storm into the elite competition’s semi-final.
The winner between Madrid and City will face either Inter Milan or AC Milan in the finals on June 10 at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Türkiye.
In the Champions League, City have played Madrid eight times, winning three, losing three and drawing in two matches.
Real beat Man City 6-5 on aggregate at the same stage of the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League en route to winning the trophy for the 14th time.
They also eliminated City at the same stage in 2015/16, the season before Pep Guardiola joined.
Madrid and City did clash against each other in the 2019-20 season, in the Round of 16. It was City who prevailed, winning both legs 2-1.
Unlike Madrid, who are immensely successful in the tournament, City are yet to win their first UEFA Champions League trophy.
