Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti will make a couple of changes against Valencia, in a La Liga match that was previously postponed because of tragic flooding in the latter’s region.
Los Blancos can go top of the league with a win, which is a welcomed surprise to Ancelotti considering his men were once as many as six points behind previous leaders FC Barcelona after a 4-0 loss to them in El Clasico at the Bernabeu in late October.
Winning this game in hand can give Madrid a two -point advantage over the Fiestas at Crosstown Atletico Madrid, and Ancelotti believes that things can end well in May.
“Nobody expected,” Ancelotti said for the first time about Barca’s decline in a pre-match press conference, where he commented on the decline in Dani Olmo’s registration.
“But the level of competitiveness in La Liga lowers the points you need to win the title a little. The fact that Atletico is there also generates uncertainty and I think it will take less than 90 points to be champions.
“As it happened to us in November, it happened to Barcelona in December. You have a slump and then you get competitive as before. Barcelona and Atletico have the same chances to compete in La Liga with us,” he added.
As for 2025, Ancelotti said that his team “faces a new challenge with enthusiasm”.
“It will not be an easy game, Valencia changed coach and we have been difficult to play against Valencia.
“We need to start the year well. It’s a great game. The team is doing well. The rest days went well. Everyone returned motivated and in excellent shape. “
For this reason, Ancelotti will separate the resistance at his disposal.
It is made up of Thibaut Courtois in goal, Lucas Vázquez and Ferland Mendy as right and left backs, then Aurelien Tchouameni and Antonio Rudiger as central defenders.
Dani Ceballos helps maintain his position in the center of the field, in a double pivot alongside Fede Valverde, while supporting a more offensive Jude Bellingham in the same line as left back Vinicius Jr. and right back Roddrygo.
Above, Mbappé Kylian, who despite everything is beginning to take shape before the Christmas break, is the number nine striker.
Regarding Vinicius, who suspended the last time he opposed Sevilla, Ancelotti said the Brazilian was “very good”.
“The players’ vacation is smart for them. He is fresh, excited and motivated by the awards he won in the last few days. His goal is to make a difference tomorrow. “
Vinicius of course has a history at the Mestalla, but Ancelotti said that his men are “thinking about what we are going to find on the pitch” as opposed to in the stands.
“He is an opponent who has replaced the coach and who can give additional motivation to the players. For me, [Ruben] Baraja did a job, but that happens in football. We expect a not easy match. We have to concentrate on the game and nothing else,” Ancelotti insisted.
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