The left eyebrow still raised to the highest, Carlo Ancelotti appeared very serene this Friday evening at a press conference, in the passageways of the Stade de France, place of the grand final on Saturday between his Real Madrid and Liverpool (9 p.m.). With his usual banter, the Italian did not hesitate to tease the journalists present… Even when he did not locate them in the large auditorium. “I’m not stupid,” laughed the technician when a colleague tried to tell him his position.
This is one of the assets put forward by Ancelotti and Real Madrid, represented by its captain Marcelo and the Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois: an apparent serenity. “This team knows how to manage its matches, supports the former PSG coach. The elders are there to help the young people, to understand the atmosphere, to remain calm and to gain confidence”. “We know what it’s like to play a final”, recalls the Brazilian side, who could win his 5th Champions League after 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
“Benzema pushes the team to victory”
The smile almost never leaving his face, Ancelotti, who will play his fifth final as a coach (one lost, three won) even wonders if the solution would not be to play badly: “I have good memories of all my finals. But it is strange to think that the one where my team was the best, I lost it (Editor’s note: with AC Milan against Liverpool in 2005). Anything can happen in a final. But we had time to prepare it well. We will give the best of ourselves. Will this be enough? We never know”.
To “give it all”, Ancelotti can still count on Real Madrid’s best player of the season: Karim Benzema. The striker has already scored 10 goals in knockout matches in this European campaign, equaling Cristiano Ronaldo’s record. “He pushes the team towards victories even in difficult times, rejoices Thibaut Courtois. He never stops running. He gives even more in difficult times.
The Benzema-Ancelotti duo already won the “Big Ears Cup” in 2014 against Atlético de Madrid. It was then the “Decima”, the 10th victory in the history of Real in the competition. “The key to all recent successes”, assures the Italian. The White House has added three more C1s since. On Saturday night, Real will seek their 14th Champions League trophy. And, obviously, he approaches it in the greatest of calms.