Champions League, first leg of quarterfinals
Real Madrid – Manchester City 3:3 (2:1)
Doors : 0:1 Silva (2nd), 1:1 Camavinga (12th), 2:1 Rodrygo (14th), 2:2 Foden (66th), 2:3 Gvardiol (71st) , 3:3 Valverde (79th)
The quarterfinals of the Champions League LIVE on DAZN
Real Madrid-Manchester City
04/09/2024 | 21:00
Even a football coach with as much experience as Carlo Ancelotti is still nervous before the Champions League quarterfinals. “The hours before a game are hours full of suffering on a personal level,” said the 64-year-old Real Madrid coach, before the first leg of the quarterfinals this Tuesday (9:00 p.m./DAZN) against the current champion. Manchester City: “Victory is a liberation. It is happiness when you win titles, but a single victory is a liberation. The following days you are calmer and happier, but suffering is part of the job. It keeps you alive. For me it is the fuel.”
Last year, the Italian suffered greatly when he was defeated 4-0 by Manchester City in the second leg of the semi-final against Los Blancos. This time Real defender Antonio Rüdiger expects a much more even match. “We have confidence in ourselves,” said the national player: “The dynamics show that we are in good shape, that we have good feelings. We are a big family and that is exactly what we have to show on the field. I'm sure we can do it.”
Real's hopes are placed on them english people Jude Bellingham, who plays a key role in Madrid after arriving from Borussia Dortmund last summer. “He is very mature. He is only 20 years old, but he is very professional, very serious and humble,” Ancelotti stated: “He surprised us not as a player, but as a person, because he is very intelligent for his age.”
Rüdiger also described Bellingham as a “great personality” and a “great player.” “We have to pray that he stays as healthy as he is,” said the center back: “He is 20 years old, but he gives the feeling that he has already experienced everything in life.” He has already won a lot and yet, even for Carlos Ancelotti, happiness in professional football is fleeting. A victory against Manchester City would be at least a small relief for him.