The biggest uncertainty, in Carlo Ancelotti’s opinion, regarding Real Madrid’s likely defense of the Champions League is the anticipated physical state of his players following the World Cup.
On Tuesday, Madrid will go to Scottish champions Celtic to start their quest for a 15th European Championship.
Due to the World Cup, the group stage is shorter this year and has been relocated from its traditional summertime position in the Northern Hemisphere to November due to the intense heat in Qatar.
Teams competing in the group stage will play six games in less than two months, with the fight to advance to the round of 16 ending on November 2.
That results in a full fixture slate on top of domestic commitments. However, Ancelotti is more worried about the possible impact of playing in a mid-season World Cup on his team than he is about the implications of the schedule.
Ancelotti said of the unusually busy fixture list:
“Until the World Cup, I think we won’t have any problems.
“The players are prepared and motivated. The question is how the World Cup players will return. It cannot be known.”
Madrid was not considered one of the favorites to win the Champions League despite their outstanding performance previous year.
Before defeating Liverpool 1-0 in the championship game, Los Blancos produced amazing comeback victories over Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, and Manchester City.
The betting public has placed City ahead of PSG, Liverpool, and Bayern Munich.
The fact that his team is outside the top four pleases Carlo Ancelotti.
He added:
“I’m not surprised. I see it as a good sign.
“I think we had even less probability in the statistics last year. So we have improved.
“What happened last year will happen. We will compete until the end, and hopefully, we will compete in the final.”
However, Ancelotti’s club is the clear favourite to win Group F, including Celtic, RB Leipzig, and Shakhtar Donetsk.
When questioned about Madrid’s seeming ease of the draw, Carlo Ancelotti referred to the team’s shocking home loss to Sheriff Tiraspol in the group stage of the previous season.
“It is not an easy group because we know the teams very well,” said Ancelotti. “Celtic are doing very well. We have to respect them, like Leipzig and Shakhtar.
“In the group stage, there are surprises, especially in the first half. We have a pretty vivid memory of last season with Sherriff at home. We respect the group, and I think it will be an even group.”
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