Ancelotti dismisses Guardiola’s ‘1%’ claim as Rudiger returns

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has dismissed Pep Guardiola’s claim that Manchester City only have a one percent chance of reaching the last 16 of the Champions League.

Guardiola was downbeat at the weekend when asked to assess tomorrow night’s playoff second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu with Madrid holding a 3-2 advantage following the first game at the Etihad last week.

Experienced Italian Ancelotti says his side have a “small advantage” and thinks the former Barcelona boss is being a little mischievous.

He said: “He really doesn’t think that. Tomorrow I’m going to ask him before the game. He thinks he has more [chance], we don’t think we have a 99 per cent [chance]. We think we have a small advantage, but we need to take advantage of it and play the same game as in the first leg, which went well.”

The scoreline is not 0-0!

The old adage that the ‘scoreline is 0-0’ ahead of a second leg was also rubbished by Ancelotti, who says the players know what they have to do.

He added: ”You can tell the players that we don’t have the advantage and that we have to approach the game as if it were 0-0, but that’s nonsense and nobody believes you. There is an objective fact and that is that we scored three goals and City two.

“That can’t be changed. What can be changed is the team’s attitude and approach to the game without making calculations. The objective is to play the same game as a week ago, but we can’t forget that we have the advantage.”

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The team is playing well, insists Ancelotti

Madrid have won just one of their last three games but Ancelotti is not overly concerned given those matches have come against Atletico Madrid, City and Osasuna, when his side were reduced to 10 men in the first half after Jude Bellingham was sent off.

“The last three games have been demanding and we have only got one good result, which was against City, but the team is playing well,” he said.

“That gives us confidence and a positive spirit. We have to continue playing well, with quality and, above all, what has stood out in the last few games has been the sacrifice and collective commitment that we have been able to have.”

Rudiger returns

Madrid fielded a makeshift back four at the Etihad last week but will be boosted tomorrow by the return of key centre-half Antonio Rudiger.

The Germany defender has missed the last five games with a hamstring injury but will start against City, enabling Ancelotti to move Aurelien Tchouameni into his more customary defensive midfield role.

“Rudiger can play from the start, Tchouameni can play as a pivot and [Raul] Asencio can play as a centre-back,” he said.