Hazard’s thing has no cure

Carlo Ancelotti and Eden Hazard go their separate ways. A few hours after the winger admitted in an interview that he does not maintain a close relationship with Reggiolo’s man, the Real Madrid coach agreed with him. “He was very honest, we don’t talk much because talking is a matter of character. You get along better with one than the other, it also happens with children. That’s not the most important thing to me, the most important thing is that he respects me, as I respect him. Hazard doesn’t play because there is a lot of competition. I don’t have to hide that there is a player who makes a big contribution in that position, Vinicius,” said the Italian at a press conference ahead of his team’s match with Liverpool in the round of 16 of the Champions League (9 p.m., Movistar Champions League ).

The Whites are defending a historic 2-5 win at Anfield, but Ancelotti is well aware of what happened last season in a similar scenario against Chelsea and as a result told his troops: “Don’t calculate. Try to play the best we can and plan the game like in the first game. We will try to enter the match from the first minute, play with maximum intensity and enthusiasm”.

Carletto admitted that the night Chelsea were about to eliminate Real Madrid after 0-3 at the Santiago Bernabéu when they lost 3-1 at Stamford Bridge was one of the most painful moments of his career. , although he emphasized that he did not talk much with his players about the said meeting this week. “We looked at what we did well and badly in the first game. We are going to set up the match without thinking that we are in advantage, but we will set up an open match. Liverpool will try to change the dynamics of the tie. We have to defend and attack well,” he asserted.

The coach warned again about the pitfalls of the transfer: “On a mental level, the game is more complicated for us than for Liverpool, who will do their best from the first minute, regardless of everything. The result of the first game puts us in a bit of doubt in that regard,” he said.

Benzema, “on top”

Ancelotti confirmed the return of Benzema, whom he sees as “full” and “very motivated”, although he did not want to get into a new clash between Lyonnais and Didier Deschamps due to his exclusion from the World Cup in Qatar. “This is more of a personal matter. Deschamps was also my player and I respect him a lot. In Italy they say you shouldn’t stick your finger in a couple, and I don’t stick my finger. I don’t know what happened between them. Karim doesn’t talk about it and I don’t think it worries him,” he said.

The coach praised Vinicius, again decisive against Espanyol, but again the subject of a yellow card. “I’m happy with his progress and I’m not looking at it this much. His attitude in the last match was exemplary,” said Ancelotti, who believes that the Brazilian “is well on his way to writing the history of Real Madrid in the coming years, as Modrić, Kroos, Benzema and Casemiro have written it. ». He also had good words for Camavinga, a starter in 16 of the last 17 games his team has played. “He is doing very well. He makes mistakes, but he plays so well that it makes him forget the mistakes he makes. Against Espanyol, he made an obvious mistake in a position that was not his, but afterwards he plays such a good game that everyone forgets. It has an outstanding quality. Today he is untouchable and I am convinced that he will be untouchable in the future as well”, concluded the white coach.

probable compositions

Real Madrid: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Nacho; Tchouaméni, Kroos, Modric; Fede Valverde, Vinicius, Benzema.

Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Konate, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Bajcetic; Gakpo, Salah, Nunez.