Sport

UCL Final: Why Real Madrid not under pressure to win 14th title – Ancelotti

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti can’t see any nerves amongst his players ahead of the Champions League final against Liverpool.

Real Madrid have 13 European Cup wins to their name and Ancelotti believes his veteran players are slightly more relaxed.

“I think the motivation is the same as it was for Lisbon, but there are fewer pre-match nerves this time,” he stated.

“Nerves might come later and that’s fine.

“It feels natural to be back and to reach this final has been very important for the club.

“We’ve had a very very good season and we feel calm.

“These players manage these kinds of matches very well and I think the veteran players can help the younger players.

“I’m happy to be here preparing for this game.”

The Italian also reflected on his previous Champions League finals as a coach and pointed out that the only one he lost was when he felt his team played their best football.

“I remember all these previous finals, it’s hard to believe that the one where we played the best [AC Milan vs Liverpool in 2005] was the only one I lost,” he said.

“I’m obviously not going to tell the players to play poorly to have a better chance of winning, but anything can happen.

“By playing well, you have a better chance of winning, but you can’t control everything in football.”

Idoko Dennis

Idoko Dennis is a creative videographer/drone pilot and sport writer. He heads the sport desk and deputizes the head of Idoma TV

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