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4 days ago
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Carlo Ancelotti says Xabi Alonso has “all the doors open” for a determination to a large club, with speculation gathering that the erstwhile Real Madrid midfielder is acceptable to regenerate the Italian manager astatine the helm of the Spanish powerhouse.
Ancelotti gave his regular pre-game quality league connected Saturday, a time aft Alonso announced helium was leaving Bayer Leverkusen.
He praised the enactment of Alonso, who has been wide linked to an eventual determination backmost to Madrid aft starring the German nine to the Bundesliga rubric past season.
“I work that Xabi is leaving Bayer Leverkusen, wherever helium did a fantastic job,” Ancelotti said earlier Sunday’s travel to Barcelona. “He has each the doors unfastened due to the fact that helium has shown that helium is 1 of the champion coaches successful the world.”
Xabi Alonso confirmed successful a quality league connected Friday that helium would permission Leverkusen astatine the extremity of the play [Marius Becker/Picture Alliance via Getty Images]Ancelotti again refused to talk astir his future, particularly earlier a decisive Clasico successful LaLiga. Madrid way Barcelona by 4 points and request to triumph to support live their chances of winning a trophy this campaign.
But helium did talk movingly astir what Madrid means — and volition mean — for the astir palmy manager successful European football.
For Ancelotti, his narration with the nine helium has spent six seasons astatine successful 2 stints is an everlasting “honeymoon”.
“The honeymoon with this nine ne'er ends, it continues forever,” helium said. “I deliberation that Real Madrid, similar Milan before, are the teams that enactment with me, fixed the clip I person spent here. At the beginning, determination is passion, and erstwhile that fades, different feelings emerge, a consciousness of tender care. My honeymoon with Real Madrid volition past for arsenic agelong arsenic I live.”
The 65-year-old manager is nether declaration done the adjacent run but is wide expected to permission aft an underwhelming play successful which the squad played worse contempt adding Kylian Mbappe to its squad.
Brazil person been courting Ancelotti for implicit a year, and it appears talks are inactive ongoing with the seasoned manager.
Real Madrid indispensable play ‘complete’ crippled astatine Barcelona
With lone 4 games remaining of the LaLiga season, lone a triumph volition realistically support Real’s hopes of retaining the title, and for Ancelotti, they volition request to get everything close to person a accidental connected Sunday.
“In this benignant of game, you person to bash things well. Barcelona are utilized to keeping the hostile successful their ain area, but nary squad is perfect,” helium said.
“It’s a crippled wherever there’s a batch astatine stake, and to win, you person to negociate everything well, support well, onslaught well. We person to play a implicit game.”
With truthful overmuch astatine involvement against their large rivals, Ancelotti volition person small occupation getting his players fired up.
“It’s not hard to motivate the players due to the fact that it’s the benignant of lucifer for which the players already travel retired motivated and with a batch of confidence,” helium said.
“Playing with Barcelona is special. It volition beryllium the past ‘El Clasico’ of the play due to the fact that Barca are not successful the Club World Cup.”
Who's scoring successful #ELCLÁSICO? 🤍 pic.twitter.com/Tgx1X8cVuA
— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) May 8, 2025
Barcelona focused contempt Champions League woe
Barcelona’s players person discussed last week’s Champions League elimination and are acceptable to enactment their disappointment down them against rivals Real Madrid, manager Hansi Flick said successful his quality league connected Saturday.
Barca suffered a 4-3 Champions League semifinal decision by Inter Milan connected Tuesday.
A location triumph connected Sunday would determination Flick’s broadside 1 triumph distant from their 28th Spanish league title.
“We’re doing well. After the decision successful Milan, everyone knows it’s not casual … but we’re doing things right. We’ve talked astir what we privation to bash successful these 2 weeks,” Flick told reporters.
“There are 4 much games to go. El Clasico is important, we person to amusement however good we tin play. We person to amusement confidence. The players are doing precise good … We’ve been talking astir what they are thinking, what they are feeling.
“We had to speech astir it arsenic a group. Everyone knows that successful a Clasico, you person to springiness 100 percent. You person to beryllium active, intense, dominant. Real Madrid is simply a precise bully team, and we request the fans.”
El Clasico – the debased down
Translated arsenic “The Classic” successful English, El Clasico is the sanction fixed to immoderate shot lucifer betwixt rival clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid.
The peculiar matchup betwixt these shot sides was calved retired of a more-than-a-century-old political-historical magnitude betwixt an progressively chiseled Catalan nationalist identity, with FC Barcelona representing Catalonia, pitched against the centralised powerfulness structures of Spain’s superior city, Madrid, and by extension, its astir celebrated shot club, Real Madrid.
The archetypal lucifer betwixt the 2 Spanish mega clubs was played connected May 13, 1902.
In total, 260 matches person been played. Real Madrid pb successful head-to-head results with 105 wins to Barcelona’s 103, with 52 draws.
Last 5 LaLiga matches
Barcelona: W-W-W-W-D (most caller fixture first)
May 3, 2025 – Real Valladolid 1-2 Barcelona
April 22, 2025 – Barcelona 1-0 Mallorca
April 19, 2025 – Barcelona 4-3 Celta Vigo
April 12, 2025 – Leganes 0-1 Barcelona
April 5, 2025 – Barcelona 1-1 Real Betis
Real Madrid: W-W-W-W-L (most caller fixture first)
May 04, 2025 – Real Madrid 3-2 Celta Vigo
April 23, 2025 – Getafe 0-1 Real Madrid
April 20, 2025 – Real Madrid 1-0 Athletic Club
April 13, 2025 – Alaves 0-1 Real Madrid
April 5, 2025 – Real Madrid 1-2 Valencia
English (US) ·