Real face very high pressure in clash against Atletico: Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti said Real Madrid will face immense pressure in their Champions League last 16 second leg derby at Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, but backed his players to rise to the occasion.

Champions Los Blancos hold a 2-1 first leg lead ahead of their visit to city rivals Atletico’s Metropolitano stadium.

The record 15-time winners boast a strong record against Atletico over the years in Europe, most notably beating them in the 2014 and 2016 finals. Both teams have been paired on five occasions in the history of the competition and Real have emerged triumphant every time.

“The motivation and the pressure will be very high,” Ancelotti told a reporters on Tuesday.

“We’re doing well, motivated like always in (the Champions League), it’s a hard game and we know it.

“We have the confidence to continue in this competition, which is a very special one.

“It will be an even game, decided by small details, that’s how (facing Atletico) has always been and it will be the same tomorrow.”

The Italian coach said if the tie comes down to a penalty shoot-out, his team’s mental strength will be more important than their technical ability.

“I’ve had players who shoot penalties very well but they didn’t have the right feeling going into a shoot-out,” explained Ancelotti.

“The mental aspect is more important than the technical side... I’ve won Champions Leagues with defenders who scored penalties.”

Ancelotti, who led AC Milan to glory as a coach in 2003 and 2007, before lifting the competition with Real Madrid in 2014, 2022 and 2024, also said he did not mind if one of his players does not want to take a spot kick.

“It’s not bad if someone says they don’t want to take one -- you have to take the responsibility when you’re feeling right,” he added.

Last season Atletico Madrid fought back in the last 16 to beat Inter Milan on penalties after losing the first leg in Italy.

Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe missed penalties against Liverpool and Athletic Bilbao towards the end of 2024 during moments of low confidence, but has hit form since. However he failed to score in the first leg against Atletico on a quiet night for the French superstar and came in for criticism.

“Kylian wants to score in, and win, every game,” said his compatriot, Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.

“It’s wild to hear (people say) he has had difficult days because he didn’t score in a couple of games, if he scores tomorrow, everyone will say he’s an incredible player.

“Kylian doesn’t need advice from anyone, he’s happy, he’s scored a lot of goals and he will score a lot more.”

Arsenal will keep fighting: Mikel Arteta said Arsenal are focused on “fighting to win every game” even though their Premier League dream appears to be over as they eye the next round of the Champions League. The second-placed Gunners trail Premier League leaders Liverpool by 15 points after Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Manchester United extended their winless league run to three matches.

It is a crushing disappointment for Arsenal, who have finished as runners-up to Manchester City for the past two seasons.

Arsenal, who have one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals after their 7-1 first-leg away win over PSV Eindhoven last week, host the Dutch side at the Emirates in Wednesday’s reverse fixture.

“We are going to carry on fighting to win every game,” Spanish coach Arteta said at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

“There are the demands we put on ourselves in every competition. We are very much conscious that the demands for this football club are to reach the highest level and to win football matches.

“There’s always improvement. We have talked about what we can do better, it’s about execution. My job is to give the players as many tools so we can deliver again.”

Despite missing injured forwards Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz, Arsenal had six different scorers in their crushing victory over PSV.

The Gunners, who have never won the Champions League, will face the winners of the tie between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in the next round should they advance, as expected, on Wednesday.

“It’s a competition that we have a lot of enthusiasm for. We have been very consistent and tomorrow can put us in an exciting position,” Arteta said.

Agencies