Ancelotti sees Real Madrid’s sextuple chances as “difficult but we’ll try”

Carlo Ancelotti attended the media in Helsinki to look ahead to Wednesday’s European Super Cup between his Real Madrid side and Eintracht Frankfurt - an opportunity for both clubs to pick up their first piece of silverware of the new season.

Could Eintracht’s 1-6 defeat to Bayern be deceptive?

“I didn’t watch the game but we are not going to be tricked by the result. Eintracht had a brilliant Europa League campaign, they deserved to win it because they played well. They are a very dynamic, intense side; to beat them, we will need to fight and play well, but we are capable of both of those things. The pre-season has been good and we are going into the game full of confidence. The buzz after winning the Champions League is still there and we want to prolong it”.

Do you think it’s possible to win the sextuple?

“It’s possible. We are going to fight with everything we have in all of the competitions we are in, I am in no doubt about that; but winning them is much more complicated. I don’t know if we’ll manage to do that, because it is incredibly difficult, but we have a very good squad and I have an enormous amount of faith in it. It has improved compared to last season’s. We are going to compete and fight”.

How much would it mean to you to win another trophy?

“We have the chance to win another trophy and winning is always special. I don’t look at the statistics, there are not important; what matters is that my players enjoy themselves”.

Is the current squad better than last season’s?

“The two new signings mean that we have improved in terms of physical quality and technique. That’s all. The alchemy between veteran players and the younger ones was one of the keys to our successes last season and we could take that one step forward this season, because we used to being together. Rüdiger and Tchouameni have brought quality and physical strength”.

Does Benzema need a substitute who can cover for him?

“We have Benzema, Mariano, Hazard, Rodrygo, Vinicius, Asensio... a lot of forwards. Obviously, when you are without the best striker in the world, that affects you. Substituting Benzema is impossible, there is no one in the world who can do that. If he gets a cold, we’ll make do!”

Is this Super Cup final a reward for the players who delivered the 14th European crown?

“It’s the fruit of having won it. The merit is down to a lot of people, bit just the eleven who were in the team. Although tomorrow, the XI who played the final in Paris will start. I’ve got one doubt... maybe two... or three... (laughs). The two players who are sat next to me now (Modric and Benzema)... can play of they want to!”