REAL MADRID
Carlo Ancelotti’s plan for Real Madrid before El Clásico
The Italian coach wants to add the 15 points to the board before hosting Barcelona on matchday 32.
“The sooner we get close to 80 points, the closer we are to winning the league. It doesn’t mean you win it, but you’re close,” said Carlo Ancelotti in the run-up to the game against Sevilla. Real Madrid lead the way in LaLiga and are six points ahead of Girona, eight ahead of Barcelona and 13 ahead of Atlético Madrid.
Facing Barcelona
Los Blancos must at least maintain their lead before hosting Barcelona on the weekend of 20-21 April. That will be matchday 32, six games before the end of the campaign. By then, Ancelotti wants to see his side focused on the Champions League (provided they get past RB Leipzig in their round of 16 tie). The quarter-final first leg takes place on 9-10 April, and the return leg is on 16-17 April, five days before Madrid face Barcelona.
Madrid currently have 65 points. To reach those 80 points, they need 15 points, which is the number of points they will have to play for before facing Xavi’s side. They start against Valencia this Saturday, and then host Celta, who are playing for survival. Their third opponent is Osasuna at El Sadar. They then host Athletic at the Bernabéu after the international break, before visiting Mallorca, where they face the current Copa del Rey finalists (14-15 April). The following week will see Barcelona visit the Bernabéu. By then, Ancelotti wants his team to maintain or have further distanced themselves from their pursuers.
| NEXT RIVALS | STADIUMS |
|---|---|
| Valencia | Mestalla |
| Celta | Santiago Bernabéu |
| Osasuna | El Sadar |
| Athletic | Santiago Bernabéu |
| Mallorca | Son Moix |
In 26 league games, Real Madrid have only lost once (against Atlético Madrid on matchday six), with 20 wins and five draws. They have scored 54 goals and conceded just 16 - the fewest goals conceded on matchday 26 in the history of La Liga. In the last 13 matchdays of the last four seasons in which Los Blancos have won the league title, they have won 10 of those last 13 games. And that’s despite the fact that the coach from Reggiolo has had to change his teams in line with the injuries, absentees and suspensions over the almost eight months of competition. Ancelotti, who when he wants to be clear does not hold anything back, has a plan: to win the next five games. Then he would have his 80 points in the bag... and the league title a little closer.