Real Madrid fans must have been very confident coming into the first leg of their Copa del Rey semis against a Barcelona struggling for form. They had lost two straight and won only once over the previous four matches. On the other hand, Los Blancos’ remarkable 5-2 victory over Liverpool at Anfield was fresh in the memory, even though it was followed by an uninspiring 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid.
The performance against Barcelona left a lot to be desired though. Real Madrid could not register a single shot on target in a 1-0 defeat against a makeshift defence that had Marcos Alonso playing as a centre-back, a player whose defensive abilities had been in question even while playing at left-back.
Yet, it looks like Carlo Ancelotti was satisfied with the team’s performance. And the Italian manager will be looking for the same when the two teams meet at Camp Nou for the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi finals.
As reported by SPORT, Ancelotti said regarding the matter:
"“Today gives me confidence. If we are able to do the same in Barcelona, I think we have a chance to pass.”"
Real Madrid boss makes unexpected claim after losing to Barcelona at Santiago Bernabeu
That is a bit of an unexpected claim to say the least. Especially when you consider the fact that Barcelona had so many key players missing on the day.
They were without Robert Lewandowski, Pedri and Ousmane Dembele while Andreas Christensen was left on the bench. This was a game that Real Madrid were expected to not just win, but by a comfortable margin.
Instead, they have lost at home and have it all to do away at the Camp Nou, when Barcelona are expected to have a stronger squad and will most probably have more momentum on their side as well, than they did on this occasion. Still, we know about this Real Madrid team’s capacity to pull off a comeback and grab victory from the jaws of defeat. So, never count them out.
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