Carlo Ancelotti upbeat after defeat to Barcelona ‘We have to repeat this match at Camp Nou’

Real Madrid will head to Barcelona on the 5th of April knowing they will have to beat Barcelona at Camp Nou in order to reach the final of the Copa del Rey. The Blaugrana edged Real Madrid 1-0 in the first leg on Thursday night, but manager Carlo Ancelotti was relatively positive about the match.

Los Blancos dominated the entire game, holding 65% of the ball and hemming Barcelona into their own half. Speaking to Marca after the match, Ancelotti said the same level of performance at Camp Nou would see them through to the final.

“It was a good game, intense, with a lot of pressure. They have only had 35% possession. We lacked effectiveness in the last third. They were very effective up front. It’s the match we wanted to play, not the result. It gives us confidence for the return. We have to repeat this match at the Camp Nou. The goal comes from an error, from a bad pass.”

Barcelona kept Real Madrid at bay for the entire match, managing to limit them to just a single shot on target.

“If we play like this in the second leg we’ll have more opportunities, I don’t think Barcelona can approach the game like that at home,” Ancelotti continued.

While Real Madrid did manage to dominate the entire game, which is a reason for optimism for Ancelotti, their play in the final third was perhaps equally concerning. Los Blancos were completely shut down by the Barcelona defence, with Vinicius Junior, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema all incapable of slicing through