Ancelotti: “Thibaut Courtois is fine, he will play on Saturday after a long time”

Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the media before Real Madrid’s match against Cádiz this Saturday. He spoke about Thibaut Courtois and confirmed when he will play again. He said, “Yeah, okay. Tomorrow he will play after a long time. It is good news that he is back, just like Militao. He can contribute, that’s fine, he’s very excited. We are delighted that he has returned.”

Ancelotti on Cádiz on Saturday

“The objective is very clear: add three points to get closer to winning this competition. We only think about achieving our objective against a team that is fighting to avoid relegation, that arrives at the Bernabéu with desire and enthusiasm.”

Ancelotti on possible title celebrations

“No, we haven’t thought about anything because we haven’t won anything yet. We will think about the celebrations of the day that we are mathematically sure of. Still, we are not. The goal is three points.”

Ancelotti on whether he would play in the UCL final if Real Madrid qualify

“The final we have in mind is Wednesday against Bayern Munich, where Lunin will play. Then we’ll see.”

Ancelotti on the improvements in the first leg

“We put Rodrygo on the left and Vinicius on the right. Rodrygo scored against City and Vinicius against Bayern. It went very well, we have to adjust things. In general, defensively, against Bayern we have to improve.”

Ancelotti, with only two defeats all season

“It has never happened to me to have only two defeats. We want to continue with this streak. The staff has done very well, with a lot of commitment. Everyone has contributed a lot, from those who have played the most to those who have played the least. We arrived at the final stage very excited, eager to win titles.”

The improvements that can be made defensively

“I’m not talking about individualities. In my opinion, the team was too passive against Bayern. We have to be more active. Militão will play tomorrow to gain rhythm.”

Ancelotti on Jude Bellingham

“Bellingham has simply had an intestinal virus that has not given him a 100% chance of recovering. Now he is very well, he will do very well as always.”

Ancelotti on Vinicius Jr.

“He is a player who progresses very quickly due to his attitude, his work and his quality. He is really a very important player for us.”

Ancelotti on the decision to put Rodrygo on the left

“Placing Rodrygo on the left wing is offensive, not defensive. It was just to try to create more damage to the rival defense. It is not a final decision, it can change. It is effective in every position I put it in. For Him it doesn’t change much.”

Ancelotti on Güler

“Yes, it will start tomorrow.”

Ancelotti in this squad compared to his previous teams

“It is difficult to compare one template with another. I see in this squad an extraordinary collective commitment.”

Ancelotti on Kroos’ contractual situation

“Let him make the best decision for him.”

Ancelotti on how they celebrated the title against Espanyol in 2022

“We are aware that it is different. When we played against Espanyol it was in our hands, now it’s not. We are missing four points. This is what we have in mind, this is the reason why we do not want to talk about celebration.”

Ancelotti on the difference between an anterior cruciate ligament injury in a field player and a goalkeeper

“What does this mean? (Laughs). You want to ask if Courtois can reach a hypothetical final, right? We only think about the final we have on Wednesday. We don’t think about what could happen in a month. We’ll see. Hopefully we can think about it, it will mean that we will reach the final in London.

“The injury is similar, but the readings are different. Defenders have different circumstances than a goalkeeper. You can adapt one before and one after. On a physical level they feel well, they have been medically discharged. Then we have to evaluate the situations.”