MY ACCOUNT
Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti jokingly questioned whether his Paris Saint-Germain counterpart Mauricio Pochettino was telling the truth when the Argentine claimed Kylian Mbappe will “100 per cent” be in Paris next season.
Mbappe is out of contract at the Parc des Princes at the end of the campaign and has been strongly linked with a move to Madrid.
Ancelotti was asked at a media conference on Friday ahead of Los Blancos’ LaLiga clash with Espanyol what he made of Pochettino’s comments a day prior.
“Pochettino said Mbappe will 100 per cent stay? Sometimes coaches at a press conference cannot tell the whole truth,” he said, laughing.
“I think all the Madridistas are thinking about LaLiga and the Champions League right now. Only about that.”
Madrid could clinch the title when they host Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, needing just a point to win what will be the 35th LaLiga triumph in the club’s illustrious history.
Ancelotti would not confirm if Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr will play any part, but did say he would not risk any player who needs a rest ahead of next week’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Manchester City.
“I think that Benzema and Vinicius can rest, but I am in favour of the fact that if they are well, they have to play,” he said.
“If someone needs rest, I will give it to them, but not because the game is easy. If there is a risk of injury, they rest.”
The former PSG and Chelsea boss did admit he will have a selection headache in defence for the game, with none of David Alaba, Eder Militao or Nacho available.
“We have problems in defense. I have to put [Jesus] Vallejo, who has played very little. We have to choose another central defender, which could be Casemiro.
“In midfield I have options, with fresh players like [Eduardo] Camavinga and [Dani] Ceballos. [Marco] Asensio is up there fresh and then let’s see if Karim is fresh tomorrow. I have to prevent any tired player from getting injured.”
Although Alaba will not be available, Ancelotti did not rule him out of returning for the match against Man City, which the English side lead 4-3 from the first leg.
“Alaba is not going to be here tomorrow. We’ll see on Wednesday,” he added.
