Ancelotti: Madrid ready for Barca

Carlo Ancelotti has said Real Madrid are ready for their next La Liga fixture – against Barcelona on March 23.

The Madrid Coach was speaking after his side beat Malaga 1-0 on Saturday, a result that didn’t come easy, he told a post-match Press conference.

“It wasn’t spectacular but there were other positive things to take from this,” Ancelotti said. “

“We were poor in delivering the final pass but even so, we managed to create several chances.

“We also have to give credit to Malaga, who worked hard.

“It was a difficult game for us because Malaga put us under a lot of pressure. You can’t always win 2-0 or 3-0. We worked hard and I’m happy.

“We had a chance to score a second goal but we were unlucky. You always suffer when you only have a one-goal lead.

“It wasn’t a great performance in terms of our football but it was as far as our defending and attitude was concerned. It’s a good result and an important one.”

Ancelotti lost Karim Benzema during the game but didn’t reveal much regarding the extent of the striker’s injury past the tactical implications on the Malaga match.

“He took a knock to his thigh and couldn’t continue,” Ancelotti said.

“Isco did well on the left side of midfield and gave the team balance.

“Later, we switched him to a different position because of what happened to Benzema. He can play there too without any problems.”

Ancelotti added that from what he saw, Madrid are in good shape for a potentially crucial Clasico meeting.

“We showed great attitude and we’re ready to meet Barcelona,” the Italian insisted.

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