Carlo Ancelotti has said that winning the League will be ‘very difficult’ if Real Madrid don’t be Real Sociedad today.
Los Blancos travel to Anoeta in third place in the table, three points behind leaders Atletico Madrid, who play Villarreal.
Atletico kick-off at 3pm at Vicente Calderon and could be six points clear of their city rivals by the time the game in San Sebastian gets underway.
Ancelotti has told a pre-match Press conference that this is a pivotal game in his side’s title challenge.
“We know [La Real] is a very tough opponent who are playing well at home,” the Coach said.
“We need to be at our optimum because it is a very important game.
“We have to win because I think we still have options to win [the League] but we have to beat this team. They are very strong at home and we have to do better than in recent games.
“I believe the League will be very difficult if we don’t win. That’s why the goal is to win and we’ll do our utmost to achieve that.
“It will be a tough game. We have to play with intensity and give 100% physically and mentally and play as a team.
“We know La Real is a very dangerous opponent and we have to be very careful.
“We won’t change the structure of the team but I think Carlos Vela is a very important player for La Real. He’s fast and he’s smart, like the rest of their forwards.”
Ancelotti, who also confirmed Cristiano Ronaldo will miss the tie, added that Sami Khedira is around two weeks away from returning to action.
The Italian touched on the other injuries in the squad, to Jese and Alvaro Arbeloa, and said the gruelling schedule Madrid have had has taken its toll.
“The calendar isn’t impossible but it’s very difficult to solve,” Ancelotti continued.
“Compare it with the German teams, who have a break in the very important winter period, and arrive in February or March fresher than other teams.
“It’s not easy to fix this calendar. In January we played nine games. It’s not only Real Madrid but many more teams.
“It’s a miracle that Spain has five representatives in Europe. It’s not easy with the schedule we have and injuries are quite normal.”
