Carlo Ancelotti has warned that Real Madrid must improve in defence if they are to overcome Juventus in the Champions League semi-final.
The teams meet in their first leg clash in Turin on Tuesday and the Madrid boss also revealed that he has decided on his starting line-up for the game, although he declined to give any clues.
“We’ll need to attack so we can obtain a decent result but more importantly we need to defend much better than we’ve been doing lately,” the Italian told a Press conference.
“However, I’ve ruled out playing with three central defenders. We only did it for 10 minutes against Celta Vigo and for the last five minutes against Sevilla.
“I’ve already decided on my team but I can’t disclose anything. I think this is going to be an even tie but Juventus are different to [quarter-final opponents] Atletico Madrid.
“They have other characteristics and I’m expecting a different type of game because Juve are a team that likes to have possession of the ball.”
Ancelotti also spoke about Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez’s impressive recent form and commented on Gareth Bale, who returned to action after injury in the weekend win at Sevilla.
“It’s not a problem for us when Chicharito is playing as he is because he’s really helped us a lot. He was ready when I called him into the side and he’ll continue to help the team because he’s an important player.
“He can either start the game or come on later without any difficulty. He’s in a great run of form and we all have to enjoy it.
“As for Bale, he is perfectly fit. He had a minor injury and we’ve given him time to make sure he gets back to full fitness.
“He’s been preparing well and we gave him 30 minutes against Sevilla and he looked fresh.”
