Carlo Ancelotti brushed off concerns Real Madrid’s growing injury crisis will prevent them from making it a perfect five Champions League wins from five when they host his former club Napoli on Wednesday night.
The Italian looks set to be without at least eight players when Los Blancos take on the Serie A champions in their penultimate Group C clash after Luka Modric sustained a thigh issue in the second half of Sunday’s 3-0 La Liga victory at Cadiz.
But Ancelotti, whose side secured qualification for the knockout phase three weeks ago with a 3-0 win over Braga, remains optimistic those fit for the midweek encounter at the Bernabeu will rise to the occasion.
He said at his pre-match press conference: “I really would not want to speak about all these problems that we have and players who are unavailable, because it’s a lack of respect for all those players who will be playing, who are also great professionals and can contribute great things and achieve great results.
“Obviously we didn’t expect something like that to happen, but considering that we have achieved great results. Despite all of these disadvantages, I can tell you that this squad is amazing. We have great strength and depth.”
Goalkeeper Kepa (muscle) stuck to an individual training plan on Tuesday while Arda Guler, Militao, Thibaut Courtois, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Vinicius Junior continue to progress following their respective injuries.
And there may be more bad news for the hosts, with midfielder Brahim still recovering from the intestinal issue that kept him out of Sunday’s squad.
Ancelotti feels Napoli will continue to feed off the freshness of new head coach Walter Mazzarri, who took over from Rudi Garcia earlier this month and oversaw a 2-1 triumph at Atalanta on Saturday.
“I think the fact that they changed the manager will serve as an additional source of motivation for the players,” the Real Madrid boss said. “They already showed that against Atalanta who they beat this weekend.”
Ancelotti, who has recently been linked to Manchester United and the Brazil men’s national team, refused to entertain questions about whether he feels his employer will soon offer him the opportunity to extend his tenure past next summer, when his contract is due to expire.
He said: “I stopped talking about my future quite a while ago and I’m not going to do it this time either.”
City's Shaw, Keating nominated for Barclays Women's Super League Player of the Season
Despite having her impressive run of form cut short due to injury, Jamaica International and Manchester City striker Khadija Shaw did enough prior to the season-ending surgery, and so it comes as no surprise that she is up for the coveted Barclays Women's Super League Player of the Season award.
Shaw, who recently copped the Football Writers' Association (FWA) Women's Footballer of the Year award, is no stranger to accolades, as she was named 2022-23 Player of the Season for Manchester City, and also pocketed a couple Player of the Month prizes since joining the club in 2021.
In fact, it is Shaw's impressive goalscoring exploit that not only propelled her to being the club's all-time leading striker, but also places City at the summit of the WSL standing, heading into their final assignment away to Aston Villa on Saturday May 18. However, their hope of clinching the title remains on edge, as they have played a game more than second-placed Chelsea.
Both Shaw and goalkeeper Khiara Keating, who has also been nominated for Barclays Women’s Super League Player of the Season award, have impressively helped Gareth Taylor’s side relentlessly pursue a second-ever league title with a string of outstanding displays.
Shaw, 27, has scored 22 goals across 25 appearances in all competitions this term – with 21 of those coming in the WSL. She recently became the Club’s all-time leading scorer with 68 goals – which she has since extended to 72 before a foot injury prematurely ended her season.
Meanwhile, Keating has performed beyond her years in the 19-year-old’s breakthrough campaign for Taylor’s team – playing every league minute in 2023/24.
The England youth international has been an integral part of the best defensive record in the division with City conceding only 14 league goals so far this term. What’s more, outstanding is that Keating has maintained nine WSL clean sheets which is the most so far across the competition.
Shaw's unmatched scoring ability, and Keating's shot stopping exploit resulted in both being placed on the short list for prestigious annual honour, alongside Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Grace Clinton (Spurs), Lauren James (Chelsea), Jutta Rantala (Leicester), Elisabeth Terland (Brighton) and Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal).
Terzic calls on Dortmund to maintain focus ahead of Champions League final
Borussia Dortmund will not go easy on Mainz in the Bundesliga on Saturday as they look to maintain their rhythm ahead of the Champions League final, says coach Edin Terzic.
Dortmund are fifth in the Bundesliga with two games remaining, with the performances of German clubs in Europe ensuring that will be enough for Champions League participation next season.
They are also building towards their third appearance in the final of Europe's premier club competition, having overcome Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 on aggregate in the last four.
While all eyes will soon turn to their trip to Wembley Stadium to face Real Madrid on June 1, Terzic is determined that his side maintain their intensity levels, even if he rotates his squad.
"Through this rotation we not only keep the team physically and emotionally fresh but we also give chances to other players," Terzic told reporters on Friday.
"Our season just got a bit longer and we want to keep the rhythm up. It is about what we have built up in the past weeks and us wanting to still achieve something big, and that cannot happen with us shifting down a gear.
"We want to make these weeks the best weeks of the season."
Mainz denied Dortmund the Bundesliga title last season, snatching a 2-2 draw against BVB on the final day as Bayern Munich swooped in to retain their crown.
They are now battling against relegation, but Terzic is not thinking of Saturday's game as a chance for payback.
"They did spoil our summer last year, but they did it fair and square. They had a say last season and did it well," he said. "Now we have the chance to have an influence."
Mainz are in 16th place, currently occupying the relegation play-off spot, five points ahead of 17th-placed Cologne.
More importantly for Terzic, the game marks the start of a three-week build-up towards the Champions League final.
"We celebrated our qualification for the final on the night and now we have to deal with the situation pragmatically," he said.
"Now a new preparation starts for the Champions League final with these remaining two Bundesliga matches."
McGinn focusing on 'astronomical achievement' of Champions League qualification after Aston Villa heartbreak
John McGinn is quickly turning his focus to the "astronomical achievement" of Champions League qualification after Aston Villa suffered heartbreak in the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League.
Villa were among the favourites to lift Europe's third-tier trophy but a 2-0 defeat at Olympiacos on Thursday consigned Unai Emery's men to a 6-2 aggregate loss over the two-leg tie.
It means Villa end what has largely been viewed as an excellent season without a trophy but they can still finish on a high by securing a top-four finish in the Premier League.
They lead fifth-place Tottenham by seven points with two games left in their domestic season, albeit Spurs do have a game in hand.
McGinn apologised to the travelling support in Piraeus but, speaking to TNT Sports after the game, said there is still an opportunity to finish the season on a high.
"We went into this competition as favourites and we handled that pressure throughout the competition, I think it’s been a huge learning curve for us," he said.
"It's not been a smooth journey, we got to the semi-finals down to the bare bones a bit.
"However, those of us who were out there over the two legs, we lost to who were the better team and I think the scoreline proves it."
"Our instant feeling is absolutely gutted. We all wanted to be back here for the final.
"Olympiacos gave it absolutely everything, played out of their skin in both legs, and overall the scoreline proves they were the better team.
"We'll reflect, there's a lot of things we could have done better, but over the season, of course, we can be proud of the journey.
"Obviously, we need to apologise to the supporters who have travelled here, they've travelled the whole campaign with us.
"We wanted to deliver a trophy to them, we all wanted it as players. We’'e all bitterly disappointed, but we need a big push in the last two games to try and get over the line for the Champions League, which would be an astronomical achievement.
"But here, the overriding feeling is disappointment, frustration and an opportunity missed. Congratulations to Olympiacos and we wish them all the best in the final."
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