Carlo Ancelotti claimed referee Mario Melero Lopez invented a decision to award Girona a penalty after Real Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw.

Los Blancos moved back above Barcelona to the top of the table but dropped points for only the second time in LaLiga this season.

Vinicius Junior put the champions in front in the 70th minute at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, but Cristhian Stuani equalised from the spot 10 minutes later.

Referee Melero Lopez adjudged Marco Asensio handled in the box after a VAR check and there was more late drama, with Rodrygo having a goal disallowed as Paulo Gazzaniga was deemed to have had control of the ball with one hand when the forward poked it into the back of the net.

Toni Kroos was then sent off for the first time in his club career in stoppage time as Madrid slipped up, but Ancelotti felt they were hard done by.

The Madrid head coach said: "I never like to talk about the referees, but today I am going to. I have spoken with Asensio and it is very clear that he does not touch the ball with his hand, it hits him in the chest.

"It is true that the position of his left hand is a little strange, but it covered the body, it did not make it bigger. There may be doubt if he touches it, but he simply did not touch the ball with his hand. This penalty is an invention."

Ancelotti conceded Madrid fell short of the standards he expects after they slipped up on the back of a Champions League defeat at RB Leipzig.

The Italian expects a response when they face Celtic on Wednesday, when the holders can secure top spot in Group F.

He said: "We're not at the level we were last week, we've had some problems, with the return of injured players, Rodrygo, [Luka] Modric, [Aurelien] Tchouameni.

"We're playing a lot of games and we're feeling tired. they have affected us a lot. We have the opportunity on Wednesday to be first and the goal is to be leaders at the break. At the moment we have everything in hand."

Real Madrid will once again be without Karim Benzema when they face Girona on Sunday and Rodrygo is also an injury doubt.

Captain Benzema trained on Friday, but the Ballon d'Or winner is still being troubled by muscular fatigue in his left leg.

Los Blancos head coach Ancelotti on Saturday revealed his star striker has undergone tests, which came back all clear.

But Madrid will not take any risks with the France international's fitness, while forward Rodrygo may also miss the LaLiga clash with Girona at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Ancelotti said of Benzema: "Yesterday he trained, after that he wasn't feeling very well. We had some tests and everything was fine, but we just want to be careful.

"The tests were quite positive, there was no problem at all, but he isn't feeling 100 per cent, so we are going to remain calm with him."

Rodrygo did not train on Saturday due to an unspecified injury and his fitness will be assessed on the day of the game.

Luka Modric, Federico Valverde and Dani Ceballos are set to return for the league leaders.

Madrid were beaten 3-2 by RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Tuesday and Ancelotti expects a response from his players.

The Italian said: "I think the team learned [from the loss to Leipzig] that we need to prep for every game as if it's the most important of the season.

"Sometimes when you play every three days you need to recover physically and it is not easy to always stay motivated."

Carlo Ancelotti acknowledged "sooner or later" Real Madrid had to lose but Thibaut Courtois lamented Los Blancos' defensive concentration after a 3-2 defeat at RB Leipzig.

Madrid were without the injured Federico Valverde, Karim Benzema and Luka Modric and fell two goals behind after strikes from Josko Gvardiol and Christopher Nkunku on Tuesday.

That marked the first time Madrid conceded twice in the first 20 minutes of a Champions League in a group stage match and just the fourth time in the competition in total.

Vinicius Junior pulled one back and Rodrygo scored a late consolation, but Timo Werner's strike inflicted a fourth Champions League defeat on Madrid in 2022, only in 2001 (five) have they suffered more.

However, Ancelotti refused to criticise Los Blancos – who sit top of LaLiga and remain favourites to win Group F – as he suggested a defeat was expected at some point.

"I'm not angry. It's a defeat, annoying, but it doesn't do much damage," the Madrid coach told Movistar. "Sooner or later it had to happen. Go on, you can't look back.

"I can't criticise a team that has done very well. From defeats, you learn more than ten wins in a row. We are very forceful at set-pieces, but we were not tonight."

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was far less forgiving in his assessment, lamenting Ancelotti's visitors for failing to defend two early set-pieces that brought goals for Gvardiol and Nkunku.

"It is what sometimes happens to us. We went out asleep, without intensity and you pay for it," the Belgium international added to Movistar. "The coach warned us and it still happened.

"We can't go out like that. We put in before the break. But in the second half the same, we missed a lot of passes.

"As a goalkeeper, you are noticing that we are not in the game. In many duels, we did not win. That happens in both goals, due to lack of intensity. We have to wake up.

"A bad day can happen but intensity cannot be missing. There are many on the bench and if you can't do it any more, you can't do it any more."

Madrid host Celtic on the final matchday and only have to match Leipzig's result at Shakhtar Donetsk to progress to the knockout stages as group winners.

Carlo Ancelotti insists his Real Madrid players are not playing in fear of injuries before the World Cup, as Luka Modric and Karim Benzema were ruled out of their Champions League trip to RB Leipzig. 

Having established a four-point lead over Leipzig at the summit of Group F, Madrid can secure top spot with a game to spare by avoiding defeat against the Bundesliga outfit on Tuesday.

However, Madrid's efforts to do so could be hampered by the absences of Modric and Benzema, while in-form midfielder Federico Valverde has joined the duo on the sidelines after suffering a knock in Saturday's win over Sevilla.

All three players are set to feature when the World Cup begins in less than a month's time, but Ancelotti does not feel the tournament is impacting players' thoughts.

"I don't think they think about it. It is better to enter the World Cup well, with continuity," Ancelotti said at his pre-match news conference.

"They are small things, and we don't want to risk them at an important moment. It is better to lose Modric and Karim for one day than for a month.

"Injuries exist in football. If you don't want to get injured, stay on the couch. I tell my players that. 

"Nothing can be done. I don't think the players are worried about this. If anyone is afraid of training, I tell them to stay home; there are many good series and movies."

With Madrid also topping LaLiga after winning 10 of their first 11 games, Ancelotti believes the timing of the World Cup may benefit his side following a manic stretch of fixtures.

"It is a very intense period, with many games, too many," Ancelotti added. "We are holding it well. 

"We have some problems, which is normal when you play every three days. The World Cup comes at the right time."

Madrid's injury concerns could mean several fringe players get an opportunity to impress in Germany, including Marco Asensio, who recently said he was unhappy with his lack of minutes.

Ancelotti remains pleased with Asensio's application and is committed to discussing his future during the World Cup break.

"The club knows very well what I think, and so does Asensio. Soon there is a long break, and it is time to talk about this issue," Ancelotti said.

"Until the first phase is over, I don't think we should talk about this issue.

"What I ask of those who play less is that they be serious, professional and endure the difficult moments.

"That's what Asensio and the rest who play less do. Tomorrow we have casualties and their contribution can increase."

Federico Valverde will miss Real Madrid's Champions League game at RB Leipzig on Tuesday, joining Karim Benzema in being ruled out of the trip to Germany.

Uruguayan midfielder Valverde has been in revelatory form for Madrid this season and scored his seventh goal of the campaign in Saturday's 3-1 win against Sevilla.

However, he took a heavy knock late in that game after being clattered by Papu Gomez, who was booked, and that blow has counted Valverde out of head coach Carlo Ancelotti's midweek plans.

Ballon d'Or winner Benzema was already expected to miss the Leipzig fixture, having been absent against Sevilla due to muscular fatigue in his left leg, and that was confirmed as Madrid announced their travelling squad.

Neither Valverde nor Benzema is expected to be sidelined for long, with reports in Spain indicating both could come back into contention for next Sunday's LaLiga game against Girona.

Madrid have already made sure of a place in the knockout stages of the Champions League, and they will be confirmed as winners of Group F if they avoid defeat at second-placed Leipzig, who sit four points behind Ancelotti's defending champions.

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti believes the current Real Madrid squad may be the best that he has ever coached.

Lucas Vazquez and Federico Valverde scored in the final 15 minutes to propel Los Blancos to a 3-1 victory over Sevilla, which opened up a six-point lead over Barcelona – who face Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.

Victory at Santiago Bernabeu was Madrid's ninth in 10 LaLiga matches this season, with Ancelotti's side yet to taste defeat across all competitions – only being held twice overall, against Osasuna and Shakhtar Donetsk.

The valiant late surge left Ancelotti, who has won the Champions League in two separate stints with the club, to declare that the current crop of players may well be the best he has ever overseen in his career.

"I don't know if it's the most reliable of my career, but it's a team I like coaching," he said in the post-match press conference.

"It's a team that doesn't give me problems, that is respectful. And as a quality, it's one of the best I've ever had, if not the best."

Victory against Sevilla came alongside a shuffling of the deck as Ancelotti balanced Madrid's frantic schedule ahead of the World Cup in Qatar next month and he praised the performance of those that were brought in.

"These are resources that we have on the bench. The squad is healthy when those who play less enter the field and do very well," he added.

"We have to endure this stretch of the season, we need to continue suffering and win games."

Valverde picked up a knock in the game while Karim Benzema was not part of the matchday squad after a niggle in training, though the Italian coach was not concerned by either issue.

"Karim is very important for us and he will be more important in the second leg of the season. We're not worried, because it's a very small thing," he said.

"Valverde has a blow to the leg, it bothers him a little, we have to see him. I don't know if he's going to be able to recover. Benzema, I think will be back on Sunday."

Carlo Ancelotti's late substitutions paid off as Real Madrid secured a 3-1 LaLiga win over Sevilla on Saturday.

It had initially been a tale of two former Tottenham players as Luka Modric gave Madrid a quick lead on a wet night at the Santiago Bernabeu, before Erik Lamela equalised early in the second half.

Ancelotti's changes made all the difference though, as Lucas Vazquez restored the champions’ advantage just after coming on, with fellow substitute Marco Asensio involved in the build-up, before he also laid on an assist for Federico Valverde to seal victory.

The champions showed they could cope without Karim Benzema, who paraded his Ballon d’Or trophy on the pitch but was only a spectator due to muscular fatigue, as they moved six points clear of Barcelona at the top of the table.

Former Brazil forward Ronaldo admits he would "love" to see Pep Guardiola or Carlo Ancelotti take the reins of the Selecao, stating it would be a "historic" move.

With the Qatar 2022 World Cup set to start next month, Tite's side are bidding to break a two-decade European hold on the sport's greatest prize, led by talents such as Neymar, Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo.

But regardless of their ultimate tournament performance, the 61-year-old's tenure in charge could well be coming to an end, with pundits floating the Manchester City and Real Madrid bosses as potential successors.

In a country where the national team has always been led by a native, there is significant pushback to the suggestion of an outsider - but Ronaldo believes it could prove a watershed moment for the Selecao.

"I would love it," Brazil great Ronaldo told The Guardian. "A European not just with the Brazilian national team but the entire Brazilian football industry.

"A Pep or an Ancelotti could be historic, it could change our history for 100 years."

Brazil last won the World Cup at Korea-Japan 2002, and entered the 2014 edition - which they hosted - as home favourites, before a stunning 7-1 semi-final collapse against Germany.

As a squad headlined by Neymar - who is closing in on Pele's Selecao goalscoring record - prepares for their latest tilt however, Ronaldo sees no reason why they cannot break their barren run this time around.

"There's been a European dominance," he acknowledged. "France, Spain and Germany are always there. England produced a great Euros [campaign].

"But Argentina have gone 35 unbeaten. Brazil look very good, although that doesn’t count for anything.

"In Brazil, we want to win. Let's see what Tite does. He has options up front, very good ones.

"Vinícius has to start – he would start in any team in the world. On the right, Raphinha is playing incredibly, but we have Rodrygo, who would get in anywhere. Then there's Neymar. He's got the desire."

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti believes Toni Kroos will extend his stay at the club beyond his current contract.

Kroos has been a core part of Los Blancos' success in the past eight years, lifting the LaLiga title on three occasions and clinching victory in the Champions League four times – including last season.

Now 32, and with fellow midfielder Luka Modric also in his twilight years, Madrid have looked to the future with the signings of Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga, but Kroos remains crucial for Ancelotti's side.

The Germany international has started seven of Madrid's 10 LaLiga matches this season and, while his current deal is set to expire at the end of the campaign, Ancelotti expects him to stay at the Santiago Bernabeu.

"I've talked to him, he's very calm. He's going to think about it after the World Cup, in January or February. I think he's going to continue," he said in Friday's press conference ahead of the clash against Sevilla.

"His level is better than last year, he had physical problems at the beginning and then he did very well. He's at a very high level."

Kroos is set to represent Germany at the World Cup in Qatar, which begins next month, where Ancelotti expects to see matches played with a higher level of intensity compared to the usual post-season tournament.

"I think this part of the season helps, you can see a World Cup with much more intensity, they will reach the top," he added.

"In the previous ones they arrive exhausted to play the World Cup. Now they will arrive with a lot of energy."

Federico Valverde has joked he does not want to be responsible for Carlo Ancelotti's retirement, after the Real Madrid head coach issued him with a 10-goal target for the season.

The Uruguayan is already well on the way to that landmark after opening the scoring in the 3-0 win against Elche to take his tally for the campaign to six across all competitions, with the win marking Madrid's ninth in 10 LaLiga matches.

That goal sees Valverde equal the tally he had achieved in his first 148 matches for Los Blancos and Ancelotti is confident he will exceed the double-figure mark this term.

"He has to have that responsibility. We have a bet, I think he will score more than 10 this season," he told DAZN after the match.

"He's a very important player for us. The energy he has is incredible. He has to score 10."

Valverde is determined to hit that landmark and does not want to disappoint Ancelotti, joking that he will not be the reason for the retirement of the Italian coach.

"I'm focused on doing it. It's a nice pressure. I don't want to be to blame for the coach retiring," he told DAZN.

Madrid's victory against Elche came despite seeing three goals, all scored by Karim Benzema, disallowed by VAR for offside, with Valverde acknowledging the "weird" feeling of having an effort chalked off.

"You have to get used to it. It's weird, you celebrate the goal and you think you're comfortable. They cancel one, then another and then another," he added.

Federico Valverde has joked he does not want to be responsible for Carlo Ancelotti's retirement, after the Real Madrid head coach issued him with a 10-goal target for the season.

The Uruguayan is already well on the way to that landmark after opening the scoring in the 3-0 win against Elche to take his tally for the campaign to six across all competitions, with the win marking Madrid's ninth in 10 LaLiga matches.

That goal sees Valverde equal the tally he had achieved in his first 148 matches for Los Blancos and Ancelotti is confident he will exceed the double-figure mark this term.

"He has to have that responsibility. We have a bet, I think he will score more than ten this season," he told DAZN after the match.

"He's a very important player for us. The energy he has is incredible. He has to score ten."

Valverde is determined to hit that landmark and does not want to disappoint Ancelotti, joking that he will not be the reason for the retirement of the Italian coach.

"I'm focused on doing it. It's a nice pressure. I don't want to be to blame for the coach retiring," he told DAZN.

Madrid's victory against Elche came despite seeing three goals, all scored by Karim Benzema, disallowed by VAR for offside, with Valverde acknowledging the "weird" feeling of having an effort chalked off.

"You have to get used to it. It's weird, you celebrate the goal and you think you're comfortable. They cancel one, then another and then another," he added.

Carlo Ancelotti was not put out by Manchester City being named the team of the year in Monday's Ballon d'Or ceremony, saying last season's Champions League glory is proof of Real Madrid's standing.

Madrid finished third in the votes for the team award, despite winning LaLiga and the Champions League last season.

Liverpool finished as runners-up behind City, as they did in the Premier League. The Reds also lost to Madrid in the Champions League final, but won the EFL Cup and FA Cup last term. Indeed, Los Blancos also beat Pep Guardiola's side en route to winning their 14th European crown.

Ancelotti, though, insists Madrid – who won the Super Cup in August and are top of LaLiga after defeating Barcelona in Sunday's Clasico – are still the best.

He said in a press conference: "I don't know the criteria well, because they don't talk about the team. Madrid is the best team and that is why they have won the Champions League.

"I have all the respect for that award. We received the most important award in May."

Madrid did enjoy success on Monday, though, with Karim Benzema taking home the main individual prize after his stunning season in 2021-22, becoming the first French player to do so since Zinedine Zidane in 1998.

Benzema, 34, led Madrid to their success, which came somewhat against the odds – at least in the Champions League.

However, when asked if had been surprised by his achievements since re-joining Madrid from Everton last year, Ancelotti replied: "No, I don't think so. What we have achieved so far has been very good.

"For me it is not so surprising, here you have everything to be successful: history, tradition, competition, quality of the players, atmosphere... At the beginning of last season I had many more doubts than now."

Benzema scored 44 times last season, a tally bettered only by Robert Lewandowski (50) of players in Europe's top-five leagues.

Next on the list after Benzema was Kylian Mbappe, who scored 39 goals for Paris Saint-Germain and appeared all set to join his France team-mate at Madrid until a late change of heart.

Reports last week claimed Mbappe now wanted to leave PSG, though he denied those rumours on Monday. 

Asked if Mbappe would deserve another chance to sign for the club, Ancelotti instead chose to hail the next generation already coming through at the Santiago Bernabeu.

"What is the future? I do not know. On a personal level, I don't know what can happen," he said.

"The future of this club and this team is already written with young players like Vinicius [Junior], Rodrygo, [Aurelien] Tchouameni, [Eduardo] Camavinga, [Federico[ Valverde, [Eder] Militao... who have already written the future of this team.

"The players change, but these players have shown what the future of Real Madrid will be."

Carlo Ancelotti challenged Karim Benzema to launch his bid for back-to-back Ballon d'Or awards when Real Madrid head to Elche in LaLiga on Wednesday.

French striker Benzema captured world football's most prestigious individual annual prize on Monday, finishing ahead of Sadio Mane and Kevin De Bruyne in the podium places.

He was the obviously outstanding candidate after starring – and often captaining – Madrid on their way to LaLiga and Champions League success last season.

The timeframe for the award has changed, shifting from a calendar year gong to one that celebrates achievement from August 1 to July 31.

The new system will continue, so early season efforts in 2022-23 will count towards next year's Ballon d'Or.

Benzema has made a steady start to this campaign, certainly not as eye-catching as Erling Haaland at Manchester City, whose goals could put him in the picture, despite Norway failing to qualify for the World Cup.

Now Ancelotti is urging Benzema to kick on, saying of his prize: "We are very happy. He said that he is very proud of this award and has thanked all his colleagues.

"We have to think about the next Ballon d'Or. He can start tomorrow."

Ancelotti said he felt "proud" of the 34-year-old and also Thibaut Courtois, who landed the prize for the best goalkeeper and finished seventh in the main vote.

Courtois questioned whether a goalkeeper stood any chance of taking the top prize. Lev Yashin, in 1963, is the only keeper to have laid his hands on the trophy.

Speaking after the awards, Courtois said: "It seems that it is better to score a goal than to save one. It is a battle that remains to be won. Seeing the logic of the vote, I had no chance of finishing very high, nor of winning it of course."

At least Courtois could join Benzema in celebrating individual prizes, with Madrid surprisingly pipped to the team award by Premier League champions Manchester City, who Madrid beat in the Champions League semi-finals.

Ancelotti, who will be without the injured Courtois at Elche, saluted Benzema's development into a talisman for the Spanish capital giants.

"He is a player who has much more responsibility and feels much more like a leader than he was eight years ago," said Ancelotti.

"Technically he hasn't changed much, because his technical quality is the same. What has changed is his responsibility and his attitude."

Madrid will hope to follow the individual success with another win on the road, having won all of their five away games so far in LaLiga this term.

They lead LaLiga by three points from Barcelona after winning Sunday's Clasico.

Elche, meanwhile, are winless in their last 12 matches against Madrid in LaLiga (D2 L10), since a 3-1 victory in March 1978.

Carlo Ancelotti heaped praise on Real Madrid for delivering a "complete match" as Los Blancos defeated Barcelona 3-1 in Sunday's Clasico.

Ancelotti's side have now won six of their past seven matches against Barca in all competitions, after goals from Karim Benzema, Federico Valverde and Rodrygo sealed maximum points at Santiago Bernabeu.

Los Blancos subsequently moved three points clear at the summit of LaLiga, while condemning their rivals to a first domestic defeat of the season.

And the Italian was pleased by the confidence and control demonstrated by his players. When asked what was the key to his side's victory, he told DAZN: "Everything. We had to make a complete match, and we did it.

"It is true that the beginning was good, we got ahead quite early and we controlled it well in the second half. We had a lot of confidence, with and without the ball.

"It was clear that [Eder] Militao had to put pressure on [Robert] Lewandowski. We controlled the players well between the lines with [Toni] Kroos and [Aurelien] Tchouameni."

Valverde scored the pick of the goals with his fine 20-yard strike doubling Madrid's lead in the 35th minute, while it was the first Los Blancos had scored at home against Barca from outside the area since Raul did so during the 1998-99 season.

After failing to find the back of the net in LaLiga last season, the Uruguay international has now scored four in nine appearances this term.

"I try to enjoy in each position, to give the maximum in each position," Valverde said. "I know that above, I can contribute with goals and assists, and in the middle with work and energy. I was able to score and I'm very happy.

"We knew it would cost. I think we worked well, we knew how to defend and suffer, and in attack, we came out quickly."

Xavi brought Jules Kounde straight back into Barcelona's team for Sunday's Clasico clash with Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Kounde, a big-money signing from Sevilla, returned to training earlier this week after recovering from a hamstring issue sustained on international duty with France in September.

His return to the starting XI, which marks his Clasico debut, came at the expense of Gerard Pique, who was culpable for one of Inter's goals in Wednesday's 3-3 draw in the Champions League, which left Barca on the brink of an early exit from the competition.

Frenkie de Jong also came into the team, replacing Gavi, while Marcos Alonso made way for Alejandro Balde at left-back.

Xavi stuck with the same front three that started against Inter, with Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha flanking Robert Lewandowski, the latter two, like Kounde, making their Clasico debuts.

Lewandowski has scored six goals in eight meetings with Real Madrid, all in the Champions League, making him the player who has scored the most goals against Los Blancos in the history of that competition.

Sergio Busquets, meanwhile, will equal Francisco Gento (21 wins) as the player with the most victories in Clasico history in all competitions should Barca win.

Carlo Ancelotti was unable to call on goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who has failed to recover from injury in time to feature for the hosts, so Andriy Lunin retained his place.

Ancelotti was otherwise able to name what many would consider a first-choice XI, spearheaded by Karim Benzema, who has been involved in 20 goals in 38 Clasicos, a record only bettered by Lionel Messi in the 21st century (40).