Real Madrid News
Man City defender takes dig at Mbappe, praises Messi and Neymar
Real Madrid are all set to square off against Manchester City tomorrow night at the Etihad Stadium in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League knockout playoffs.
Real Madrid go into the game on the back of a 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid in La Liga and their performances this season against big teams has been far from convincing.
As such, Carlo Ancelotti & co. will be up against it when they take on Pep Guardiola’s men, who themselves have performed well below their best this season.
Ruben Dias fires shots at Kylian Mbappe
In the buildup to Tuesday’s match, Manchester City defender Ruben Dias spoke at the press conference along with Pep Guardiola.
During the media interaction, the Portuguese centre-back appeared to take a big swipe at Real Madrid megastar Kylian Mbappe, who will have a huge role to play in tomorrow’s contest.
“I played against Mbappe many times, even when he wasn’t the best player on his team, because Neymar and Messi were there,” noted Dias, talking about Mbappe’s time at PSG.
The Manchester City mainstay was also asked about Real Madrid’s decision to boycott the Ballon d’Or ceremony last year as a protest against Vinicius Jr. not winning the prize. In response, he said:
“I don’t think for a second that it was disrespectful. I was with Rodri and we celebrated it.”
Real Madrid eliminated Manchester City from the Champions League last season, beating them via penalties in the quarterfinals. When asked if they had revenge on their mind heading into tomorrow’s game, Dias responded:
“We know how difficult it is to beat Real Madrid. Last year was frustrating because we dominated the game and lost on penalties.
“We know that the style of play is different and they will make things difficult for us. We have to fight harder than ever because only then will we be able to win.”
Source: Mundo Deportivo
Real Madrid News
Mourinho reacts to Vinicius suspension: “Why announce it two hours before an important match?”
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has questioned the RFEF Disciplinary Committee’s decision to announce Vinicius Jr.’s four-match suspension just hours before their UEFA Champions League meeting with AS Roma on Wednesday.
The Brazilian has been hit with a four-match ban for his red card against Villarreal, meaning he will miss the matches against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander, and Valencia.
And, speaking to Movistar+ (h/t MARCA) before the match, the Real Madrid manager was asked whether the punishment could affect the Brazilian psychologically.
Mourinho instead turned his attention to the football authorities and the timing of their announcement.
“I think that is a question for the Committee. Why have they announced the suspension at this particular moment? If you are asking me this question, it is presumably because you think it could affect him,” the Portuguese coach replied.
“You should ask the Committee why they did not announce it this morning, or tomorrow morning. Why do they do it two hours before a match that is important for Real Madrid, which is a Spanish club?” he added, questioning the timing of the decision.
Mourinho explains his tactical approach against Roma
The Real Madrid manager also outlined his plan for facing a Roma side known for their aggressive pressing.
“My intention is to stop them from pressing us so high up the pitch, given the players we have available and as a precaution,” he said.
Continuing, the Portuguese manager added: “They press man-to-man higher up the pitch better than anyone else, and we will see whether we can take advantage of that. If not, they will have to drop their press five or ten metres.”
Why Rudiger over Huijsen
Mourinho also justified his decision to start Antonio Rudiger at centre-back alongside Ibrahima Konate rather than Dean Huijsen.
“They played very well together in the last match, Rudiger and Konate, showing great leadership and the ability to withstand a difficult situation when we had ten men for 30 minutes,” he said.
“I am not saying Dean is not capable of playing a match like this, but this is a wonderful atmosphere for Roma and a difficult one for us. I think a player with Antonio’s experience can be important,” Mourinho added.
Finally, Mourinho was asked about his emotions ahead of returning to face Roma, the club he managed between 2021 and 2024.
The Portuguese coach offered a brief response, saying that he had his feelings about the occasion “blocked”.
