Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has stated that he is looking forward to the visit of Union Berlin to Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday in their match day one encounter of the 2023/2024 UEFA Champions League season.

The new season started on Tuesday with group stage matches, but the Los Blancos had to wait 24 hours later for the visit of the German Bundesliga club Union Berlin.

Ancelotti, who won the competition with Real Madrid two seasons ago and is one of the few managers to win it as a player and coach and with multiple clubs, including AC Milan, stated that the competition is a special one for him and the club.

“The Champions League is a special competition for us. We’re going to treat tomorrow’s game as something special. We want to get off to a good start in the group stage, and we’re playing at home. Our opponents are a well-organised, strong, and solid side. We will need to play at a high intensity. To advance from the group stage, the round of 16, the quarter-finals… We want to fight until the end. Making it to the quarter-finals is a goal we can achieve. City are favourites because they have a squad that saw them to win it last season, and they haven’t changed much. However, in the Champions League, like always, there are surprises at the end”. Ancelotti said.

The Los Blancos got to the semi-final, losing to eventual champions Manchester City, but Ancelotti believes that his team will fight for the competition till the very end as the Los Blancos are favourites, just as last year’s winners

Real Madrid has started the season in fantastic fashion, getting 100% from all games played in La Liga this season, although they had to come from behind to beat Real Sociedad 2-1 at the weekend thanks to second-half goals from Federico Valverde and Joselu.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu