Coach Carlo Ancelotti made a few adjustments to his starting lineup after defeating Braga 2-1 in the third round of Group C of the Champions League to prepare for El Clasico in round 11 of La Liga this weekend.
Compared to the 1-1 draw at Sevilla in round 10 of La Liga last weekend, Ancelotti changed four starting positions. Luka Modric, Eduardo Camavinga, Francisco Garcia, Nacho replaced Aurelien Tchouameni, Toni Kroos, Ferland Mendy and David Alaba. Mendy and Tchouameni entered the field in the second half while Kroos and Alaba were rested for the entire match.
When asked if this was his preparation for the El Clasico match against Barca in La Liga on October 28, Ancelotti replied: "Yes, and I already have the starting lineup for the match against Barca in my head."
Coach Ancelotti directs Real's 2-1 win over Braga at Braga Municipal Stadium in the third round of Group C of the Champions League on October 24. Photo: realmadrid.com
According to the Italian coach, he only adjusted the personnel against Braga to help players with minor problems to rest, ready for the upcoming Clasico. "It's great because the players who replaced today played well, like Eduardo Camavinga. Now we have more time to prepare and look forward to El Clasico," Ancelotti added.
At Braga Municipal Stadium on October 24, Vinicius shone with two assists to help Real maintain their winning streak in the Champions League. In the 16th minute, the Brazilian striker accelerated down the left wing and crossed for his compatriot Rodrygo to cut in and open the scoring. In the second half, Vinicius passed the ball back to the back line for Jude Bellingham to curl in an unmarked shot into the far corner to double the lead. Vinicius also had a cross for Rodrygo to shoot into an empty net in the 34th minute and a shot himself into the near corner to score against the home team in the 82nd minute, but both were disallowed for offside.
Ancelotti believes Vinicius has found his best form since his hamstring injury at the start of the season and made the difference in Real's crucial away three points. The Italian coach revealed Real used long passes to exploit Vinicius' pace when they saw Braga's defence push up and leave gaps.
The opening goal against Braga helped Rodrygo relieve some of the pressure, as he scored his second goal of the season since the La Liga opener, a 2-0 win over Bilbao, ending a nearly 900-minute drought. Ancelotti said the goal was important and would give Rodrygo more motivation and confidence going forward.
Rodrygo (left) and Bellingham celebrate after the Brazilian striker scored the opening goal in Real's win over Braga at Braga Municipal Stadium in the third round of Group C of the Champions League on October 24. Photo: AS
Bellingham, meanwhile, has scored 11 goals in 12 appearances for Real, at a rate of 0.91 goals per game. In his final 33 appearances for Dortmund, he has also scored 11 goals, at a rate of 0.33. He is the first player to score in his first three Champions League games for Real since Christian Karembeu in 1998. But Bellingham limped off after being replaced by Lucas Vazquez in the 89th minute, raising concerns about an injury. Ancelotti reassured fans that his player is fine, just overworked, and will recover in time for El Clasico on 28 October.
For the ninth time in history, Real have won all three first-leg matches of the Champions League group stage. The royal team has reached the semi-finals five times, in the 2010-2011, 2011-2012, 2013-2014, 2014-2015 and 2022-2023 seasons. They were crowned champions in 2014 when they defeated Atletico 4-1 in the final, also under Ancelotti.
Vinicius - voted best player of the match in Braga - believes Real created many chances and could have won by more if they had taken advantage of them. The Brazilian striker was pleased with Real's three-game winning streak in the Champions League and believes the win over Braga will boost the team's confidence ahead of their trip to Barca this weekend.
Hong Duy
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