MADRID: Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti still has doubts about how to set up his defense for the return match against Leipzig in the round of 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday.
Madrid will enter the game at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium defending a 1-0 lead from the first leg in Germany three weeks ago.
Ancelotti didn’t say whether he will improvise again with midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni playing as a central defender or would promote Nacho Fernández to the position.
Tchouaméni has been one of the players who has pitched in defensively because of injuries to the team’s regular defenders.
“I’ve thought about it but I don’t want to give away any hints, I still have some doubts,” Ancelotti said Tuesday. “We played with Tchouaméni and (Antonio) Rüdiger because Nacho hadn’t practiced, he had a small ailment. Now he is available and has the same opportunity to start as the others.”
Madrid chose not to add any central defenders in the winter transfer window, with Ancelotti saying that the players he had were enough despite the many injuries affecting the club.
Nacho is a defender but isn’t a usual starter for Ancelotti. The coach also had to use right back Dani Carvajal as a central defender.
Madrid defender Éder Militão has been out since the season opener because of a serious knee injury and David Alaba tore his ACL in December. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois also has been out since before the season started with a knee ligament injury.
Leipzig’s attack is led by Loïs Openda, a Belgium international who has scored 21 goals — including four in the Champions League — this season.
Madrid are coming off a 2-2 draw at Valencia in the Spanish league. They have a seven-point lead over Girona in the competition.
“Tomorrow we have to show the best version of ourselves,” Ancelotti said. “The tie is not over yet. Talking about the season today is complicated. So far we have done very well but we still have a long way to go.”
Madrid have advanced past the round of 16 the last three seasons, reaching at least the semifinals every time and winning the title in 2022.
Ancelotti has doubts on defense for Real Madrid’s return game against Leipzig in Champions League
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Ancelotti has doubts on defense for Real Madrid’s return game against Leipzig in Champions League
- Tchouaméni has been one of the players who has pitched in defensively because of injuries to the team’s regular defenders
- “I’ve thought about it but I don’t want to give away any hints, I still have some doubts,” Ancelotti said Tuesday
FIFA reports a record of 5,973 international transfers in January window
- That marks a 3 percent increase from the previous year in cross-border deals between clubs
- In women’s soccer, clubs spent more than $10 million on international transfers
ZURICH: A record number of 5,973 international transfers were recorded in the January trading window for men’s soccer, according to a FIFA report released Thursday.
That marks a 3 percent increase from the previous year in cross-border deals between clubs in different countries, where the transactions are processed by FIFA.
However, the total spending was down about 18 percent from last year’s record, to $1.95 billion. That’s still some 20 percent more than the previous record from January 2023, FIFA said.
In women’s soccer, clubs spent more than $10 million on international transfers, up 85 percent from the previous record a year ago, while the number of international transfers was down by 6 percent to 420.
The FIFA research does not include domestic transfers of players between two clubs in the same country.
England tops spending
English clubs were again the biggest spenders with a $363 million outlay on transfer fees and recouped just $150 million by selling players to clubs in other countries. Italy followed in second with $283 million, with Brazil, Germany, and France also making the top five.
French clubs benefited most, earning $218 million in transfer sales, followed by Italy, Brazil, England and Spain.
In the United States, clubs spent $99 million and took in $48 million in transfer fees, according to the FIFA research.
English women’s clubs also topped the spending with over $5 million, and also were the biggest earners.
