Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti pointed to the length of time left on his contract when questioned on his future during Saturday afternoon’s press conference.
Los Blancos have lost their last two matches against Valencia and Arsenal in La Liga and the Champions League respectively, and the team are under major pressure to bounce back in Sunday’s league contest with Alaves.
Real Madrid are currently second in the La Liga table, four points behind leaders Barcelona, while they are 3-0 behind to Arsenal after the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
The capital giants can still win three trophies in the latter stages of the season, as they will also face Barcelona in the final of the Copa del Rey at the end of the month, but there has been criticism of the team’s playing style throughout the campaign.
Ancelotti has a contract at Bernabeu until June 2026, but there have been rumours surrounding his future in recent days, with the club thought to be seriously considering making a change this summer.
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Ancelotti: “The contract is quite clear”
When asked about his future during a press conference on Saturday, Ancelotti said: “I should not talk about things about my future, because the contract is quite clear. Whatever it is, it will be discussed at the end of the season. The club always supports me, especially in difficult moments.”
The Real Madrid head coach also said that “everyone is thinking about Wednesday”, when Arsenal will visit Bernabeu for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final, but he refused to play down the importance of the Alaves clash, with Los Blancos bidding to keep themselves in the title picture.
“Everyone is thinking about Wednesday, but everything depends on tomorrow’s performance. Because we are still in the fight for the league. We need to play well and win,” he said.
“Every defeat is always the same: when you lose, it’s a difficult time. You have to think about how to bounce back. You have to concentrate. But, fortunately, football is like that… after a defeat, there comes an opportunity. The team has trained very well and is focused.”
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Ceballos available for Alaves contest
Ancelotti also confirmed a major injury boost for Sunday’s game against Alaves, with Dani Ceballos back in the fold after missing the team’s last nine matches in all competitions with a muscular problem.
The Spaniard had been in excellent form for Los Blancos before his injury, and he will be in contention to start this weekend.
“He’s available for tomorrow and, obviously, for Wednesday,” said the manager.
However, Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal remain long-term absentees for the capital giants due to serious knee injuries, while Ferland Mendy is yet to recover from a muscular problem, with the Frenchman also likely to be missing against Arsenal next week.
