Real Madrid boss refusing to surrender to Barcelona in La Liga title race – ‘Not impossible’ | OneFootball

Real Madrid’s narrow 3-2 victory over Celta Vigo might have kept their La Liga hopes flickering, but Barcelona remain firmly in control heading into El Clasico.

While Carlo Ancelotti’s side trimmed the gap to four points, the pressure is now fully on them to chase, while Barça can afford to manage the run-in with composure and confidence.

After the Celta match, Ancelotti admitted that Sunday’s Clasico at Montjuïc is “almost a decisive match,” and while his comments were optimistic, there was a quiet sense of desperation behind them.

“We’re going to have a great opportunity. We have to prepare well,” he said, clearly aware that anything less than a win against Barcelona could all but end their title ambitions.

Barcelona will still be in control

Even if Madrid manage to pull off a victory in Barcelona, they would still remain behind by a point. As Ancelotti rightly pointed out, “If we win, we’re at a disadvantage by one point, but we will have more opportunities if we’re able to win.”

Carlo Ancelotti is not giving up yet. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

It must be noted that the last meeting between the two sides, during the Copa del Rey final, saw Barcelona dominate large portions of the match.

However, the Italian manager tried to play down the difficulty of winning at Montjuïc, claiming, “it’s not impossible,” and referencing how close they were to winning last week.

“We played a week ago (in the Copa del Rey final), and it was competitive. We were close to winning. There’s no need to make things up.

“The game has to be serious, very important, and we’re going to approach it and try. Despite everything, we can fight for this match. It’s a beautiful thing,” he commented.

With players like Pedri, Raphinha and Lamine Yamak back in rhythm, Barça have everything working in their favour — momentum, depth, and the cushion of a lead. Ancelotti might be hopeful, but hope does not win titles.

The Clasico might be hyped as a make-or-break moment for Real Madrid, but for Barcelona, it is an opportunity to put the final nail in their rivals’ title dreams, and with the way the Blaugrana are playing, it is hard to see them slipping.

Source: AS