Winning the FIFA Club World Cup would complete an unforgettable 12 months for Real Madrid, admits boss Carlo Ancelotti.
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The Spanish giants have already won the Copa del Rey and the Champions League in 2014, and they are also heading into today’s semi-final against Mexicans Cruz Azul on the back of a 20-game winning run – closing in on the all-time
world record of 24, achieved by Brazilian club Coritiba in 2011.
“The year is not over yet and now we have the Club World Cup, which is very important,” said Ancelotti.
“All the teams have done a great job to get here and winning it would bring to an end a memorable year.”
The tournament is being staged in Morocco and today’s game was initially due to take place in Rabat, but the terrible condition
of the pitch when Cruz Azul overcame Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday has led to the tie being switched to Marrakech.
Ancelotti will be fielding his strongest possible starting XI, with Sami Khedira and James Rodriguez ruled out through injury
but expected to be fit in time for Saturday’s final if the Spanish side progress.
One player certain to play is longserving central defender Sergio Ramos, who has been at the centre of conflicting reports over his contract with some claiming president Florentino Perez is only prepared to offer him reduced wages while others insist a deal is imminent.
Ancelotti tried to play down the controversy, confidently asserting that Ramos will stay with the club.
“I don’t have to say anything, because I know the club wants to renew and I know he wants to stay.”
Although today’s opponents Cruz Azul, who qualified for the tournament by winning the CONCACAF Champions League in April, are a somewhat unknown quantity to Ancelotti, the Italian boss insisted he will not be taking them lightly.
“They are a Mexican team with a lot of experience,” he said. “I know the style of their play. They play good football and make the most of their strengths – we will have to play a good game.”
And Ancelotti attempted to dispel the widespread notion that his team’s triumph in the tournament is a foregone conclusion, adding: “Everyone here is a champion.”
