Real Madrid will seemingly be with out coach Carlo Ancelotti for the primary leg of the Champions League quarterfinals in opposition to Chelsea due to COVID-19.
Ancelotti examined constructive for the coronavirus final week and didn’t journey to London with the remainder of the squad on Tuesday.
There was a chance he may nonetheless make it for Wednesday’s match if he exams detrimental in time to journey.
Ancelotti had already missed the group’s 2-1 win over Celta Vigo within the Spanish league on Saturday, when assistant coach Davide Ancelotti, his son, was amongst these in cost.
Ancelotti, who had minor signs of COVID-19, is making an attempt to win his second Champions League with Madrid after serving to the membership carry the European trophy in 2014.
Karim Benzema and Ferland Mendy, who returned to motion on Saturday after nursing accidents, practiced usually forward of the journey to England.
Madrid was eradicated by eventual champion Chelsea within the Champions League semifinals final season.
Ancelotti coached Chelsea for 2 years earlier than his first stint with Madrid in 2013. The Spanish membership was coached by Zinedine Zidane in final 12 months’s semifinals.
Ancelotti had been the goal of criticism in Spain after the group’s demoralizing 4-0 loss to Barcelona at dwelling within the Spanish league final month, when his experiments with the squad backfired.
With Benzema out injured, Ancelotti tried to make use of Luka Modric within the false-nine place as a substitute of including one other ahead, however the transfer did not work and Barcelona simply constructed the victory on the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
The hard-fought win in opposition to Celta – with two penalty kicks transformed by Benzema – left Madrid 12 factors forward of Barcelona coming into the ultimate stretch, although the Catalan membership has a recreation in hand.
Ancelotti’s first stint with Madrid ended after criticism he did not rotate his squad sufficient, resulting in accidents to his gamers and to a lack of efficiency towards the top of the season.
Benzema and Toni Kroos have been among the many gamers who missed matches due to accidents lately.
Madrid had gained 5 video games in a row in all competitions earlier than the loss to Barcelona, ​​together with beating Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 within the second leg of the spherical of 16 of the Champions League when Benzema rallied the group with a second-half hat trick after shedding the primary leg in Paris 1-0.
Madrid hasn’t gained in its final 5 journeys to face English golf equipment, with three losses.
Madrid or Chelsea will play both Manchester City of Atletico Madrid within the semifinals.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
