Thanks to a strong performance in the opening leg of the Spanish Copa del Rey semifinals, Real Madrid holds a significant advantage over Spanish Primera Division rival Atlético Madrid heading into the second contest. Registering three goals from a trio of players, Los Blancos blitzed ahead of last season’s champions in relatively quick fashion. A goal by Pepe in the 17th minute launches Real Madrid to the early lead while additional tallies from Jese (57’) and Ángel Di María (73’) were more than enough for Carlo Ancelotti’s bunch to come out on top. Add in the fact that Real’s defense was tremendous from start to finish and it comes as no surprise that they lead heading into the second and final frame.
Understanding that the task of advancing is daunting, Atletico Madrid winger Arda Turan says his side will be ready to go up against Cristiano Ronaldo and company one final time, indicating that the club is set to finish strong at their home pitch inside the Vicente Calderon. “We did not deserve the result at the Bernabeu,” he said. “But we are Atlético and we never throw a game. We'll give our all in the second leg. The season has been good but the most important thing is to finish in the strongest way possible. We will continue doing our best to achieve the club's objectives.”
Holding onto a comfortable lead heading into the Tuesday showdown, Carlo Ancelotti is happy to have the services of a fully healthy Real Madrid roster. Though he has not fully disclosed who he intends to start following the return of Raphael Varane, the 54-year-old boss is confident that he’ll have the right line-up ready to go. Understanding that some players could grow upset if their roles become reduced, Ancelotti said in his most recent press conference that his only job is to field the best rotations possible, regardless of player feelings.
“It is not easy to be fair with each of the players,” he said. “My job here is to do what I think is the best for Real Madrid, and perhaps this will make me be unfair with certain players, like Isco. Maybe he is not too happy right now, because he is not playing as much as he wants, and I like that. He has been important for us so far, and hopefully at the end of the season we will have a good overall vision of what he has done for us.”
Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid: DATE, TIME & VIEWING INFO
DATE: Tuesday, Feb. 11
TIME: 3 p.m., ET
TV COVERAGE: beIN Sports USA / beIN Sports en Español
LIVE STREAM: CLICK HERE
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