Ancelotti likely to miss Real Madrid, Chelsea clash due to COVID-19
(FILES) In this file photo taken on January 20, 2022, Real Madrid’s Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, wearing a protective face mask, looks on prior to the Copa del Rey (King’s Cup) round of 16 first leg football match between Elche CF and Real Madrid CF at the Martinez Valero stadium in Elche. – Carlo Ancelotti has tested positive for Covid-19, Real Madrid announced on March 30, 2022, with the Italian likely to miss his team’s La Liga game against Celta Vigo on Saturday. The 62-year-old’s symptoms are “very light”, a Real Madrid source confirmed, with the club confident Ancelotti will be able to return in time for next week’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Jordan / AFP)
Real Madrid will likely be without coach Carlo Ancelotti for the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinals against Chelsea because of COVID-19, reports www.firstpost.com.
Ancelotti tested positive for coronavirus last week and did not travel to London with the rest of the squad yesterday.
There was a possibility he could still make it for Wednesday’s match if he tests negative in time to travel.
Ancelotti had already missed the team’s 2-1 win over Celta Vigo in the Spanish league on Saturday, when assistant coach Davide Ancelotti, his son, was among those in charge.
Ancelotti, who had minor symptoms of COVID-19, is trying to win his second Champions League with Madrid after helping the club lift the European trophy in 2014.
Karim Benzema and Ferland Mendy, who returned to action on Saturday after nursing injuries, practiced normally ahead of the trip to England.
Madrid were eliminated by eventual champion Chelsea in the Champions League semifinals last season.
Ancelotti coached Chelsea for two years before his first stint with Madrid in 2013. The Spanish club was coached by Zinedine Zidane in last year’s semifinals.
Ancelotti had been the target of criticism in Spain after the team’s demoralising 0-4 loss to Barcelona at home in the Spanish league last month, when his experiments with the squad backfired.
With Benzema out injured, Ancelotti tried to use Luka Modric in the false-nine position instead of adding another forward, but the move didn’t work and Barcelona easily built the victory at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
The hard-fought win against Celta — with two penalty kicks converted by Benzema — left Madrid 12 points ahead of Barcelona entering the final stretch, though the Catalan club has a game in hand.
Madrid had won five games in a row in all competitions before the loss to Barcelona, including beating Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 in the second leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League when Benzema rallied the team with a second-half hat trick after losing the first leg in Paris 1-0.
Madrid haven’t won in their last five trips to face English clubs, with three losses.
Madrid or Chelsea will play either Manchester City or Atlético Madrid in the semifinals.
