THEIR place in the last 16 of the Champions League is guaranteed, but there is no prospect of Real Madrid fielding a weakened team or easing up at all against Celtic in their final Group F game in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium tomorrow night.
The defending European champions can still be beaten to first place in the section if they slip up this evening and RB Leipzig beat Shakhtar Donetsk in Poland at the same time. They are determined not to let that happen. Finishing second is just not in their DNA.
Ange Postecoglou’s side will face the full might of Carlo Ancelotti’s team – who will be keen to be seeded in the last 16 draw next week and avoid the likes of Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Manchester City - when they take to the field here in Spain.
“It’s an important game,” said Ancelotti when he spoke at Real’s pre-match press conference at their Valdebebas training ground tonight. “We know that our objective is to finish top of the group.
“We’re up against a team that plays at high intensity, but we’re prepared and we want to put on a top performance. We’ve got all the conditions to do so. We’re back at our stadium on a Champions League night.
“There are competitive teams that will finish second. What’s most important is the prestige of this club. This is a special competition for this club and we have to respect every game”.
The visitors slumped to a 3-0 defeat when they played Real in their opening Group F match at Parkhead back at the start of September – but Ancelotti can still recall how his charges endured a torrid opening hour in that outing and is expecting them to go on the offensive tomorrow evening.
The only man to have won the Champions League four times as manager – he has prevailed twice with AC Milan and twice with Real – has been impressed with the football the Scottish champions have produced under his Greek-Australian counterpart.
“Celtic aren’t going to change their identity,” said the veteran Italian coach. “They’ll play their game, with intensity, passion and quality. That’s what we’re expecting. It’ll be an open game and we want to be at our best. I have a lot of respect for this team. They’ve played well in a lot of games”.
Karim Benzema, who has been sidelined with muscular fatigue in recent weeks, might feature against Celtic. The newly-crowned Ballon d’Or winner trained yesterday and if there is no reaction to the session today the French forward will be in the match day squad. However, Aurelien Tchouameni, his countryman, will not be involved.
“Tchouameni won’t be available tomorrow,” said Ancelotti. “Benzema is going to train now. If he feels good, he’ll be in the squad. I’ll then have to see if he starts the game or comes on later”.
Toni Kroos, the German internationalist, concurred with Ancelotti’s view that Real must top Group F and vowed to help the 14-time European Cup winners to beat Celtic and secure a last 16 seeding.
"At this club, you can only be successful if you play well and win trophies,” he said. “I’m not interested in the numbers, only in how I play, more in the quality (of performance) than the number of games. I still feel good and we’ll see what happens”.
Kroos is out of contract at the end of the 2022/23 campaign and there has been intense speculation about his future in Spain as well as back in his homeland. But the 32-year-old midfielder is determined to remain at the Bernabeu and has an extra incentive to perform well tomorrow night and in the coming weeks and months.
“It’s funny to read things when even I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said. “I’ll think about it next year, or in the break. I’ll gradually make a decision on what I want to do.
“What I’ve always said won’t change, that I won’t be going anywhere, I’m not going to change club. I’ll retire here, but I don’t know when.
“The club and I are relaxed about it, we always talk and there’s nothing new. It’s a very special relationship, it always has been during these eight years, and I’m sure that won’t change. We’ll speak in January, February or March”.
