Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti believes that Everton fans will be backing his side in the UEFA Champions League final. The Italian manager left Everton last season and is set to manage in his fifth Champions League final. He won the Champions League in his first spell at Real Madrid before stints at Bayern Munich and Napoli. He guided the Premier League team to 10th in his only full season with the club.
“I know that the Evertonians support us tomorrow, for sure. I know there is a big rivalry on Merseyside. I have a good memory of my time spent in Liverpool on the blue side and I’m sure they will support me tomorrow,” Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti said about Everton fans. “It is a big contrast. I’ve thought about that, how things were very different last year. This year feels like a long time. I’m treating it naturally. Getting to this final, it’s a big success for us, we know how demanding this club is – it’s all about the club’s history.”
“It’s been a big feat to get to this point. We think we’ve had a very good season and we are very close to achieving something huge this season,” he added. “We are very calm in the camp. I’m here to manage the game, with the veteran players helping the younger ones, to have a good atmosphere around the squad with lots of excitement and confidence.”
“This is something you dream about, but you can’t control it,” said Ancelotti. “It’s my fifth final, I have good memories of all of these finals. It’s a bit strange to think about it but I think the best [performance] was the final against Liverpool in 2005. But we lost it [on penalties having led 3-0] at AC Milan.”
