Soccer Football - Champions League - Round of 16 - Second Leg - Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid - Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain - March 12, 2025 Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti reacts REUTERS/Juan Medina
(Reuters) - Keeping players focused through a congested and difficult fixture schedule has been a challenge for Carlo Ancelotti, but the Real Madrid coach is finding extra motivation from the prospect of being close to reaching another Copa del Rey final.
Hosts Real have a 1-0 lead over Real Sociedad going into the second leg of their semi-final on Tuesday, the first of five games in 15 days.
"The preparation of matches, the burden of injuries... we have to manage all this in the hope that one day we can have more time to prepare for the matches," Ancelotti told reporters on Monday.
Real, who are three points behind LaLiga leaders Barcelona, face Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-finals on April 8 and 16.
"It's going to be a very demanding season and so far we've managed it well," the Italian said.
"We try to (keep players focused) but it's a bit more complicated because the calendar wears us down a lot."
Ancelotti said injuries to key defenders Daniel Carvajal, Eder Militao and Ferland Mendy, and midfielder Dani Ceballos had left Real vulnerable.
"We're less solid than last year, but more effective up front. We've had some very important injuries at the back and we've lost our solidity," he added.
The 65-year-old is relishing the opportunity to become the first Real manager to win three Copa del Rey titles.
"It motivates me to be close to a final, as it does the players and the club. I'm very motivated in this sense by being close and the advantage we have," Ancelotti said.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
