Real Madrid and Inter have already secured their place in the next stage of the Champions League, but the game between them tonight (Tuesday, 22:00) at the Bernabeu is of immense importance.
Both teams know that the difference between first and second place in the home stage is very significant for the rest of the way, and whoever finishes at the top of the house will win a more comfortable draw in the quarterfinals and of course host the rematch.
For Blancos, who are in great shape at the top of La Liga, with an eight-point gap from second-placed Sevilla, a draw will suffice, but Carlo Ancelotti is not the type of coach to play for a result.
The fact that Real are in a run of 11 games without a loss including four consecutive home wins, will oblige the Italians to provide a perfect game to make a comeback in the table.
"It's a high profile game for us for three reasons," Ancelotti said at the press conference.
"We play against a team that plays very well. We play for first place, that's important. And third, we play in our house with the fans. These are three important reasons to watch the game, which I think will be interesting."
The encouraging news for the Narazuri is the fact that they have managed to keep a clean sheet in their last four games.
Also, Simona Inzaghi's defense will benefit from the absence of Karim Benzema, a Real striker who was injured in the league game against Real Sociedad on Saturday.
"Sometimes we coaches have to deal with things like Benzema's injury," Inzaghi said of Ancelotti's troubles.
"However, in the last game Luca Jovic came in and scored. Real Madrid has so many options. The game is very important for us. Both teams qualified, but it's still an important game. We want to put on a great performance. We played really well in the first game between the teams, but That was not enough. "
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