Italian manager believes he has an improved squad this season to make it two in a row
\nMADRID
\nReal Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is optimistic about the Spanish club\u2019s chances of winning back-to-back Champions League titles even though bookmakers have not picked them among the top-four favourites.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s not a surprise for me not being the odds-on favorite, I think it\u2019s a good sign,\u201d Ancelotti told a news conference in Glasgow on the eve of Tuesday\u2019s opening Group F game against Celtic.
\n\u201cI think that last year we had even less probability in the statistics to win it. And we have an improved team this season.
\n\u201cWhat happened last year will happen again. We are going to compete until the end and, hopefully, we will compete in the final.\u201d
\nLast season, Real Madrid were considered to be the underdogs during their knockout round matches against Paris St Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City as well as in the final showdown with Liverpool but they went on to win a record-extending 14th European Cup title.
\n\u201cIn this competition, Real Madrid have always been respected. The history of the club is part of the history of this competition,\u201d Ancelotti said.
\n\u201cWe start with enthusiasm, as always, but you never know what is going to happen. We have to think about the group-stage first, win it and then see what happens after the (break in November and December for the) World Cup.\u201d
\nAncelotti said that he will probably rotate his squad more often to keep players fresh with Champions League and La Liga matches overloading the schedule.
\nThe Italian said he was concerned about how the players will cope with the packed schedule once they return from the World Cup in Qatar that kicks off on Nov 20. \u201cUntil the World Cup I believe we won\u2019t have problems because the players are prepared and motivated. They want to get to the World Cup in good condition,\u201d Ancelotti said.
\n\u201cThe question is how the players will return after the World Cup. We just don\u2019t know because it is a unique situation.\u201d
\nReal Madrid are grouped together with Leipzig, Shakhtar and Celtic in Champions League Group F.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Italian manager believes he has an improved squad this season to make it two in a row MADRID Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is optimistic about the Spanish club\u2019s chances of winning back-to-back Champions League titles even though bookmakers have not picked them among the top-four favourites. \u201cIt\u2019s not a surprise for me not being […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":282004,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-281993","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n