"We feel confident" - Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti makes defiant claim on La Liga title race with Barcelona
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has indicated that his team are still confident despite trailing Barcelona in La Liga.
Los Blancos have had a stumble in form in recent weeks and have won just one of their last three league matches. This has helped the Blaugrana, who have won five of their last six La Liga encounters, take a five-point lead atop the standings after 18 games.
Despite the gap between the two teams, Ancelotti believes his troops can still fight for the title. The Real Madrid boss said (as quoted by @MadridXtra on Twitter):
"Five points between us and Barcelona? We feel confident. We feel good and we know we can fight for all the titles."
🎙| Ancelotti: "5 points between us and Barcelona? We feel confident. We feel good and we know we can fight for all the titles."
Both teams face some tricky fixtures in February after a hectic January.
Los Blancos' first game of the new month will see them host 14th-placed Valencia on February 2. Ancelotti's men notably needed extra time to see off Los Che when the two teams met in the semifinals of the Supercopa de Espana last month.
They will then take on RCD Mallorca on February 5 before competing in the FIFA Club World Cup, adding to their already congested fixture list.
Real Madrid will meet Elche and Osasuna on February 15 and 18. They will close the month out with the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie against Liverpool and a La Liga derby against Atletico Madrid.
Barcelona, meanwhile, will face sixth-placed Real Betis, rivals Sevilla, and fifth-placed Villarreal in their first three league matches in February. They will then meet Manchester United in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League playoff tie on February 16. They will clash against the Red Devils again on February 24.
The Blaugrana will take on Cadiz in between the two matches against United before finishing the month with a match against UD Almeria.
Real Madrid and Barcelona will play each other three more times this season
Real Madrid and Barcelona have already clashed twice this term.
They first met in a La Liga fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu back in October 2022, with Los Blancos outclassing their arch-rivals to win 3-1. However, the Catalans exacted revenge in the Supercopa de Espana final last month by recording a victory by the same scoreline.
The third Clasico of the season will take place on March 2 as the two teams clash in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals. Barcelona and Real Madrid will meet yet again at the Spotify Camp Nou on March 19 in a game that could be pivotal in the La Liga title race.
El Clásico in the Copa del Rey semifinals 🍿 https://t.co/2EkhHnL1F1
They will then take each other on in the second leg of their Copa del Rey tie in April.