Carlo Ancelotti: We have great respect for Shakhtar

Real Madrid Head coach Carlo Ancelotti spoke about the upcoming match against Shakhtar.

– It's very important to score 9 points and we're well prepared to do that. We didn’t have our best game on Sunday. We strive to show our football and other identity. We have the utmost respect for Shakhtar. As you know, Courtois dropped out, but Modric and Lucas Vazquez are back. Ceballos had problems with the hamstring, and we're not counting on him tomorrow.

I always want to win in the Champions League. La Liga is important, but the Champions League is the most important competition. These are completely different tournaments. One has 38 games, the other has a fewer number of them. Sometimes everything is settled within a 180-minute confrontation. And here the details are important. It's not about success or failure. Sometimes talk of success covers up your team's problems or opponent's preferences. If I say we were unlucky with Osasuna, then I hide our problems in ball possession and the good play of the opponent. It is important to pay attention to small details. In the Champions League, you can score three goals in just a few minutes, as happened to me. This can happen in the semifinals. A strong mentality gives control over small details. And Real Madrid is a team that cares more about these details than others.

Shakhtar is a team that has a lot of everyday problems, like in the training process, travelling. They got off to a great start in the Champions League, their style is similar to last year's – the team wants to play upright. They have very fast and dangerous forwards in counterattacks. We have great respect for Shakhtar.