Ancelotti eager for another round against old rival Simeone

By Fernando Kallas

MADRID, March 3 (Reuters) - As Real Madrid prepare to host Atletico Madrid in a Spanish capital derby in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Tuesday, manager Carlo Ancelotti said he is looking forward for another dugout battle against rival Diego Simeone.

Heading into their 27th clash, with the two managers having faced each other more often than any other rival in their careers, they are tied at nine wins each along with eight draws.

Despite Real's Champions League dominance, having won all four of their previous meetings in the past 11 seasons, most notably the 2014 and 2016 finals, recent history has been telling a different story.

Last year, Atletico handed Real their only two defeats of a near-perfect 2023-24 season in which they won the LaLiga and Champions League double.

Ancelotti's team have won only one of their last seven capital derbies, a 5-3 extra-time victory in the 2024 Super Cup in Saudi Arabia over a year ago.

It is a rivalry that Ancelotti and Simeone are very familiar with, considering both remember facing each other in Italy's Serie A.

"My first memory of him is as a footballer with Lazio, when he scored against a Juventus I was a coach in a game that was for the league title. Lazio won and they took the championship, I think it was 2000," Ancelotti told a press conference on Monday.

"Now, as a coach, I respect him a lot. He's a great manager. He has done very well at Atletico, taken them to the highest level in Europe.

"I like the way he reads the games, how he gets the team on the pitch, the strategy, the commitment his team has defensively. I like all of these aspects a lot."

Ancelotti said that Real will not fall into the trap of over-confidence from previous results as the holders bid for a record-extending 16th European Cup and seventh title in 12 seasons.

"It's going to be a close tie that will to be decided in the second leg. The objective tomorrow is to play well and take an advantage," Ancelotti said.

"The match will be even and competitive, as a Madrid derby always is. It's a special match in terms of emotions and the pressure you feel ahead of a big rivalry game." (Reporting by Fernando Kallas, editing by Pritha Sarkar)