Carlo Ancelotti has said that Manchester City's elimination from the Champions League would be good news for Real Madrid, and insisted that the Premier League team remains “one of the candidates” to win the competition.
Madrid beat RB Salzburg 5-1 at the Bernabeu on Wednesday to secure a playoff spot (with an outside chance of finishing in the top eight), while City suffered a 4-2 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain. Germain leaving His future in the Champions League is in doubt.
“Yes,” Ancelotti said in his post-match press conference on Wednesday when asked if City's failure to progress from the league stage would be good news.
“Because Manchester City continues to be, for me, one of the candidates to win the Champions League again.”
In the last three seasons, Madrid and City have met in the Champions League knockout stage, including when Madrid won the trophy in 2022 and 2024.
Madrid have had an up-and-down European campaign so far this season, beating Stuttgart, Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta and Salzburg, while losing to Lille, AC Milan and Liverpool, to leave them with 12 points from seven games, in 16.
City, for its part, is in 25th place with just seven points, outside the playoff places, after three defeats and a draw in its last four games.
Wednesday's defeat at the Parc des Princes came after taking a 2-0 lead.
“You never know,” Ancelotti said when asked about Madrid's chances of facing a tough opponent in the playoff round.
“Only one thing is clear: we have to win our last game and in this club that is not new.”
