Ancelotti Has Warned 6 Madrid Players Before Facing City: 'here You ...'

Real Madrid faces the second leg of the Champions League play-offs tonight at Bernabéu. They host Manchester City looking to capitalize on the 3-2 from the first leg. However, they can't relax as the tie is not yet solved.

Ancelotti knows this and has paid attention to every detail in preparing for a match he hopes to win. But he knows he has to think long-term, which is why he has had a word with 6 players. These are the ones at risk of suspension: Rüdiger, Bellingham, Modric, Tchouaméni, Camavinga, and Endrick.

If they see a yellow card, they could miss the first leg of the round of 16 if they qualify. But he also wanted to emphasize to the rest that it won't be until after the quarterfinals when they are cleared. "This is where the cycle ends," Carlo is said to have told them according to sources from Valdebebas.

The reason is that he wants them to be smart, not to see yellow cards for unnecessary protests. However, he has also let them know that if they need to be booked out of necessity, they should take the risk. He doesn't want problems from avoiding a timely tackle that could be worse later.

Five Matches Ahead to Avoid Seeing Another Yellow Card

At Real Madrid, they are aware of how dangerous the new Champions League format can be this season. There are two more matches in the first phase, and an extra round with the round of 32. In total, four more matches with the risk of being sanctioned.

It won't be until the end of the quarterfinals when all yellow cards are cleared. This leaves Madrid with the second leg against City and the 4 of the following rounds without room for error. 6 players could miss a match just by seeing one more card.

It must be taken into account that some, like Rüdiger and Bellingham, are undisputed starters. Therefore, losing them could be a big problem for Ancelotti ahead of a potential round of 16. Although everything will depend on the opponent and whether the match is played at Bernabéu or away.