Casemiro’s return will help Real against City: Ancelotti

dpa Madrid The return of defensive midfielder Casemiro should help Real Madrid be more compact against Manchester City in their Champions League semi-fina...

dpaMadrid The return of defensive midfielder Casemiro should help Real Madrid be more compact against Manchester City in their Champions League semi-final second leg on Wednesday, coach Carlo Ancelotti said.The Brazilian missed last week’s 4-3 first-leg loss in England but is set to start in the Spanish capital, with Nacho again due to deputize for injured centre back David Alaba.“Casemiro’s return will help us, it reinforces the defensive aspect, in which we have to improve, and also in our collective commitment, moving better as a team, being more compact,” Ancelotti told a news conference on Tuesday.“We have worked on the defensive aspect. I think we are going to see improvement.” Nacho came on for the stricken Alaba in Manchester last week.“Alaba is an important player, but Nacho has done very well too, he has experience and I’m sure he will do well tomorrow,” Ancelotti added, pinpointing City’s Phil Foden as a player to be watched.“He’s fantastic, very young. He’s going to have a great career. He’s very dangerous, one of the best talents England has at the moment.” Real’s Vinicius Junior also shone in the first leg and Ancelotti predicts quality will be the deciding factor in the match. “He’s much cooler, calmer, he takes his time to decide what’s right.He has matured,” the Italian coach said. “Winning tomorrow is not just a matter of the heart or the boost that the Bernabéu will surely give us, as always.” Just days after Real wrapped up the LaLiga title, midfielder Luka Modric is in no doubt about the magnitude of the City second leg.“The atmosphere in the dressing room is very good. We’re looking forward to it. We know what we have to do, this is the most important game of the season. We have to play our best game,” he said.“We are very confident about fighting back. We know we didn’t play our best game in the first leg, but we still scored three goals.Tomorrow we have to do better, and I’m sure we will. We have quality, a lot of character... and the history of this club.” The 36-year-old Croatia international has lifted the trophy four times with Real, who are record overall champions with 13 titles.City, runners-up last term, have yet to win Europe’s top prize.“Tomorrow it will be four years since we won the last Champions League and it will be another game, we have to forget about that and concentrate,” he said.“What we have to do is go out onto the pitch with a lot of faith and personality, with a lot of energy and aggression. We have to show that we are Real Madrid, the best team in the world. We have to get the fans into the game from the start by doing well.“A very difficult match awaits us, but I don’t know if it will be more difficult (than against other top teams).”Meanwhile, Ancelotti has revealed he is likely to call time on his coaching career at club level once he leaves Real Madrid, but is open to staying in charge of Los Blancos for another 10 years.The 62-year-old last week became the first ever coach to win each of Europe’s top five leagues when guiding Madrid to LaLiga glory.Ancelotti’s legendary managerial career has spanned 26 years and across 11 jobs, including two stints with Spanish giants Madrid.But the Italian is now thinking about the future and hopes to spend more time travelling and with his family.“After Real, yes, I’ll probably stop,” he told Amazon Prime. “But if the club keeps me here for 10 years, I’ll coach for 10 years.“I’d like to be with my grandchildren, go on vacation with my wife - there are so many things to do that I have left out that I would like to do.  “There are many places I have never been. I have never been to Australia. I have never been to Rio de Janeiro.  “I’d like to visit my sister more often. The day I quit, I’ll have all these things to do.” Ancelotti has won 22 trophies, including Serie A with Milan in 2004, the Premier League with Chelsea in 2010, Ligue 1 with PSG in 2013, the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich in 2017 and LaLiga with Madrid this year.With his latest league triumph, Ancelotti became the oldest manager to win the Spanish top flight at 62, two years older than Fabio Capello was when lifting the trophy with Madrid in 2006-07.Having also won a record-equalling three European Cups at club level, Ancelotti has suggested he may be tempted into managing an international side in time for the 2026 World Cup.“Yes, there could be a national team but now it is premature [to discuss that],” he said. “Certainly not for this World Cup. But for the one in 2026, why not?” Asked if he has any interest in taking charge of Canada, who will jointly host the tournament along with the United States and Mexico, Ancelotti said: “Why not? They have done very well”.