Clubs clash in Champions League quarter-final at BernabéuFourth time in five seasons pair have met in competition
This is Carlo Ancelotti’s 200th Champions League game as a coach, his 1,331st over a wildly successful career stretching back 30 years at the most high-pressure clubs on earth, and still he is nervous. He has seen it all and won this competition four times, more than anyone else ever, including the manager he faces on Tuesday night, but he still can’t help it. Before games, he admits, there’s a moment when the heart rate increases and the sweats start; after them, the best he can hope for is relief.
“Defeat is suffering. Victory is … happiness?” Ancelotti said, as Real Madrid, who consider this trophy their own, prepared to meet Manchester City, who hold it. “No. Unfortunately, that’s not true. It’s a relief. There’s happiness if you win a title, but in individual games [only] relief: for a few days, you’re calmer. But then suffering is part of your work, it’s what keeps you alive: the pressure, the stress.”
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