Ancelotti Reveals What He Thinks of Diego Simeone Ahead of Champions League Showdown
The entire city of Madrid will stop for two nights over the next week, with Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid being drawn against one another in the Champions League Round of 16.
Both teams will harbor ambitions of getting much further in the tournament than this stage, and there is added spice when you consider that just two points separate them in the La Liga title race.
There is a huge amount on the line for both Carlo Ancelotti and Diego Simeone in the dugouts, and the Real Madrid coach has shared some of his opinions on Simeone and his career.
MORE: Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid: Official Squad Announced For Champions League With Valverde News
Speaking during his pre-match press conference (via Real Madrid), Ancelotti explained that his primary memories of Simeone actually stem from his time as a player in Italy.
My first memory of him is as a player. He scored in a Juventus-Lazio game. We were fighting for the League title against Juventus and he scored in Turin. Lazio won it and went on to win the title. I think it was in the year 2000.Carlo Ancelotti
Moving on to the present day, Ancelotti showed how highly he rates Simeone as a coach. The Argentine has been central to turning Atletico Madrid into one of Europe's most successful clubs in the modern day.
I have immense respect for him as a manager, he's a fantastic coach. What he's done at Atletico Madrid, he's brought the club to the very top level in Europe. I like how he reads games, how he sets the team up on the pitch. The strategic approach and the team's defensive commitment are impressive. I think it's all great.Carlo Ancelotti
🇦🇷🔴⚪️ Diego Simeone vs Carlo Ancelotti:
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) March 4, 2025
• 26 games
• 9 wins
• 8 draws
• 9 losses pic.twitter.com/PmN8emtQZE
The first leg gets underway on Tuesday evening at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, and the Wanda Metropolitano will host the second leg on March 12.
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Euan is an experienced soccer writer who has been featured by The Guardian, MARCA, 90min, Sempre Milan and many more similar publications. He secured a first-class degree in journalism at Liverpool John Moores University and his career has seen him primarily focus on European football, developing an in-depth knowledge of multiple clubs and leagues in the process.
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