Carlo Ancelotti has conferred the Champions League favourites tag upon Manchester City but the Real Madrid head coach insisted there may be some “surprises at the end”.
The most successful side in Europe’s premier club competition with 14 wins, including lifting the trophy five times in the last decade, Madrid are often tipped to progress into the latter stages at the outset.
But Real, who open their Group C campaign on Wednesday against Union Berlin at the Bernabeu, were eliminated in ruthless fashion at the semi-final stage by Pep Guardiola’s treble-winning City side in May.
It is the Premier League giants that have a target on their backs, according to Ancelotti, who nevertheless intimated no team can ever take anything for granted.
“City are favourites because they have a squad that saw them win it last season and they haven’t changed much,” Ancelotti told a press conference.
“However, in the Champions League, like always, there are surprises at the end.
“Real Madrid are a team that are going to fight until the end. We never think of ourselves as favourites, just as I think City don’t.
“But they won it last year, they can win the Champions League. You could say they are the favourites.”
Luka Modric has started only once in this campaign and Toni Kroos just twice, with Ancelotti favouring younger options such as Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni in the middle of the park.
Ancelotti acknowledged Modric, the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner and widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of his era, is adjusting to less playing time but the Croatian will feature on Wednesday.
“He’s fine, I speak to him every day like I do with all the players,” Ancelotti said. “It’s a personal relationship that we have.
“The fact that he is not playing as much as he used to can sometimes affect him a bit. But that doesn’t affect the personal relationship, which is still fantastic and will continue to be fantastic. He’s going to play (against Union).”
Lucas Vazquez will replace the injured Dani Carvajal at full-back for Madrid, who face an unknown quantity having never before played against Union.
The Bundesliga side, who finished fourth in the division last season, are the dark horses in a group also containing Serie A champions Napoli and Portuguese outfit Braga.
A trip to the Spanish capital to take on the Champions League’s most prolific side represents a daunting challenge for Union, who are in the competition for the first time in their history.
“They’re a new team in the Champions League but the fact they’re here means they’ve done very well,” Ancelotti added.
“They’re well-organised defensively, they’re solid and they play with intensity. We’ve studied them carefully and hopefully we can put in a good performance. We will need to play at a high intensity.
“We’re ready, like last year. The Champions League is a special competition for us. We’re going to treat the game as something special. We want to get off to a good start.”
Defending champions Jamaica College docked three points over use of ineligible player in Manning Cup opener against Tivoli
Defending ISSA Manning Cup champions have been docked three points following an investigation that revealed that the school used an ineligible player in their season-opening victory over Tivoli Gardens Comprehensive High School on September 9.
In the recent development, the Inter Secondary Schools Sports Association's (ISSA) Disciplinary Committee convened to address the issue pertaining to the alleged utilization of an ineligible player by Jamaica College in their season-opener clash against Tivoli Gardens High.
After a thorough investigation, the Disciplinary Committee reached a decisive verdict on the matter. It was determined that Jamaica College indeed fielded an ineligible player and as a consequence, Old Hope Road school will forfeit all three points initially earned in the match, and Tivoli Gardens High will be awarded the points with a revised score-line of 3-0 for the game.
The disciplinary committee also ruled that the player in question will continue to be ineligible for participation in the 2023 Schoolboy Football Competition.
This ruling by the Disciplinary Committee reshapes the dynamics of the Manning Cup standings. Tivoli Gardens High now assumes the leading position in Zone B with seven points, while Kingston Technical follows closely in second place with six points.
Jamaica College, despite having three points deducted, occupies the fourth spot, with the consolation that they have one match in hand to potentially amend their standing.
When contacted Jamaica College's Head coach Davion Ferguson referred the question to ISSA.
“You cannot play a player without registering the player because you cannot put him on your match card if he is ineligible. So, ISSA has to answer that,” he told Sportsmax.tv.
ISSA's competitions director Ewan Scott explained how they arrived at the ruling.
"Sometimes people get privileged based on the information presented. However, after the protest came in, we investigated further and took the necessary action," Scott shared.
"The player was registered based on the initial information provided. So, it's basically a case of them presenting us incorrect information and after the protest came, we conducted further investigation," he added.
Javon East: Concacaf's Game-Changer in Central American Cup Group Stage
In the high-stakes arena of Concacaf matches, exceptional talent invariably takes centre stage. At the 2023 Concacaf Central American Cup group stage, it was Deportivo Saprissa's dynamic forward, Javon East, who rose to the occasion and stood as a game-changer.
East, a 28-year-old Jamaican striker, delivered a stellar performance for the Monstruo Morado, propelling his team to a commanding first-place finish in Group A. His remarkable display included three goals from eight well-placed shots, all accomplished within 251 minutes of relentless gameplay. Impressively, he also boasted a pass completion rate of nearly 65 per cent.
As a fitting tribute to his pivotal role, Javon East has been bestowed with Concacaf's Game-Changer title for the 2023 Concacaf Central American Cup group stage. In an exclusive interview with Concacaf.com, East expressed his gratitude for this recognition and acknowledged its motivating influence on his future endeavours.
"I'm grateful for the credit, and it adds a little bit of motivation to push even harder for the future games coming up in Concacaf," said East.
He went on to emphasize the significance of the accolade, stating, "I'm thankful. I'm happy as a player that I know I'm doing something right, and people are watching and see my talent and give me credit for it. I'm grateful for that."
East's remarkable impact extends beyond the pitch, as he attributes much of Saprissa's success in the competition to the strong bonds forged both on and off the field.
"It's a family first. It's more important that we are a family on and off the field, it is carrying over inside the game, and we are doing pretty well in Concacaf. We are qualified to the next round, and we just have to take it a game at a time and see where it goes," East remarked.
While his two-goal performance in the resounding 5-0 victory against Coban Imperial may appear particularly impressive, East personally values his role in the team's opening 1-0 triumph against Cartagines as his standout performance of the group stage.
"I think the first game was my best game, not because I scored one goal in that game, but because of the number of chances I created. So normally as a striker, I like to see how many more chances I create more than how many I score," East explained.
With the group stage behind them, Saprissa now shifts its focus to the knockout stage, where they will encounter a formidable adversary in Real Esteli of Nicaragua during the quarterfinals. East recognizes the challenge posed by their upcoming opponent and emphasizes the importance of thorough preparation.
"[Real Esteli] are a team that has improved over the years. I watched them in their first game and their last game. I didn't know that we were going to play that team, but I was watching the game, and they are very impressive. I give them their respect. We have to prepare mentally and physically for that battle because it's going to be a tough one," East asserted.
As Javon East continues to make his mark on the Concacaf stage, his remarkable journey unfolds as an inspiring testament to talent, dedication, and the pursuit of excellence in the world of football.
Massimiliano Allegri plays down Juventus’ chances of winning Serie A
Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri has attempted to play down expectations after his side’s strong start to the season.
The Bianconeri have claimed 10 points from their opening four Serie A games and sit second in the table, two points behind early leaders Inter Milan.
With no European commitments this season, Juve could made a strong push to reclaim the title but Allegri does not want to look further than Saturday’s trip to Sassuolo.
Allegri told reporters: “Now we have to stay focused because there’s too much euphoria and, while on the one hand that’s nice, it can take away energy and attention.
“We’re only on matchday five and Sassuolo, with the exception of a 3-0 win a few years ago, have always been tough opponents.
“They’re coming off the back of a big defeat to Frosinone, so we’ll have a tough task and we will have to be very attentive, physical and technically good. It will be important to get a good result.”
Allegri insists other teams are still in a stronger position than Juve and he thinks it will be tough enough to get back into the Champions League.
He said: “We have a chance to get into the top four, but it won’t be easy because Inter, AC Milan and Napoli are stronger than everybody.
“We have to go one step at a time, with balance, without mood swings that are tied to single results.
“Whatever path we take will be determined to have been right or not by the results at the end of the season.
“We have to have the desire to be at the top but we have to get the results to get into the Champions League.”
Federico Chiesa and Dusan Vlahovic have been passed fit for the trip to Reggio Emilia but with a short turnaround before Tuesday’s home clash with Lecce, Allegri recognises the need to manage his squad.
He said: “Vlahovic had some back pain and Federico had some fatigue with his flexor but they’re fully available.
“We are only thinking about Sassuolo but we have a game three days later and I think we’ll rotate on Tuesday. I’ll evaluate Vlahovic’s condition.
“We have a less experienced squad this year but we’ve got enthusiasm and dynamism.
“We have to keep working hard to improve, remembering that we have to run more than everybody else and results will bring more confidence and belief.”
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