Real Madrid struck twice deep into extra time to book their place in the final of the Spanish Super Cup with a thrilling 5-3 victory over rivals Atletico Madrid in Riyadh.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side looked to be heading out of the competition after Antonio Rudiger’s 78th-minute own goal put Atletico 3-2 up but Dani Carvajal struck with five minutes remaining to send the match into extra time.

The derby seemed destined for a penalty shoot-out until Joselu’s header deflected off Atletico defender Stefan Savic and into the net before Brahim Diaz’s late breakaway goal sealed Real’s spot in the final.

Antione Griezmann had earlier become Atletico’s all-time record goalscorer by netting his 174th goal for the club to make it 2-2 after a pulsating first half which also featured strikes from Mario Hermoso, Rudiger and Ferland Mendy.

Diego Simeone’s men had the first big chance in the sixth minute as Samuel Lino’s whipped effort looked to be heading into the top corner from the edge of the box but goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga was on hand to tip over the crossbar.

The save counted for very little as Atletico hit the front from the resulting corner when Hermoso was left unmarked at the back post to nod into the net from Griezmann’s delivery.

Real swiftly equalised in similar fashion from a corner when Rudiger headed home from Luka Modric’s cross.

Ancelotti’s side turned the game on its head just before the half-hour mark as Carvajal’s pass into the area was cleverly flicked home by Mendy to make it 2-1.

But Atletico responded just seven minutes later when Griezmann slammed into the bottom-left corner from outside the area to seal his place in the club’s history.

Real had a golden opportunity to retake the lead as Rodrygo picked up the ball inside the area and pulled off a clever fake shot to open up the space for him to shoot at goal but Jan Oblak brilliantly dived in front of the effort to somehow keep the scores level.

Atletico came closest to the opening goal of the second period when Lino capitalised on some sloppy play from Real Madrid and burst forward to strike just wide of the far post.

But they did take the lead with 12 minutes left as Kepa failed to deal with a ball into the box which bounced off Rudiger and into the net.

Real were not to be denied though as Carvajal hit back with five minutes to go. Vinicius Jr’s initial effort was kept out by Oblak but the ball fell to Jude Bellingham whose drilled shot was cleared off the line before Carvajal slammed into the top corner.

As spot-kicks loomed on the horizon Real found the killer blow.

Joselu’s flicked header was bundled into his own net by Savic and Ancelotti’s side added the icing on the cake when Diaz won a foot race with Oblak and slotted into an empty net to book Real’s place in the final against either Barcelona or Osasuna.

Carlo Ancelotti has admitted “it hurt” when Real Madrid slipped to their only defeat of the season so far against Atletico Madrid in September.

On Wednesday, the city rivals will meet in the Supercopa de Espana in Saudi Arabia, their first encounter since Diego Simeone’s side ran out 3-1 winners at the Wanda Metropolitano with two goals from Alvaro Morata and one from Antoine Griezmann.

That loss saw Real slip to third in the table but they have since recovered to lead the way in La Liga at the halfway stage, level on points with the season’s surprise package Girona.

Atletico, meanwhile, are clinging on in the title race after slumping to fifth off the back of a run of two wins in six in the league.

Ancelotti was confident his side had corrected the errors that led them to derby defeat four months ago, and reflected on a rivalry with opposite number Simeone increasingly rooted in mutual admiration.

“The last time we played Atletico it hurt us,” he said. “I think we’ve fixed that. But (on Wednesday) we will need to show a better version of ourselves than in the first game of the season against Atletico.

“It’s a relationship of respect (with Simeone). We talk a lot. We’ve faced each other many times, he scored against my team once for Lazio against Juventus in Turin. We respect one another. I think we’re neighbours and we see each other sometimes.

“I’m very happy in the atmosphere at the club now. From outside, it seems that Simeone is very happy at Atletico. He seems the ideal profile, otherwise you wouldn’t stay there so long.”

Ancelotti has Vinicius Junior, Eduardo Camavinga and Dani Carvajal all available after injury but will be without Lucas Vazquez, who has a thigh problem, as well as long-term absentees Thibaut Courtois, David Alaba and Eder Militao.

Ferland Mendy is also an injury doubt, though Arda Guler could feature after making his debut in the Copa del Rey win over Arandina on Saturday.

Atletico boss Simeone has included Pablo Barrios in his travelling squad as he nears a return to fitness, whilst Mario Hermoso, Samuel Lino, Koke, Marcus Llorente and Rodrigo de Paul are all expected to return to the starting line-up after sitting out the cup win over Lugo.

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti says Jude Bellingham is “obviously” one of the best players in the world.

The England international has had a brilliant start to life in the Spanish capital, scoring 17 goals in all competitions since signing from Borussia Dortmund last summer.

Bellingham, who is LaLiga’s top scorer with 13 goals in 17 league appearances, is in Real’s squad for their Copa del Rey round-of-32 clash at fourth-tier Arandina on Saturday evening, and Ancelotti did not hold back on his opinion on the 20-year-old midfielder.

“He is doing very well,” Ancelotti told reporters at a press conference on Friday.

“He’s done well in the first half of the season. Bearing in mind that he’s had to adapt to our club, to a new culture and language, he’s done it very well. For us, obviously he’s the best.”

Arandina currently sit rock bottom of Group 1 in Spain’s fourth division and represent a banana skin for the holders of the trophy, which Los Blancos have won on 20 occasions.

Real struggled to a 1-0 victory at the same stage last season when they faced fellow fourth-tier side Cacereno.

Arandina have already defeated LaLiga opponents this season, knocking out Cadiz in the previous round, and Ancelotti is determined not to follow suit.

“We are the defending champions. We enjoyed the competition last season and our aim is to win it again this year,” the 64-year-old added.

“It is our first game in the competition on Saturday and we’ve got to try and put in our best performance.

“Last season against Cacereno, it was a tough game and we know we have to take this game seriously.

“We will try and win this game. We played on Wednesday night so there will be some tired players no doubt, but I will still put out a competitive side for that game.

“Hopefully, we can play to our full potential. We want to compete and I’m sure we will. The team is fully focused, motivated. We were very successful in this competition last season and we would like to be again.”

Ancelotti confirmed he will be without Toni Kroos and Lucas Vazquez for the clash at Estadio El Montecillo to due to their respective ankle and thigh issues picked up during Wednesday’s 1-0 LaLiga win against Mallorca.

The Italian has been hit by a spate of long-term injuries this season, but has still selected a strong travelling party for the clash in Aranda de Duero, with only Vinicius Junior and Aurelien Tchouameni rested for the cup tie.

In Kroos’ absence, 18-year-old Turkey international Arda Guler could make his long-awaited Madrid debut after recovering from a series of injury setbacks since joining from Fenerbahce last summer.

Ancelotti said: “All the players who have come into the side, who have been given the opportunity, have played very well. Guler is available and Guler could play, perhaps.”

Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri said it gives him “great pride” to be compared with the likes of Roma counterpart Jose Mourinho.

The pair will lock horns on Saturday evening when Roma visit the Allianz Arena as Juve bid to keep the pressure on Serie A leaders Inter Milan in the title race.

Allegri told a press conference: “It always gives me great pleasure when I’m compared to the ‘old school’ coaches, together with Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti.

“Personally I believe there are a thousand variables in football, there is no absolute truth.

“Ancelotti is an extraordinary coach, who continues to win and is still doing a wonderful job.

“For Mourinho, the results speak for themselves. He has always achieved them. You may not even like him, but the rest matters little.

“Being compared to them is a source of great pride. The first time I faced Jose I was coaching Cagliari, I was still a ‘child’ and he was already a winning coach with Inter.”

Juve head into the year’s final round of Serie A fixtures in second place, four points behind Inter, who play at Genoa on Friday night.

Allegri added: “Roma are a ‘grumpy’ side at the moment, but have one of the best coaches ever on their bench.

“They are good at getting you out of the game and have quality in attack. Great attention is needed as well as patience and compactness, and we must not think of overdoing it.”

Allegri confirmed Alex Sandro (thigh) is “about 10 days” from a return to action, while Mattia De Sciglio and Moise Kean remain long-term absentees.

Roma, currently sixth in the table, 12 points behind Juve, will be buoyed by last week’s 2-0 home win against defending champions Napoli.

Mourinho’s side could also be boosted by the return of Paulo Dybala, who has missed the last three games due to a thigh injury.

Gianluca Mancini will “certainly play” on Saturday as he deals with an on-going groin issue, Mourinho said.

Juve are bidding for their first Serie A title in four years and when asked about their progress under Allegri, Mourinho told a press conference: “Juve are Juve and Allegri is still Allegri.

“We always know what to expect from the team and what to expect from Max.

“When we speak about risultatista (results-oriented) teams or coaches, it’s a strange term.

“I consider getting results to be the most important thing in football. Some people nowadays think it has a negative connotation. When people speak about a risultatista, all the connotations for me are positive.

“Juventus are just that. They defend in numbers and they defend well and when they go on the counter-attack they’re so strong. “

Lucas Vazquez scored an injury-time winner for 10-man Real Madrid against Alaves to send Carlo Ancelotti’s men above Girona to the top of the LaLiga table for Christmas.

Girona’s draw earlier in the evening meant Real knew victory would be enough to see them leapfrog the Catalan side but they played most of the second half with 10 men after Nacho was sent off for a bad challenge on Samu Omorodion.

The game appeared to be heading for a goalless draw but Vazquez headed in a corner two minutes into injury time to seal a 1-0 victory.

Earlier, German Pezzella’s late strike earned Real Betis a 1-1 draw against Girona.

Artem Dovbyk swept home a first-half penalty to put Girona on course for a ninth win in 10.

Betis tried to force the issue in the second period but failed to register a shot on Paulo Gazzaniga’s goal until Pezzella’s rocket found the top corner late on.

Mallorca claimed a second home win in a row, defeating Osasuna 3-2 in an entertaining clash at the Iberostar Stadium.

Pablo Ibanez put the visitors ahead in the seventh minute but the hosts hit back quickly through Matija Nastasic and took control early in the second half with goals from Dani Rodriguez and Antonio Jose Raillo Arenas.

Osasuna threatened a dramatic comeback when Raul Garcia grabbed their second in injury time but Mallorca held on.

Sixth-placed Real Sociedad recorded a third successive 0-0 draw, this time against struggling Cadiz.

Lucas Vazquez scored a stoppage-time winner for 10-man Real Madrid against Alaves to send Carlo Ancelotti’s men to the top of the LaLiga table for Christmas.

Girona’s draw earlier in the evening meant Real knew victory would be enough to see them leapfrog the Catalan side but they played most of the second half with 10 men after Nacho was sent off.

The game appeared to be heading for a goalless draw but Vazquez headed in a corner two minutes into injury time to seal a 1-0 victory.

The Real players came out of the tunnel in tops showing support for their team-mate David Alaba, who became the third Madrid player this season to rupture his anterior cruciate ligament in last weekend’s victory over Villarreal.

Real have been badly hit by injuries and Ancelotti was limited in his options, although he brought back Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal.

Alaves were without a win or a goal in their previous three LaLiga matches and again started with teenage forward Samu Omorodion, who is on loan from Atletico Madrid.

Real immediately cut through the home side, with Jude Bellingham playing in Brahim Diaz, who drove towards the box before teeing up Federico Valverde for a shot from a tight angle that was saved by Antonio Sivera.

Alaves showed good intent with the ball, though, and they created a clear opportunity in the eighth minute but Luis Rioja’s shot from the middle of the box was blocked by Fran Garcia.

An 18th-minute free-kick from Toni Kroos evaded all of his team-mates and dropped just wide of the far post, while at the other end Samu headed straight at Kepa.

Real were struggling to create anything clear-cut and Sivera beat away a fierce shot from outside the box from Valverde seven minutes before the break.

The visitors’ hopes of forcing a victory were dealt a major blow nine minutes after the break when Nacho was shown a straight red card.

The defender went into a tackle from behind on Samu and raked his studs down the youngster’s calf.

The referee initially gave a yellow card but was sent to have a look on the pitchside monitor by the VAR officials and changed his decision, with Ancelotti reacting by sending on Aurelien Tchouameni for Luka Modric.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Real looked the side more likely to find a winner, and Rodrygo came close in the 75th minute, breaking away down the left and cutting inside but driving his shot high and wide.

When it did finally come, the breakthrough was from an unlikely source, with one of their smallest players, Vazquez, left alone in the middle of the box to head in Kroos’ cross.

Carlo Ancelotti has lauded the “special” job his Real Madrid players are doing this season ahead of their trip to Deportivo Alaves in LaLiga on Thursday.

Madrid, sitting in second, have added David Alaba to their now six-man long injury list after the Austrian international damaged a cruciate ligament.

And Ancelotti praised his available players for challenging Girona at the top of the table and called for them to finish 2023 on a high.

“We want to keep up the good momentum we’ve had in the last few games, get the three points and finish this 2023 campaign on a high note.” Ancelotti said.

“It’s a very complicated moment of the season.

“Fortunately, I have the players to thank for pulling through. It’s not that we’re doing a special job, we have to invent something, but what is special is what this squad is doing at such a tough time.”

Alaba’s serious knee injury comes after both Eder Militao and Thibaut Courtois suffering the same injury this season.

Ancelotti admitted the nature of cruciate ligament damage is horrific and shed some light on when Militao and Courtois could return to action.

He added: “The cruciate injury is an horrific injury. You can’t prevent it.

“Players who haven’t had any knee problems have had this injury. It’s something you can’t control. It’s different from muscle injuries, which can be caused by fatigue.

“Let’s see what happens in the second half of the season. In March or April we may be thinking that Militao or Courtois could come back if everything goes well with their respective recoveries.”

The Real Madrid boss hinted that the club may dip into the transfer market during January to add centre-back options.

He said: “We have spoken to the club and we will evaluate it over the next few days. We have time because the January transfer window ends on the 31st.

“We will look for the best possible solution, but for now we’re not in a hurry. We will try to finish the year well with tomorrow’s game and then we have time to make the best possible decision.”

Carlo Ancelotti knows Real Madrid still have a long way to go if they are to achieve their targets for the season.

Los Blancos host Villarreal at the Bernabeu on Sunday looking to keep up the pressure at the top of LaLiga, with surprise leaders Girona not in action until Monday night.

Having secured safe passage through to the knockout stage of the Champions League with a perfect group record, Ancelotti wants full focus on the last two games before the Christmas break.

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“We are up against a well-organised, well-prepared team, but we are on a great run, the results reflect that,” Ancelotti said.

“The atmosphere is good, there’s a good mood around the place and the players are motivated.

“We want to finish the first half of the season strongly, we’ve done really well so far.

“We’ve managed the first part of the campaign well, despite all the problems we’ve had. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I have faith in the campaign.

“I’m pleased with what we’ve done to this point, but well aware of what is still to come because it’s a long season – there are still six months to go.”

Ancelotti’s current deal runs through to the end of the season and the veteran Italian coach has been linked with a switch to take over Brazil’s national team.

For the moment, though, the 64-year-old is just concentrating on the job in hand.

“Being Real Madrid coach is the most important thing. I hope the players will give me a Christmas present by winning the last couple of games so we can have a relaxed festive period,” Ancelotti said at a press conference.

“If the club is happy then I am too. There is no rush to renew my deal, it’s not a problem. We are here until 30 June 2024.”

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Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is fit again after a thigh injury and started the Champions League win at Union Berlin on Tuesday night ahead of Ukrainian Andriy Lunin.

“I have decided (who will play against Villarreal), but I haven’t spoken to them yet. I want them to hear it from me before finding out in the press,” Ancelotti said.

“The good thing is that they make it hard for me because they are both in such great form.”

Villarreal head coach Marcelino, who returned to the club last month, knows his side will have to try to shackle “extraordinary” England midfielder Jude Bellingham if they are to leave the Bernabeu with a positive result.

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“He is the player who has given the best performance in all of Europe,” Marcelino said at a press conference.

“We will try not to let him get involved too much. It will be difficult because he has a lot of participation in most of the pitch, especially in the final third.

“He is accompanied by players of great quality like Rodrygo.

“We are going to need to be strong collectively to reduce their influence on the game.”

Real Madrid were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw at Real Betis despite another goal from Jude Bellingham.

The England midfielder netted in the 52nd minute of a thrilling LaLiga contest at the Benito Villamarin Stadium but it was not enough for victory as Aitor Ruibal hit back.

The result took Madrid a point clear at the top of the table but Girona and Barcelona – second and third respectively – will have a chance to take advantage when they face each other on Sunday.

Bellingham’s goal was his 16th for the club and continued his extraordinary start to life in Madrid since his summer move from Borussia Dortmund.

Yet he did not have things all his own way in what was an open and entertaining encounter.

Betis had the first opportunity when Marc Roca tested Andriy Lunin but Madrid also went close as Luka Modric flicked a header wide.

Rodrygo suffered double frustration as he was denied a penalty after going down in the area and then thwarted by an offside flag after teeing up Brahim Diaz to score.

Betis enjoyed a good spell and Ayoze Perez forced a fine reaction save from Lunin with a powerful shot before Willian Jose sent a ferocious strike narrowly wide.

Modric attempted to score from distance on a quick Madrid counter-attack but Rui Silva got back to save. David Alaba was also just wide with a strongly-hit free-kick on the stroke of half-time.

Betis threatened early in the second half when Perez released Isco but Lunin forced him away from goal.

Bellingham opened the scoring after brilliantly exchanging passes with Diaz and then running through to slide the ball beneath Silva.

Diaz had a chance to double the lead but shot wide from a tight angle and Betis responded as Ruibal took the ball from Jose on the right and lashed a thunderous strike into the far corner.

Both sides had good opportunities to win the game, with Silva first making a decent save from a Toni Kroos free-kick.

Isco went even closer for Betis in the final minute when he got his head to a cross into the box but his effort thumped against the post.

Madrid had one last chance in stoppage time as Rodrygo fed Joselu but his shot flew narrowly wide.

Real Madrid returned to the top of the LaLiga table with a 2-0 win against struggling Granada.

Rodrygo continued his impressive scoring streak with his seventh goal in his last five Real appearances to seal victory at the Bernabeu following Brahim Diaz’s first-half opener.

It means Real are now tied on 38 points with Girona at the top after Cristhian Stuani’s late brace saw the latter beat Valencia 2-1.

Hugo Duro gave Valencia the lead and they looked set to see out the win, but Stuani levelled in the 82nd minute before completing the comeback by scoring the winner six minutes later.

Osasuna and Real Sociedad settled for a 1-1 draw, while Athletic Bilbao moved into fifth in the table after beating Rayo Vallecano 4-0.

Gorka Guruzeta put them ahead in the first half and they extended their lead after half-time when Alfonso Espino turned the ball into his own net before brothers Inaki Williams and Nico Williams struck in quick succession.

In Serie A, Luka Jovic scored his first AC Milan goal as they beat Frosinone 3-1 at San Siro.

Christian Pulisic scored a superb individual effort and Fikayo Tomori wrapped up the win before Marco Brescianini scored a late consolation for the visitors.

Pedro handed Lazio a 1-0 win against Cagliari, who were reduced to 10 men in the 27th minute when Antoine Makoumbou was sent off.

Matteo Cancellieri earned a point for Empoli as they drew 1-1 with Genoa, who had led through Ruslan Malinovskyi.

Stuttgart closed the gap at the top of the Bundesliga with a 2-0 win against Werder Bremen.

Deniz Undav and Sehrou Guirassy were both on target for Stuttgart, who remain third in the table but are now two points away from second-placed Bayern Munich whose game against Union Berlin was cancelled due to snow.

RB Leipzig sit just behind Stuttgart in fourth following a 2-1 win over Heidenheim, going ahead through Lois Openda and Yussuf Poulsen before Benedikt Gimber pulled one back.

Nathan Ngoumou scored the winner as Borussia Monchengladbach beat Hoffenheim 2-1, while Bochum earned their first home league win of the season with a 3-1 victory against Wolfsburg.

In Ligue 1, Florent Mollet’s goal was the difference for Nantes to beat Nice 1-0, while Lens bounced back from their midweek Champions League thrashing to Arsenal with a 3-2 win against struggling Lyon.

Jake O’Brien gave Lyon the lead, but Wesley Said levelled before Przemyslaw Frankowski’s spot-kick put Lens ahead.

O’Brien equalised in the 72nd minute but Frankowski restored the lead four minutes later and despite going down to 10 in the 90th minute when Florian Sotoca was sent off, Lens held on to heap more misery on bottom-of-the table Lyon.

Rodrygo continued his red-hot form as Real Madrid returned to the top of LaLiga following a routine 2-0 win over struggling Granada.

The Brazil forward rifled home his seventh goal in his last five Real appearances to seal victory at Santiago Bernabeu following Brahim Diaz’s first-half opener.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men kicked off on Saturday evening having slipped to second in the table due to Girona’s 2-1 success over Valencia earlier in the day.

Yet they swiftly regained first place, above the Catalan club on head-to-head-results, following a straightforward success over the division’s second-bottom side.

England midfielder Jude Bellingham once again impressed but was unable to add to his 15 goals this season and picked up a first-half yellow card for dissent.

Victory for the hosts stretched their unbeaten streak in all competitions to 13 matches, dating back to the 3-1 derby defeat at Atletico Madrid in September.

Real were back in domestic action after maintaining their 100 per cent Champions League record with Wednesday’s 4-2 success over Serie A champions Napoli.

Their early dominance was rewarded with a 26th-minute lead.

Toni Kroos split the visitors’ defence with a fine first-time pass, allowing former Manchester City man Diaz to claim his third goal of the season by calmly lifting the ball over Granada’s substitute goalkeeper Andre Ferreira.

Bellingham wanted a penalty in the final minute of the half when he went down under a robust lunging challenge from Ignasi Miquel but his animated appeals were waved away by the referee.

Real initially looked content with their slender advantage during a fairly subdued start to the second period.

However, their slow, patient play was rewarded with a second goal in the 57th minute.

Bellingham looked certain to score following a cut back from the lively Diaz but Ferreira, who replaced the injured Raul Fernandez after 10 minutes, pulled off an impressive save, only to see the in-form Rodrygo emphatically lash home the rebound.

Granada’s sole success this season came at home to Mallorca back in August.

The away side never looked likely to set up a grandstand finish and did not manage an attempt on target as the hosts continued to monopolise the ball.

Federico Valverde went close to adding to Real’s advantage but he was denied by a superb one-handed save from Ferreira following a delightful pass from Bellingham.

Jude Bellingham will be fit for Real Madrid’s home match against Granada on Saturday.

The England midfielder has missed training with an ankle issue after scoring in Wednesday night’s Champions League win over Napoli.

But boss Carlo Ancelotti has declared the former Birmingham youngster fit to line up at the Bernabeu.

“He’s ready to play. He doesn’t have any problems,” Ancelotti said at his pre-match press conference.

“He’s a bit tired and he had a slight discomfort in his ankle. We preferred him not to have contact.”

Bellingham has now scored an incredible 15 goals in just 16 appearances for the LaLiga leaders.

“He’s a spectacular player, fantastic. We’re delighted with him. He’s highly respected because of the work he’s capable of doing,” added Ancelotti.

Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is also fit after a thigh injury, but Ancelotti confirmed Ukrainian Andriy Lunin will keep his place for now.

“He’s available and I’ll talk to him afterwards,” said the Italian. “He trained for the first time today and has been given the all-clear.

“Tomorrow we’ll go with Lunin and then he’ll have a week to prepare for the Real Betis game.”

Real top the table on goal difference ahead of Girona and lie four points above Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.

“The aim is to keep our good run going and to keep displaying quality and collective commitment, which is crucial in this period,” said Ancelotti.

“This is how we have built up this good run and the good results.

“It’s a very tight schedule, especially in this period when the Champions League group stage is being decided and the league table is starting to take shape.

“We have to hang in there and this has been an opportunity for the players who have had less playing time because they’ve been able to show their quality and are contributing significantly to the team.”

Granada are enduring a tough season so far with just one win and seven points from their opening 14 matches.

Carlo Ancelotti is confident Real Madrid can cope with their current injury problems ahead of Sunday’s trip to Cadiz.

Madrid are on a run of seven LaLiga matches without defeat and will be out to go top of the table with a win before current leaders Girona play on Monday.

Los Blancos will be without a host of leading players due to injury, with the likes of Vinicius Jr, Eduardo Camavinga, Eder Militao and Aurelien Tchouameni all unavailable.

But boss Ancelotti says there is no cause for concern as he has complete faith in his squad.

He said on the Madrid website: “We’ve had injuries that have hampered us, but the squad is solid.

“We’ve always been competitive despite the absences. We go into the game full of confidence and we hope that the injured players recover soon. We’re convinced that we can handle the problems because we have a squad that gives me confidence.

“Those who have played less have an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to show how good the players are that make up this squad.”

Madrid take on 16th-placed Cadiz before facing Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday and then Granada in the league three days later, meaning Ancelotti’s side face three games in seven days.

Ancelotti criticised the hectic schedule.

He added: “The calendar cannot be sustained and those who draw it up have to look at this.

“Now we have this problem and it will increase because there will be a World Cup and a Champions League with more matches.

“The only solution is to reduce the number of games and this can be done by LaLiga, UEFA and FIFA, but they do the opposite.

“It’s all good if you reduce the number of matches and that will reduce the number of injuries and improve the quality of the spectacle.

“I’ve seen 8-0 games and 14-0 games and I don’t know if that makes much sense.”

Uruguay midfielder Federico Valverde has signed a two-year contract extension at Real Madrid, the LaLiga club have announced.

The 25-year-old, who joined the Spanish giants in 2016, is now committed to stay at the Santiago Bernabeu until 2029.

Valverde, who has become a mainstay of the side over the past six seasons, has played 220 games for the club and won nine trophies including the Champions League and two LaLiga titles.

A statement from the club read: “Real Madrid and Fede Valverde have agreed to extend the contract of the player, who is linked to the club until June 30, 2029.”

Valverde becomes the fourth Real player to extend their contract with the club this month, after Eduardo Camavinga, Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior all signed new deals.

Real Madrid cruised into the knockout stages of the Champions League with a 3-0 win over Braga.

After overcoming an early scare when Alvaro Djalo missed a penalty for the visitors, the 14-time European champions took the lead through Brahim Diaz in the 27th minute and then seized control early in the second half as Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo added to the score line.

A fourth win out of four in Group C, and ninth straight game at home without defeat in the Champions League, saw Real book their place in the last-16 with two games to spare.

With the hosts needing only a point to be sure of progression, Carlo Ancelotti took the opportunity to rest a number of regulars.

Jude Bellingham was on the bench after suffering a blow to the shoulder at the weekend, while David Alaba and Dani Carvajal were also among the substitutes.

It was a dramatic start to the match as Braga were awarded a penalty just four minutes in, with Lucas Vazquez pulling Cristian Borja back by the shirt and earning a yellow card for his troubles.

But Real avoided further punishment with goalkeeper Andriy Lunin equal to a weak spot-kick from Djalo.

The home side wanted a penalty of their own moments later when Rodrygo went down under a challenge from Sikou Niakate but the referee waved play on.

Diaz, who replaced Bellingham in the side, thought he had scored in the 12th minute following a mistake from Niakate, sweeping home Rodrygo’s pass, but the Brazilian was deemed guilty of a foul in the build-up.

Braga were appealing for another penalty in the 20th minute when Vazquez barged into Bruma, but the winger had already lost control of the ball as he tried to punish a wayward header from the defender.

The hosts went straight to the other end where Federico Valverde blazed over but the goal was coming and arrived in the 27th minute when Rodrygo pulled the ball back for Diaz to lift into the roof of the net.

Rodrygo had a chance to double the lead before half-time but shot straight at Matheus from the left.

Diaz was close to a second 10 minutes into the second half after Vinicius cut the ball back, but his first effort was stopped by the goalkeeper and his follow-up shot blocked by Jose Fonte.

Real were turning up the heat, and the second goal came in the 58th minute as Vinicius finished off a neat move, cutting past Fonte and finding the bottom corner.

And they killed the game off three minutes later, hitting Braga on the break as Rodrygo exchanged passes with Vinicius before lifting the ball over the goalkeeper.

Braga dropped back in numbers to ensure there was no fourth on the night and almost got a goal of their own in stoppage time through Abel Ruiz’s header, which was well saved by Lunin.