Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has warned his side not to read too much into Barcelona’s recent slip-ups when the two teams meet in the Copa del Rey final on Wednesday.
Barca have won just one of their last four games in all competitions and lost potentially crucial ground in the La Liga title race on Saturday when they were beaten 1-0 at Granada.
However, Ancelotti, whose side swept aside Almeria 4-0 later in the day, is not taking too much notice of the recent struggles for the Catalans, who have seen Lionel Messi fail to find the target in three of his last four outings.
That is especially the case with Real superstar Cristiano Ronaldo a major doubt for the Wednesday showdown in Valencia due to a hamstring problem which has seen him miss the games against Borussia Dortmund and Almeria.
“I think Barcelona are thinking they can still win the league,”
Ancelotti said.
“There are many surprises in this league and I think they will fight to the end. It will not change the dynamic of Wednesday’s match.
“We have an incredibly important match on Wednesday and we don’t have time to think about anything else.
“We are in the fight for every competition. It isn’t easy and we have to give everything in all our matches.”
Real are 2.63 with Dafabet to win the Copa del Rey for the 19th time in their history, with Barca 2.41 to claim the trophy for a record 27th time.
The two giants of Spanish football last met in the Copa del Rey final in 2011, when an extra-time strike by Ronaldo gave the men from Madrid a 1-0 victory in the Mestalla.
Link Dafabet