Carlo Ancelotti Puts Aside Friendships to Focus on Winning With Real

• Carlo Ancelotti is driven to win, especially during the upcoming Madrid derby between Real and Atletico
• Ancelotti touched on how difficult it was selecting a team, as he put aside friendships to focus on winning
• Vinicius Junior is in fine form for Real Madrid of late and will be expected to play a starring role again

Carlo Ancelotti is fully focused on the upcoming Madrid Derby.

Ancelotti's Real Madrid will take on Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid in a battle between second and fourth.

The rivalry between the two sides is always heated and both managers want to come of out the game with a win. Speaking ahead of the clash, Ancelotti admitted that his only focus at Madrid was to win games, Marca reported.

"I'm not here to make friends, I have a weakness, which is that I want Real Madrid to be happy, and that only happens if we win," he said.

Vinicius a joy to behold for Ancelotti in face of racism rows

Football

Doing what's best for Madrid

Ancelotti made the comments after he was questioned about the team he would field for the game.

When speaking about Naco and whether he would play, the Italian manager stated that sometime felt bad for players because he liked them, but he had to do what was best for the team.

"I feel sorry for my players because I am very fond of them, but I just want Real Madrid to be happy."

Vini Jr's history with Atletico

Ancelotti also spoke about Vinicius Junior, a player who has been in sublime form of late. The Brazilian has also been the subject of numerous racist attacks in La Liga, with Atletico Madrid fans being among the chief culprits.

Doing the recent encounter between the two sides, Atleti fans hung an effigy of Vini Jr from a bridge, Goal reported. Maybe expect Vini to be key for Real in the derby and Ancelotti put down his recent form to his hard work in training.

When Ibrahimovic made his pick between Messi and Ronaldo

Football

"What Vinicius shows on the field is what he always tries to do in training.

"He has improved a lot in finishing because he has trained it a lot. After training, Vinicius spends 10-15 minutes to improve his finishing," he explained.

A win for Madrid would see them close the gap to Barcelona to five points, with the Blaugrana only playing tomorrow against Almeria.

Who needs a win more?

A win for Simeone's side will see them climb up to third place, above Real Sociedad. Sociedad takes on Valencia this match week, following the Madrid derby.

Ancelotti's tactical gamble against Liverpool

There’s a reason why Carlo Ancelotti is such a respected coach.

The Real Madrid manager proved that he is a tactical genius as he masterminded a win over Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League.

Ancelotti admitted that he took a big gamble with his tactics during the game, one that paid off massively, Sports Brief earlier reported.