Ancelotti Reveals Why El Clasico Against Barcelona Will Be Different From Super Cup Defeat

• Carlo Ancelotti has told Real Madrid supporters to expect a different game when they face Barcelona on Thursday
• La Blaugrana thrashed Los Blancos 3-1 when both teams last met in Riyadh in the final of the Spanish Super Cup
• Real Madrid will host Barca in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium

Carlo Ancelotti has warned Barcelona to expect a different game when the Catalan giants face off against Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg.

Los Blancos were outplayed by their arch-rivals in the Spanish Super Cup final, running out 3-1 winners to lift their first trophy under manager, Xavi Hernandez.

According to Football Espana, Ancelotti has now vowed that the mistakes made in the Super Cup loss will not be repeated when both teams meet again on March 2.

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“We have evaluated everything. In the Super Cup, we lacked commitment and forcefulness, with individual mistakes that will not be repeated."

“We are close to winning an important competition and we are going to compete. It’s not the decisive game, but we want to gain an advantage.”

Real Madrid will host Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium for the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg, before the reverse fixture at Camp Nou on April 5.

Ancelotti aims for strongest XI

Meanwhile, Ancelotti will go in with everything he has against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semi-final, having already warned that 'the Cup is the most important thing', AS Soccer reports.

Federico Valverde, Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior should start in attack, while Thibaut Courtois will be protected by Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Antonio Rüdiger and Nacho Fernandez.

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Toni Kroos and Luka Modric are non-negotiable as midfielders on both huge nights, with Eduardo Camavinga the player who has the highest credentials to be the pivot for Real Madrid.

Ancelotti confident in league race

Sports Brief also reported on Real Madrid not giving up the La Liga title without a fight. The reigning champions trail Barcelona by seven points but La Blaugrana have a game in hand.

Los Blancos dropped points once again as they drew with Atletico Madrid in a tense Madrid derby. Ancelotti's men had to rely on a late goal from Alvaro Rodriguez to secure a 1-1 draw.

The draw further dented Real Madrid's hopes of retaining their title but the club's Italian manager said the team was not ready to throw in the towel, warning they would keep fighting.