Ancelotti expects rotations for Real's game that could clinch the title

Real will be looking to overturn a 4-3 deficit from the first leg in order to reach its 17th final in the competition.

Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti suggested he will rest several regular starters for Saturday's LaLiga game against Espanyol as it prepares to host Manchester City in the second leg of their Champions League semifinal a few days later.

Real will be looking to overturn a 4-3 deficit from the first leg in order to reach its 17th final in the competition.

The LaLiga leaders need at least a point against lowly Espanyol, who has lost three of its last four league games, to guarantee its 35th Spanish title with almost a month of the season remaining.

"The idea is to rest the players who are in need of resting," Ancelotti told a news conference on Friday.

"At this stage of the season, the player's opinion is very important, but the decision is made by the coach. However, I have not found many players who have asked me not to play because they are tired."

 

The Italian will have to make changes in defence anyway as Nacho and Eder Militao are suspended and David Alaba is still recovering from a lower leg injury suffered in Manchester last Tuesday.

Ancelotti added he will wait and see if striker Karim Benzema is fully recovered from a minor Achilles tendon injury that was bothering the player after scoring two of Real's three goals at the Etihad.

Despite the rotations, Ancelotti insisted he would put out a team on Saturday to win the match and clinch the title in style.

"Our fans want two things: to win tomorrow and to win on Wednesday. We want the same," he said.

"Nobody thought that we would now have a 15-point advantage against our closest opponent. The team has done very well, winning in very difficult stadiums: Seville, San Sebastian, Bilbao, Barcelona...

"We have made the difference this season and what could happen on Saturday is a consequence of that hard work."