Real Madrid boss, Carlo Ancelotti, has insisted that Barcelona are not direct rivals for his team this season because the Catalan club are too low down the LaLiga table.
Barcelona currently sits eighth in LaLiga after 16 games, trailing leaders Real Madrid by 18 points.
Despite the Blaugrana’s struggles this season, Barcelona manager, Xavi Hernandez, claimed that his side are still in the fight for the LaLiga title, but Ancelotti is not worried about losing out to their El Clasico counterparts.
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Asked about Xavi’s comments, Ancelotti said during his pre-match press conference on Saturday ahead of Real Madrid’s away LaLiga clash with Cadiz on Sunday night at home, that the likes of Sevilla and Real Betis pose more of a threat than Barca.
“Barca are not direct rivals now because there are other teams closer like Sevilla or Betis,” Ancelotti said.
“But they have the quality to move up the table and if I were Barcelona’s coach, I would say exactly the same as Xavi.”
Ancelotti’s men currently sit eight points clear of second-placed Sevilla in the Spanish top-flight, though Julen Lopetegui’s men have a game in hand.
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