Last term, Real played out a 1-1 home draw with City in the semi-final, first leg before being thrashed 4-0 by Pep Guardiola's side, who won the competition for the first time.

Aurelien Tchouameni's long-range strike earned Real Madrid a 1-0 victory over Copa del Rey runners-up Mallorca on Saturday to send Carlo Ancelotti's side 11 points clear at the top of La Liga.

Last season record 14-time winners Madrid tied 1-1 with Pep Guardiola's City at home in the semi-final first leg but were hammered 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium.

Pep Guardiola's side thrashed Madrid 5-1 on aggregate in last season's semi-finals and Ancelotti called on his players to show more mental strength this time around.

On Thursday, Vinicius urged the European governing body UEFA to take action against alleged racist chants directed at him by Atletico Madrid and Barcelona fans.

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said he was calm about accusations he avoided 1 million euros ($1.09 million) in taxes on image rights revenues while he was at the club in 2014 and 2015.

Spanish prosecutors on Wednesday called for Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti to be jailed for four years and nine months for allegedly failing to declare earnings to the tax office.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti on Saturday steered away from talk of Kylian Mbappe signing for the Spanish giants in the summer at the end of his Paris Saint-Germain contract.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said Saturday Barcelona complaints over his club allegedly influencing La Liga referees were unprofessional.

Los Blancos take on Diego Simeone's Atletico on Wednesday in Riyadh in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final, again next week in the Copa del Rey last 16, and also in La Liga in early February.

"Guler performed well for an hour. It was important for him to get used to playing with the team," Ancelotti told reporters.

Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham is the best player in the world, his coach Carlo Ancelotti said Friday.

"In 2026, depending on my results, I may still be there. I want to be the coach of Madrid (...) and I hope to be able to continue being that in 2027 and 2028 because I want to stay here," he said.

Carlo Ancelotti extended his contract with Real Madrid to June 2026 on Friday which would rule him out of becoming Brazil national coach.

Real Madrid did enough to beat lowly Granada 2-0 in LaLiga on Saturday, a game that will not live long in the memory of an underwhelmed Santiago Bernabeu Stadium crowd on a chilly evening in the Spanish capital.

"I'll give you the chance to ask another question," a visibly annoyed Ancelotti told a reporter at his press conference on Tuesday.

The draw leaves Madrid second, two points behind shock leaders Girona, who came from behind to beat Osasuna, and two ahead of Barcelona after the Catalans' fortunate win over Real Sociedad on Saturday.

The result was harsh on Carlo Ancelotti's team, who struck the woodwork five times and created plenty of opportunities. But Spanish champions Barcelona's more clinical finishing proved to be the difference

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti moved Thursday to tamp down discussion of his possible future move to the Brazilian national team, saying he was focused on the Spanish giants and their upcoming season.

A Spanish judge said Ancelotti had "acknowledged" the actions which deprived the country's treasury of 386,361 euros ($428,000), in a court document seen by AFP on Wednesday