Carlo Ancelotti drops Copa del Rey final tactical hint

Real Madrid are fully focused on domestic matters for the final weeks of the 2024/25 season as they chase down Barcelona.

Los Blancos bounced back from their UEFA Champions League exit at the hands of Arsenal with a vital La Liga win.

Fede Valverde’s incredible late winner secured a 1-0 victory over Athletic Club in Madrid to move Carlo Ancelotti’s side back to four points behind Barcelona.

The defending champions now have just six games left to pull back Hansi Flick’s team including a league meeting between the sides in Catalonia on May 11.

However, before that clash, the El Clasico rivals will also meet in the Copa del Rey final in Sevilla on April 26, with Ancelotti hunting a Spanish double and Flick chasing a treble in his debut campaign.

Ancelotti will be planning and balancing his squad ahead of the final and he dropped a hint over his planned formation for the game later this month.

“4-4-2 is my favourite system. I’m very fond of it because it’s the best defensively,” as per quotes from Diario AS.

“Using it doesn’t mean I have to play with four midfielders. Often, I use Vinicius Junior on the left wing, and other times, it’s Rodrygo on the right.

“You can play 4-4-2 with six midfielders, if you use two forward midfielders. In a 4-4-2, it doesn’t mean you only have two strikers. Sometimes it depends on the type of full back you play.”

Despite his comment on looking to utilise 4-4-2 more in the final weeks of the season, Ancelotti stayed tight-lipped on his selection plans for the final, after a few changes against Athletic Club.

“I put out a line up to have more control with Luka Modric and Dani Ceballos in midfield. Dani was coming back off an injury. Then we put on Endrick, to play higher up the pitch.

“We have time to prepare for the final now. The win is good for us.”