Carlo Ancelotti warns Real Madrid ‘we’re not going to win’ against Atletico with repeat of Real Betis performance

Madrid lost 2-1 away from home to Betis on Saturday night, a result that left them behind both Barcelona and Atletico in the Liga title chase.

Speaking to the press, Ancelotti reflected: “It was a poor game. We started well, but then we couldn’t keep up the initial tempo in terms of attitude and commitment, and we lost control of the game against a team that played better and deserved the win.

“It’s a big blow. We have to react. Losing at this stage of the season is hard, because every team competes, and we didn’t do well in this game.”

Ancelotti’s men took the lead through Brahim Diaz after just 10 minutes, but Johnny Cardoso levelled after 34 minutes, and former Real Madrid star Isco grabbed the winner from the spot with a 54th-minute penalty.

Ancelotti was asked if his players thought a 1-0 lead was enough. He replied: “I’m not in their heads. We couldn’t maintain our good positioning after the first 20 minutes. We lost possession 27 times in the first half—far too many—and Betis got back into the game.”

He warned that a similar display could cost them in their European tie against Atletico: “If we play like that, we won’t win on Tuesday. Hopefully, this match serves as a wake-up call. We seemed more organized recently, but today, we weren’t.”

Ancelotti also revealed that Kylian Mbappe struggled due to a tooth issue, leading to his early substitution. “He hadn’t trained much and wasn’t at his best. To avoid problems, I took him off and brought on Endrick, who is in good form.”

Real Madrid will host Atletico on Tuesday before traveling for the away leg the following week.