News
NEWS | Copa del Rey
05 May 2023

Carvajal: "We face the Copa final with special motivation".

Dani Carvajal, Real Madrid's captain, detects among his teammates the desire to win a title that many are struggling to win; Carlo Ancelotti asks not to be distracted by anything in a final that he predicts will be "evenly matched and competitive".

Real Madrid do not see themselves as favorites, but they face the match with a lot of composure and with the confidence of having many players who are familiar with playing in finals. These were the words of Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti and captain Dani Carvajal at the official press conference for the 2023 Copa final. The press conference came minutes before the training session in which the Madrid squad had the opportunity to test the La Cartuja pitch in the intense Sevillian heat.

Dani Carvajal, one of the few players in the squad to have won a Copa with Real Madrid, said he felt "a special motivation" among his teammates. "We approach it like a Champions League," he said, before wishing that "hopefully we can win it tomorrow". Carvajal played his first final with Real Madrid in a Copa final nine years ago, precisely; and his experience leads him to "face the match with a lot of tranquility, knowing that it will be very demanding, and to do what has made us get here".

A return to the Copa final that has taken too many years, as the defender himself recalled: "We were struggling, but tomorrow we play in a final, which is something fantastic; and this year we have managed to achieve the goal of reaching the final". "The green never deceives and, in the end, the work has its reward", he affirmed at another moment of the appearance.

The Real Madrid right-back emphasized that his team has many players " accustomed" to matches of this nature, and this could be an important argument for the clash. However, he stressed that the Merengue team does not see itself as a favorite, and mentioned the last league match of Club Atlético Osasuna: "Even with less regular players they played a good match and showed that everyone adds up".

Regarding Los Rojillos, Carvajal was clear: "Like their motto, they never give up; we interpret that it will be a very intense match, they will give everything, with the knife between their teeth, and they will squeeze us to the maximum".

Ancelotti: "We arrived with merit; now, let's enjoy it".

Carlo Ancelotti took over from Carvajal in the press room to ask his players to enjoy the final "as if it were their last".

After a hard-fought journey that makes Ancelotti talk about his team having arrived "with merit" to this match at La Cartuja, the Italian coach of Real Madrid asked for intensity and not to think about anything else but this final. The coach sees his squad very motivated to face an opponent, he said, that has also deservedly reached the final.

Ancelotti tiptoed around questions about other matches or his future, to focus on a key match in his aspiration to win as many titles as possible as a club in two seasons. The Madrid coach did not want to divert attention from a match that he predicted would be complicated, "evenly matched and competitive".

Tomorrow's final, said Ancelotti, will be a competitive match against a strong and well-organized opponent. "I've told Jagoba because I know," he joked, referring to the joint pose of both coaches next to the trophy. A pose in which the maximum sportsmanship was felt, which is also expected to be seen on the pitch during the match.

DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL DOSSIER OF THE FINAL