Carlo Ancelotti, the Italian coach of Real Madrid, praised his rival ahead of the derby, highlighting the improvements made by Atlético Madrid compared to last season. He remarked that the team "has improved a lot" after signing "very good players" and expressed confidence that Atlético will compete for the title "until the end."

"A derby is special. My assessment of Atlético is that they are a team that I believe has improved a lot compared to last year. They have signed very good players, strengthened their squad, and will fight until the end for this La Liga with us and Barcelona," Ancelotti stated in a press conference.

The Madrid coach confirmed the recovery of Frenchman Eduardo Camavinga but did not reveal if he would start, as Ancelotti might adjust the system by adding a midfielder due to the absence of Kylian Mbappé, or if Camavinga would appear later in the match.

"Camavinga is available; he has trained well, recovered, and is in good condition. He is available for tomorrow, and when someone is available, they can play 90 or 0 minutes," Ancelotti said.

The absence of Mbappé leads to a potential return to last season's Real Madrid system, though Ancelotti downplayed the significance of switching from a 4-4-2 to the 4-3-3 used earlier this season.

"I don't focus too much on the system because a 4-3-3 can turn into a 4-4-2 with the same players. Adding a midfielder or a forward doesn't necessarily change things because even with three forwards, you can still play a 4-4-2. What matters is that the team shows solidarity and commitment," he explained.

"The position of Bellingham depends a lot on the role and strategy we want to use. Obviously, without Mbappé, things change a bit, but not much. We're used to playing without him since he wasn't with us last year. It's a shame he's not here, but we can manage without him," Ancelotti added.

Ancelotti acknowledged that the Cívitas Metropolitano is "a very tough stadium," where they suffered their only two defeats of the previous season, indicating that Real Madrid "needs to improve." He emphasized that they must learn from the mistakes made in one of their poorest performances last season.

"One hundred percent, we can apply what I said. We must avoid the mistakes of last year. It's quite obvious that loss woke us up. We didn't perform well defensively, and that lesson can serve us well tomorrow," he assured.

Real Madrid enters the derby after five consecutive wins, with Ancelotti defending the team's progress despite a late lapse against Alavés, where they conceded two goals after leading 3-0.

"The team has improved, especially considering the last match, except for the lapse in the last ten minutes. In recent games, we've been a more solid, compact, and effective team. We've scored many goals, all of good quality. We're on the right track. Tomorrow is a very important test in this regard. Being a compact team is key for this match," he analyzed.

Ancelotti anticipates a derby that "will be a spectacle" in a closely contested game. "It will be very competitive and hard-fought, very entertaining like the last ones because both teams have a lot of quality. Each game has its own story, and predicting what will happen is very difficult. We have a plan, we want to enjoy it, and let's see if it goes well."