Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti says he is not concerned by a spate of injuries ahead of Wednesday's Champions League quarterfinal second leg at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu as he has the best squad in the world to choose from.
Ancelotti is without four first-choice players for the game, with midfielder Luka Modric and attacker Gareth Bale both picking up injuries in Saturday's 3-1 La Liga win over Malaga, centre-forward Karim Benzema still suffering from knee knock picked up in last Tuesday's goalless first leg, and left-back Marcelo suspended.
The Real coach told his pregame news conference that he was not thinking about which players would be missing, but rather how to reach into his squad to choose a side capable of performing as well as Madrid had in last week's first meeting at Atletico's Estadio Vicente Calderon.
"We are missing important players, but that does not change what we have to do on the pitch," Ancelotti said. "The solution will be to put in players who are motivated, fit, fresh and are going to try and help the team.
"I will put out the best team to try and play as we did in the first half last week. That is the objective, and the idea, of everyone. The system does not change. I have the best squad, in my opinion, in the world. So it is important not to think about who will not play, but be focused on those who will play. For this reason I have a lot of confidence in my players."
Reporters were reminded that Madrid had been missing key players for last season Copa del Rey and Champions League finals, but still won both games.
"It is clear that we must live with the injuries, as we have before," Ancelotti said. "We had them in important games last season too -- we missed Cristiano Ronaldo in one final, missed Xabi Alonso in another. And we lived with that. So we will not damage our confidence, the team is good, fresh, and I am sure those who play will go for everything."
Ancelotti said he had previously been confident that Benzema would recover from his knee problem in time, however the injury had not responded as hoped to treatment over the weekend.
"[Benzema] got the pretty serious injury on Tuesday, although it seemed on Friday he was okay," he said. "On Saturday and Sunday he tried to do some work, but his condition did not improve. He had a strain in his knee. And he has not recovered."
The solutions for Wednesday's game could see Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez at centre-forward, James Rodriguez on the right wing, and Isco and Asier Illarramendi in central midfield, Ancelotti suggested.
"At this moment James is doing very well, whether on the right wing or in midfield," he said. "He is very well accustomed to the two positions. Chicharito has played very well in the games he has been given and he showed against Malaga that he is physically and psychologically very good. When Modric was injured in November, we won a lot of games with Isco playing very well in his position. The players are very used to these type of injuries."
The first leg result means that to progress Madrid must either score against Atletico's superb defence, or face a penalty shootout if the return game also finishes scoreless.
"We have not won [in seven derbis this season], because Atletico are very strong, very solid and among best teams in the world defensively," Ancelotti said. "It will be an even game, competitive in every respect, with intensity. I do not believe Atletico will be in a hurry to score, or us neither. We are prepared for anything. To practice penalties for me is very difficult, as it is impossible to recreate the game atmosphere."
Ancelotti also responded to Croatia national team doctor Boris Nemec's claims that he had been partly to blame for Modric's new injury, having not eased the player more gradually back into the team on his return from a previous serious injury last month.
"It seems like this doctor has come from another world, as if he is an alien who talks like this," Ancelotti said.