A year on from last season’s tie at the same stage, the two sides again meet in the Champions League semi-final.
The first leg will be played at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday before the last four encounter is completed at the Etihad Stadium next Wednesday.
After confirming that his talismanic midfielder Luka Modric has recovered from a recent injury and will play on Tuesday, Ancelotti was asked about the threats City posed.
REAL MADRID V CITY | TV INFO, FORM GUIDE, SQUAD NEWS
In particular, the Italian believes the addition of Erling Haaland, the Champions League’s leading scorer so far this campaign, has taken our game to a new level.
He said: “Haaland is a very dangerous player. Not just his goals but he’s a constant threat. It’s a very complete team, they can defend and attack.
“They have a very clear idea how they want to play football. It’s not just about stopping Haaland, it’s about stopping a team who at times have been unstoppable but we will have our chances. It’s going to be a competitive contest.
“They were a very dangerous team last season but Haaland brings something different. They can play more direct if needed. De Bruyne plays in behind Haaland and can bring the ball down.
“The tie will be decided in that return leg. We want to take a good result to Manchester.”
Earlier, midfielder Toni Kroos fielded questions about City’s threats and the style of Pep Guardiola, who managed Kroos at Bayern Munich.
“They play well, score lots of goals,” he said.
“They’re good at the back. If you play against a side that can score three or four goals in a game, you have to defend well.
“Pep’s team have their style, they know how they want the game to be played. Regardless of the teams he has coached, he always wants to dominate possession and always looks to improve.
“Signing new players for example, someone like Haaland who has 51 goals this season. Things have been working well but we know we’re going to face a very tough Manchester City team. Let’s see.”
Kroos doesn’t believe our late heartbreak just over 12 months ago will have much an effect on City’s desire this time around.
He said: “I don’t know if they could be more motivated than us. It’s clear they have the goal to win the Champions League.
“They had two good games, maybe in the first leg they missed the chance to score a bit more. Even here they scored the first goal and were very close. I expect the same motivation. We will be motivated anyway.
“A Manchester City managed by Pep will not be easy.”
Real Madrid v City
We will have full coverage of Tuesday’s match right here on the official Man City app.
Our Matchday Centre will be available from 18:00 (UK), providing you with live text updates before, during and after the game.
Our Matchday Live programme will begin shortly before team news arrives at 18:45 (UK).
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Host Natalie Pike will welcome Paul Dickov, Shaun Goater and Steph Houghton into the studio to provide you with a City-centric view on the events in Spain.
During the game, Alistair Mann and Michael Brown will guide you through proceedings with our radio commentary.
Highlights will be available at 23:00 (UK) on Wednesday and CITY+ subscribers can watch a full 90-minute replay from midnight.
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