Ancelotti Tips Real Madrid To Retain Champions League Title

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is confident that the club can successfully defend their Champions League crown as the competition gets underway on Tuesday.

Ancelotti led Real Madrid To their 14th Champions League trophy when they defeated Liverpool 1-0 courtesy of a goal by Vinicius.

Real Madrid have been placed as the fifth favourite to win the Champions League by the bookmakers, behind the likes of Bayern Munich,  PSG, Manchester City and Liverpool.

Ancelotti is not bothered about the bookmakers' prediction.

"It's not a surprise for me not being the odds-on favourite, I think it's a good sign,"

"I think that last year we had even less probability in the statistics to win it. And we have an improved team this season.

"What happened last year will happen again. We are going to compete until the end, and hopefully, we will compete in the final."

Real Madrid breezed past the likes of PSG, Chelsea,  Manchester City and Liverpool to win the competition last season.

"In this competition, Real Madrid have always been respected. The history of the club is part of the history of this competition," Ancelotti said.

"We start with enthusiasm, as always, but you never know what is going to happen. We have to think about the group stage first, win it and then see what happens after the (break in November and December for the) World Cup."

The Defending Champions will start their Champions League campaign against Celtic on Tuesday.

The La Liga Champions lost the likes of Marcelo and Casemiro in the summer and brought in Aurelien Tchouameni and Antonio Rudiger to beef up the team.