Ancelotti calls Champions League final a derby as he’s "still an Evertonian"

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti insists that the Champions League final against Liverpool will be like a derby match for him because he's "still an Evertonian".

Los Blancos pulled the rabbit out of the again after miraculously squeezing past Manchester City in a dramatic 3-1 victory at the Bernabeu last night.

Two late strikes from Rodrygo flipped the match on its head after Riyad Mahrez had given Pep Guardiola's side the lead, and a seemingly uncatchable two-goal aggregate advantage with minutes remaining, before Karim Benzema's extra-time penalty settled the tie – setting up a mouth-watering encounter with Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool in Paris.

Ancelotti has now reached a record five Champions League finals as a manager, and he spoke to reporters after the game about what it means to face Liverpool – the only team to have beaten him at that stage in the competition.

"The feeling that I have is that I'm happy to reach another final," the Italian said. "To participate against a great team like Liverpool, in my history in this competition, in my past I have played against them a few times. In '84 as a player, I faced them again [as a manager] in 2005, and again in 2007.

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"I lived in Liverpool for two years. For me it's like a derby because I am still an Evertonian," he stressed.

Ancelotti holds an impressive record over Klopp's Liverpool side, having faced them four times as Everton boss, winning once, drawing twice and losing the other.

The two also met twice before in the Champions League, firstly when Real Madrid knocked Dortmund out in 2014, and again when Napoli faced Liverpool in the group stage in 2018.

On both occasions, the two sides shared the spoils with one win each.

Everton fans were miffed when Ancelotti cut his spell on Merseyside short last summer after Madrid came calling following Zinedine Zidane's departure, but beating their city rivals in the Champions League final will be one heck of an effective apology.

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