Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the media in the press room at the Allianz Arena to give his assessment of Bayern Munich-Real Madrid (Tuesday, 9:00pm CEST) in the Champions League semi-final first leg. The coach reflected: “Everything that's happened in the past of course holds good memories, but tomorrow will be a different story. First game of the semi-final, we're confident but aware we're up against a team with great attributes, quality and real individual talent. As always, we're thrilled to be here because not many people thought I'd be here giving this press conference today. We have achieved it through effort, hard work and commitment. Now we're worried and confident in equal measure ahead of a semi-final that could send us into another final. It's played over 180 minutes, not 90."

“We are confident but we have great respect for this team. They haven't had the best season in the Bundesliga but they played a very impressive tie against Arsenal. They were very good in both games. We have to look at that, Arsenal are a very strong side in Europe and they delivered two superb displays. This club's history is more or less the same as ours in the Champions League and that counts for a lot."

Are Real Madrid underrated?
“Real Madrid are never underrated in this competition. Everyone knows what we can do. To be honest, we feel hugely respected by everyone in this competition."

Mendy and Davies
“I can talk about Mendy. He picked up a bit of a strain in the game against Barcelona and he's recovered very well. He's back training normally and we're thrilled to have him ready for tomorrow's game. I don't like to discuss anything else regarding the opposition's players. We respect all of Bayern's players because they have immense quality in their team."

European classic 
“If I have to compare, they're very strong on the transition, they have quick players and can play in different ways, with a high press or a low block... We are both teams without a very fixed identity, which means we can play in different ways."

Relationship with Munich
“Munich is a beautiful, fantastic city. Sadly, I always struggled to learn German. My son was more fortunate in that sense, he speaks it very well. I'm sorry to say I've forgotten a lot of it. By the way, this is a wonderful city to live in."

Tchouameni unbeaten in games he starts
“That's true, he's not lost a game yet, but we could say we're here because he didn't play against City (laughs). Some players are hugely important and he will play tomorrow. Where? I'm not sure."

The importance of an experienced coach
“We never play the most important role. I have a very firm idea about what our role is. There are two types of coaches: those who don't do anything and those who do more harm than good. I try and be one of the first. The game is down to the players, you can tell them the strategy you want them to follow but they have to be convinced they can do it. Then things like quality, attitude and commitment come into it. What a coach can do is ensure the players fully understand how to work in a team. Every team has quality, the difference lies in where you employ that quality. You have to make it available to the team, not keep it for yourself."

Jeremy de León
“We want 20 of us in training and in recent games we've called on Jeremy a few times because having spoken to Raúl, he's been very good for Castilla and he's a disciplined lad. He adds something to our training sessions because he's a young kid with real quality."

Bernardo Silva's comments
“I don't know. We're not weird, we're a team whose colours mean an awful lot in this competition. History counts for a lot in this tournament. I have nothing to say to Bernardo Silva, he's a wonderful player. They were celebrating last year and this year it was us. That's football."

Making unfair decisions in the line-up
“Every time I name a starting XI, it's a bit unfair but that's my job. The guys who have been out for the whole season are coming back. Militão put in a fantastic shift against Real Sociedad but he's lacking game time and that's normal. In a tough game like Friday's was, he did all that was asked of him. He's available and he could play. I can't think about whether I'm being fair or not because I'm harsh on someone in every game. Unfortunately, that's my job."

Gnabry to score 
“Of course Gnabry has a good chance of scoring, as does Kane, Sané or Musiala. Vini has a greater chance of scoring than Mendy. That's just statistics. We have great respect for their forward line that is packed full of spectacular players with different attributes.."

Opinion on Tuchel
“If I have anything to say about Tuchel, it's that he's a great coach. He's young and his tactical awareness is fantastic. His teams are very well coached. I have great respect for him, I'm fond of him.”

Technical alterations
“No tactical changes. Every team has their own characteristics and we have to assess them well without losing our identity. We will need all the attributes we've shown this season tomorrow. We'll have to defend strongly, avoid the counter-attack and go forward well. You can't be lacking in any department in a semi-final, it must be a complete performance."

His past at Bayern
“I have been lucky enough to coach this club. It could have been longer, but I had a wonderful 18 months. I hold fantastic memories of it and I have a great relationship with Rummenigge.”