Ancelotti: This is my opinion on Betis, and Valverde is unavailable tomorrow

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti appeared at a press conference to talk about tomorrow's match against Betis in the 26th round of La Liga.

The coach said: "We are entering this match with good momentum as well as Betis. They are well-coached opponents, with good individual and collective qualities. Tomorrow there is a lot at stake for us and for them."

He added, "Asensio is fine and has recovered well. I was affected by what happened to him against Sociedad in the cup, but it is very normal after what happened. But he is ready to play. Something happened that shouldn't have happened, and they followed the protocol correctly. If it happens again, they need to apply it again as the referee did the other day, which he applied very well."

Regarding Bellingham's suspension and the red card removal from Anthony of Betis: "I am talking about what happened with Bellingham; it is unfair. I don't want to talk about Anthony, that doesn't concern me. What I need to do is that Bellingham cannot play tomorrow."

On the condition of Fede Valverde: "He is not injured and there is no scheduled rest period. He feels a little discomfort and it took some time to recover. He will not be available tomorrow, but he will be available for the next match."

On Vinicius as the team captain in the next match: "Captains are chosen. It was Vinicius Junior's turn, and he succeeded in that. He has been given more responsibilities and has been a real leader; everyone appreciates this."

He emphasized: "Tomorrow I will field the best lineup because these are the vital three points in the title race; it is a very difficult match, and we will not think about what might happen on Tuesday. Mbappe is in a good condition and is ready to play."

He continued: "Camavinga played in the Champions League final alongside Toni Kroos; he has the quality to play. Like Modric and Tchouameni, Ceballos's injury is unfortunate; he has contributed a lot. But, as always, we will find a replacement for him."

He added: "Asensio has the quality to play at right-back; he is different from Lucas and Valverde. If you have a winger like Rodrygo, you won't need a full-back who attacks a lot. He is very good defensively."

He concluded: "Modric is capable of playing two consecutive matches; he is one of the few who hasn't suffered injuries; he is in great physical condition. I see no reason preventing him from playing two consecutive matches. The available data indicates that he is well prepared."

Regarding convincing Vinicius to return to defense: "We have talked about this several times, not just with Vinicius, but with everyone. They agreed. The group has clearly changed in recent matches. Since the match against Atletico, the defensive improvement has been clear."

He finished: "The dynamics are good. We relied on players who haven't played much in the last few matches, and it worked. It's not just our absences that concern us, but also the strength of our opponent. It's a match where anything can happen tomorrow.