The head coach of Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti, commented on the new format of the Champions League for the 2024/2025 season after the "Whites" failed to qualify directly for the Round of 16 of the main European tournament and moved on to the playoff round.
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“New format? Too many games. Too many matches have been played. We need to eliminate games, not add new ones. Whether I like this format or not doesn’t matter, as there are horrifically too many matches... We have to accept this Champions League and move on,” Ancelotti’s words are quoted by Marca.