Ex Real Madrid president confronts 'remontada' saga ahead of Arsenal

Real Madrid find themselves in the rare position of underdogs in Champions League football tonight as Carlo Ancelotti’s side looks to overturn a 3-0 deficit against Arsenal under the lights at the Bernabeu.

The Gunners stunned the Galacticos at the Emirates Stadium last Tuesday with a Declan Rice brace and Mikel Merino finish putting the London side into a strong position ahead of the quarter final’s second leg in Spain. However, despite the aggregate score, the hosts have a confidence that comes with having won the tournament a record 15 times.

The word banded around the Bernabeu and the Spanish capital this week is ‘remontada’, which means comeback. England international and Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham has admitted it’s the most used word in training this week and now former president Ramón Calderón has used the saying to sum up mood at the football club.

Ex Real Madrid president believes in ‘remontada’

Speaking to Sky Sports on Wednesday morning ahead of the cup tie, he said: “Good morning, you’ll see our sun shining. I’m sure you’ve heard many times the word ‘remontada’, that means comeback. It’s true, everyone is expecting that, it’s what happens with this club when they play in the Champions League at the Bernabeu stadium.

“It’s really special and people are really expecting the comeback, and I hope so. Why not? If we score one goal in the first 15 minutes, maybe again the miracle is coming back. I always remember that match against Manchester City, minute 89, 0-2 on aggregate and we managed to pass into the next round, so why not tonight?”

That fighting talk comes after a similar sentiment shared by Bellingham and Ancelotti this week. The star midfielder told the press: “By the time we were back in the bus in London, we were all believing that we could come back in the tie.

"We are going with the mentality that only a comeback is possible. We have confidence because of the clubs history and we also feel this team can make it special. The most word used in the dressing room in the last days is ‘Remontada’! Also people around us believe we can do it, this only happens at Real Madrid for sure.”

Carlo Ancelotti fires Arsenal warning

The Spanish word ‘remontada’ has become well-coined in the world of football. The word literally translates to ‘recovery’ or ‘fightback’ and is used when a team comes back from a deficit in a fixture, just as Real Madrid will have to do against Arsenal.

The popularity of the work skyrocketed following Barcelona’s famous comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League in 2017. The Catalans side were 4-0 down going into the second leg but turned it around in front of a home crowd, securing a 6-1 win to finish as 6-5 winners on the aggregate score.

Using the word this week, Ancelotti said: “Remontada? We will try. It happened many times. We will try until the last minute.”

Speaking ahead of this week’s second leg, Ancelotti also warned Arsenal not to be complacent despite their 3-0 lead going into the match in Spain. The Real Madrid head coach has remained staunch in his belief that the club can pull of another famous European night at the Bernabeu.

He said: "I want to see a Real Madrid that's capable of recovering its sensations, that's positive. Everyone's thinking about Wednesday's game, but Wednesday's game will undoubtedly depend on the performance we have to put in tomorrow's match [La Liga clash v Alaves on Sunday].

"We'll try (to come back). Real Madrid is the only team that's had this happen to it so many times, but we'll try again. We know when our fans can help us at our stadium; we've done it many times, and we'll try again. We'll try until the last minute and until the last ball, starting tomorrow."

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