Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Jan 11 Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti and his Barcelona counterpart Hansi Flick remained quiet on the controversy over Barcelona's Spain international Dani Olmo ahead of the Spanish Super Cup final between the two sides. Olmo and Pau Victor were given the OK to play the game despite Spanish league rules saying that a player cannot be registered twice with the same club in the same season.
Olmo and Victor's registrations with Barcelona ended on December 31 due to financial regulations, and other clubs in Spain, such as Atletico Madrid, Valencia, and Espanyol, have all published communiques showing their opposition to the decision.
Ancelotti was diplomatic when asked what it would mean if Olmo scored in Sunday's final, reports Xinhua.
"It would mean that we have not been able to stop a player that everyone knew," replied the Italian, who added that midfielder Jude Bellingham "had recovered well" after appearing to suffer a muscle problem in Thursday's semifinal against Mallorca.
"All the players are available, we are in good shape and enthusiastic," added Ancelotti, who also predicted a different game after the 4-0 defeat Barcelona had inflicted on his side in La Liga in October. "We have to think about what happened in the first game because they beat us, we have looked at what happened in that game," he insisted.
Asked about Olmo's situation, Flick hinted that the summer signing may not start on Sunday, with Gavi keeping his place in the line-up. "Gavi played really well against Athletic [in the semifinal]. He had the confidence and gave the team a lot of things that are very important. I think Gavi will play," he said in his press conference.
The German added that he had told his players to "forget about all the controversy", saying they needed to be "cohesive and strong", and to block out "all outside noise".
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