Ancelotti sends his best to Italy from Brazil and praises Serie A star: ‘Nobody like him’
Brazil national team head coach Carlo Ancelotti has sent his best wishes to the Italy side ahead of their World Cup play-off final against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday evening and has given even more praise to his former Real Madrid midfielder, Luka Modric, now at Milan: ‘There’s nobody like him on the world market’.
Ancelotti: ‘I hope Italy qualify, but I won’t be able to watch’
Italy will be in World Cup play-off final action away against Bosnia and Herzegovina at 19.45 BST on Tuesday evening, while Brazil, who have already qualified for the 2026 tournament, will take on Croatia in a friendly in Florida, USA, later on in the same night, kicking off at 1.00 BST in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Monday, Ancelotti told reporters: “I hope Italy qualify for the World Cup, but I won’t be able to watch the national team tomorrow. We have to prepare for our match against Croatia.” (via ANSA).
Among the opposition for Ancelotti’s Brazil in their upcoming friendly will be former Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric, who has excelled in Serie A at the age of 40 this season.
“Modric can play in every position in the midfield, because he is a complete and modern player, one of the best players I have ever coached and a spectacular professional with an extraordinary passion for football,” Ancelotti said ahead of his reunion with the Rossoneri veteran.
He concluded: “There is nobody like Modric on the world market.”