Davide Ancelotti to take over for Real Madrid vs. Celta Vigo

Real Madrid CF announced earlier this week that manager Carlo Ancelotti tested positive for Covid-19. As such, his son and long-time assistant, Davide Ancelotti, will be in charge of Los Blancos when they return to La Liga action on Saturday night against Celta Vigo.

Los Blancos will be making the trip to Balaidos after the international break, and they will be hoping for a good result to offset the humiliation suffered at El Clasico. Real Madrid are still on top of La Liga with a 9-point lead over Sevilla and with Barcelona a further three points down. However, they will want another victory to keep a firm grip on the title.

The morale in the dressing room isn't the best after the 4-0 defeat against Barcelona, and they will need a victory to get the spirits up. Carlo is expected to still make the decisions regarding the starting lineup, but Davide will be in full control from the sidelines during the match itself.

This will be the first time for Real Madrid to have the younger Ancelotti in charge, but he is an experienced manager who has been learning under his father's wing for a full decade. He started his coaching career under his father at Paris Saint-Germain in 2012, and has since been with him during the latter's first Real Madrid stint and later in Bayern Munich, Napoli and Everton.

His credentials are also on point, having graduated with a degree in sports science. He has also obtained a UEFA A coaching licence. He recognised early on that he does not have the same talent as his father as a player, but he is convinced that he has the wits to become an excellent coach.

"I didn't have enough talent to be a professional player, but I love it, so I decided to study it and train to the maximum," he said in a previous interview.

In fact, this won't be the first time for Davide to take the helm in place of his father. He had already done so while with Napoli in 2019/20. He has reportedly been mainly in charge during Real Madrid training sessions at Valdebebas, with the older Ancelotti mainly watching and supervising the sessions. It remains to be seen what he will make out of this opportunity.