Carlo Ancelotti spoke in the press room at Real Madrid City to analyse the Champions League matchday one clash between Real Madrid and Stuttgart (Tuesday, 9pm CEST): "We always look forward to this competition, in which this club has been a leading force for a long time. It's a special competition and we'll try to compete until the end".

"Stuttgart did very well last year and the fact that they are here says a lot about the work done by their coach. They're a very good team and they're very well organised. I'm sure it'll be an entertaining game".

Vini Jr. and his goal celebration at the Reale Arena
"It's a reaction to a very ugly situation and it's happened a lot of times, there are always insults towards him. Nobody could put up with it, and nor can I. It's only natural that he put his finger up to his mouth because of everything that's happening".

"It's impossible to put up with what has happened to Vini Jr. over the years. We should focus less on the character of this young man and look a bit more at what is happening inside the stadiums. I think they do this to him because he's a threat in terms of the sport and they're trying to unsettle him in the game".

Bellingham, Tchouameni and Militão
"Bellingham is fine, as are Tchouameni and Militão, who didn't train today. Militão needed more time to recover and that's why we thought we'd give him an extra day's rest. He'll be 100% available tomorrow. We've also been unlucky to lose another important player, but the team is ready and we'll look to get off to a winning start".

Favourites to win the competition
"The format changes, but it's always the same teams, including Real Madrid. There are others. Some people think we're favourites because we won last year. 'This year's Champions League will be a different story and hopefully we can get to the final like we did last season".

His enthusiasm after so many years in the Champions League
"It's the same as at the start because it's a very special competition for me, not just for the club. The day-to-day work, being here, getting ready for training, dealing with everyday issues... I consider myself very patient because every day there's a problem to solve, although sometimes it's nothing that we consider problems, just like in life".

Assessment of the start to the season
"In the league we could have picked up two more points, but we're where we wanted to be. We won the first trophy of the season and it was predictable that we could have problems because the players came back on 9 August. You need five weeks to prepare a player and they would finish today. So this has been a pre-season period for us. We're progressing nicely, but we have to improve. We want to compete like we did last year".

The squad
"We've lost two important players in Nacho and Kroos. Joselu too. They've been replaced by the best player in the world or one of the best. I think we've got a better squad than last year".

Kroos
"It's forgotten. We have to look forward because he can't be replaced. We have to look at what we've got because they're going to do very well, like Kroos did all that time".

The causes of the injuries
"We've been looking for the problem, but it's not in our hands. The schedule is too demanding. A new competition comes along and you don't know how it's going to go. It might be more entertaining than last year, but for the time being we have two more games. If the governing bodies and decision-makers don't think that players get injured because they play too much, we have a problem. I would ask them to think about reducing the number of matches in order to have more attractive competitions".

The forward's role in the defensive system
"Ideally, the forwards should score goals, the midfielder should help the defender and the defender should mark his opponent. In order to keep the team compact, the help of the forwards is important. But if the forward defends more than the defender or if the goalkeeper plays more balls than the midfielder, we have a problem. We need to improve a bit in defence, but we've kept four clean sheets. The team could have done better in these six games, but we've only conceded one goal in open play and another from a set piece. We've had four clean sheets and that's not bad".

Barcelona
"They're a team we respect, like Atlético and Villarreal, both of whom are doing well. We have the same respect for all the teams that are doing well at the moment".