Carlo Ancelotti in no mood to discuss football as coach says Real Madrid affected by floods devastating Valencia

Severe damage to both people and infrastructure in Spain saw Real Madrid's trip to Valencia postponed last week. Plenty of players overseas have been sending their tributes and donating parts of their salary to help limit the damage in their homeland and Ancelotti said he and his squad were still rocked by the events ahead of their Champions League match against AC Milan on Tuesday.

Speaking ahead of Madrid's return to action, he said: "It has been a week of great tragedy and we are sad. This is the emotion. We are very close to Valencia and all the towns affected. We are close to them and hopefully it can be resolved soon. I want you to understand that talking about football is complicated. Also playing football. We are part of this country. And this affects a lot.

"Out of respect for everyone, I will try to make the press conference as simple as possible, because I have no desire to talk about football. Also, for me, tomorrow's match is special. I will try to talk as little as possible. Thank you."

Asked how the tragedy has affected his team's preparations, Ancelotti replied: "You don't have your head in your work. It was terrible. We are going to prepare for it, because we are professionals. We will try to play and win, obviously. That's what we have to do."

As Ancelotti says, some things are bigger than football and the usual fever across Spain has taken a backseat during this difficult time. Despite returning to AC Milan, a club where the Los Blancos boss saw plenty of success, Ancelotti remains determined to direct people's attention to how they can help the cause.

There is no official date for when Madrid will face Valencia following the postponement. With their commitments in Europe and other cup competitions, it may not come around until early in 2025.