Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has warned La Liga that Saturday's game against Villarreal is "the last time" that his side will take to the field less than 72 hours between matches.
Los Blancos played 120 minutes against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday night, ultimately beating Diego Simeone's side on penalties in order to advance to the quarter-finals of the competition.
Ancelotti's side were back on the field against Villarreal on Saturday, and the Spanish champions managed to come from behind to record a 2-1 victory over the Yellow Submarine, with Kylian Mbappe netting a brace.
Mbappe is now on 31 goals in his debut season for Real Madrid, which is more than the legendary Ronaldo (30) struck during his first campaign at Bernabeu following his arrival from Inter Milan in 2002.
Ancelotti was full of praise for his side during his post-match press conference, and the Italian sent out a strong message to La Liga due to the team's fixture congestion.
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Ancelotti warns La Liga after crucial La Liga win over Villarreal
"The team was able to withstand the difficult moment, which was in the first part of both halves. Then little by little we started to handle the ball better and we looked for opportunities. Two goals came from Mbappe, and some counter-attacks that could have been better in the second half," Ancelotti told reporters.
"I'm very proud. It was a trap game, because of everything that happened, because of the hours of rest and because of the strength of the opponent, who are a good team, but we watered down physically.
"The team ended up exhausted, it's quite normal. It's a victory that says a lot about this team and the resources of this squad.
"The explanation is that this team has something special, character, commitment, they can't always do it, sometimes I even get angry with them. We must thank these players for their enormous effort since January 3.
"Even more so today. It's the last time we're going to play before 72 hours. We are never going to do it again. We have asked La Liga twice to change the schedule and nothing has happened. This is the last time we played a game without 72 hours of rest. We won't play if it happens again."
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When are Real Madrid back in action?
Real Madrid will return to action after the March international break with a clash against Leganes on March 29, before hosting Real Sociedad for the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on April 1.
Los Blancos will then welcome Valencia to Mestalla in La Liga four days later, before heading to Arsenal for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on April 8.
Matt Law
