History is on the line for Real Madrid and Atalanta as last season’s Champions League and Europa League winners face other in Wednesday’s UEFA Super Cup in Warsaw.
By Graham Ruthven
Los Blancos can become the first team to win six Super Cups while their Serie A opponents are aiming to get their hands on the trophy for the first time just two months after glory in the Europa League final.
Kylian Mbappé could make his competitive debut for Real Madrid with Endrick another summer signing in line to feature for his new team. Wednesday’s match will offer the first real indication of how Carlo Ancelotti plans on squeezing so much attacking talent into his lineup. Many eyes will be on Mbappé’s position and role in the team.
Vinícius Júnior has earned a reputation as a big game player, contributing 10 goal involvements in the 10 finals he has played for Real Madrid and so the Super Cup meeting with Atalanta could be ripe for the Brazilian to make his mark again.
Atalanta will pose an attacking threat of their own. Ademola Lookman will surely feature after scoring a hat trick in the Europa League final triumph over Bayer Leverkusen while Mateo Retegui, signed from Genoa in the summer transfer window, has added to Gian Piero Gasperini’s options up front.
Gianluca Scamacca will miss Wednesday’s match in Warsaw after being sidelined with an ACL tear last week. The Italian international’s absence opens the door for Retegui to start with Lookman and Charles De Ketelaere – signed permanently from AC Milan this summer – expected to provide support.
Gasperini’s high-energy, high-intensity approach proved too much for Sporting CP, Liverpool, Marseille and Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League last season and it’s possible Atalanta could unsettle Real Madrid too, in a similar way.
On talent, though, last season’s Champions League winners are firm favourites to add another trophy to their collection in Poland, although the number of Real Madrid players not long back from Euro 2024 and Copa America duty will give Ancelotti a number of lineup decisions to make.
The outcome of Wednesday’s match could set the tone for both Real Madrid and Atalanta as the 2024/25 season gets under way. While the former have made moves to further firm up their standing as Spanish – and European – football’s dominant force, the latter continue to fight above their weight. Wednesday’s Super Cup will see punches thrown by both sides.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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