By Seyi Babalola
Real Madrid will meet Atalanta in the 2024 UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday at the National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland by 8 pm.
The trophy is competed for between the teams that won the Champions League and Europa League before the new season kicks off.
Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the Champions League final, and Atalanta crushed Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the Europa League final.
Dani Carvajal, who scored a goal in the Champions League final, and Luka Modrić, a master of midfield, have the potential to become the first players to feature in five Super Cup titles.
With 15-time European champions Real Madrid’s biggest summer acquisition Kylian Mbappé expected to make his debut competitive game, there is a lot of curiosity and attention around this season opener.
Atalanta, who won their first major continental trophy with a thrilling 3-0 victory against Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final the previous season, stands in Real Madrid’s way to pulling in a surprise.
This is the team’s first Super Cup appearance. Even though La Dea is the underdog going into the match in Poland, they will undoubtedly be eager to keep shocking people, as they did in the 2023/2024 season.
Speaking ahead of the match, Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid coach said: “It’s going to be tough as always because it’s the beginning of the season. But we are going there with every confidence and conviction while bearing in mind all the challenges.
“Atalanta deserve to be there because they played an amazing Europa League campaign, knocking out top teams like Liverpool. They were able to win those kinds of games easily, even in the final. We respect this team a lot, but we hope to be at our best.”
Also, in the same light, Gian Piero Gasperini, Atalanta coach said: “It will be an extraordinary occasion for Atalanta, for Bergamo, for the history of the place.
“We are playing against the most decorated club in the world, against the team that has won the most in the world. To play a final like this, for this trophy against such an important club, would have been unthinkable until fairly recently.
“There’s a huge sense of pride. There’s no doubt it’s a high point, perhaps the pinnacle in the history of Atalanta.”
Possible Line-ups
REAL MADRID: Courtois; Carvajal, Militão, Rüdiger, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouaméni, Modrić; Bellingham; Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior.
ATALANTA: Musso; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolašinac; Zappacosta, Éderson, De Roon, Ruggeri; De Ketelare, Retegui, Lookman.
