By Don Silas
The stage is set for Wednesday night, as winners of the UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid, will meet UEFA Europa League winners, Atalanta, in Warsaw in the latest edition of the UEFA Super Cup final.
Both teams will aim to see who comes out on top as the King of Europe.
Real Madrid won the UEFA Champions League trophy last season after beating Borussia Dortmund in the final, thanks to goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior.
Atalanta, on the other hand, won the UEFA Europa League trophy after beating Bayer Leverkusen in the final, thanks to Ademola Lookman’s hat-trick.
Ahead of Wednesday’s showdown, both teams look quite different compared to last season.
Real Madrid have already lost two key players, Toni Kroos and Nacho Fernandez this summer. Kroos retired from football following the conclusion of Euro 2024 in Germany, while Nacho left Santiago Bernabeu for Saudi Pro League.
Real Madrid’s experienced defender, David Alaba is expected to miss the game as he is currently recovering from a lengthy ACL injury.
However, Carlo Ancelotti’s side have strengthened their squad with new arrivals like Kylian Mbappe and Endrick as they will hope to lead the LaLiga champions for an unprecedented sixth UEFA Super Cup honour on Wednesday in Poland.
Real Madrid head to the game after losing two out of their last three matches against AC Milan, Barcelona and Chelsea.
For Atalanta, Wednesday’s UEFA Super Cup final will be their first in the history of the club.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s men finished fourth-place in the Serie A last season.
They currently have an injury blow in their attack line as striker, Gianluca Scamacca tore his ACL during a preseason friendly.
Scamacca will miss at least six months with the injury now putting more pressure on Lookman leading the attack for the Serie A side.
Atalanta have made some marquee attacking signings like Charles De Ketelaere, Mateo Retegui, Ben Godfrey, Nicolo Zaniolo and Ibrahim Sulemana.
However, they head to the game after losing three out of their last four matches against AZ Alkmaar, Fiorentina, Parma and FC St. Pauli.
Speaking with DAILY POST on Monday, Stanley Smart, a Sports Analyst, gave his view on the UEFA Super Cup final.
He also singled out four players to shine during the encounter.
“Well, I expect a tough and a close match in Warsaw because it is a final,” Smart told DAILY POST.
“Both teams did not really impress in their pre-season matches but I think if you compare the performances of the two teams during pre-season, you would agree with me that Madrid were quite better in terms of their display.
“Having said that, I expect to see an attacking football with high intensity from both teams.
“Both teams have sharp forwards with pace. I expect the likes of Ademola Lookman, Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius and Rodrygo to shine. It would be a proper final match,” he added.
When asked to give his prediction, Smart simply said, “2-1” in favour of Madrid.
kick-off time for the UEFA Super Cup final is 8 pm.
