Barely a week after his official pre-season preparations began with Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappe is poised to start and could win some silverware to kickstart the 2024-25 campaign as the Champions League holders face an Italian job as free-flowing Atalanta aspire to spring a surprise when the European champions duel one another for bragging rights in Poland midweek.
Ancelotti: There are no princes or kings in this team
Champions League winners Real Madrid vs. Europa League titlists Atalanta
UEFA Super Cup final in Poland’s National Stadium, Warsaw
Kick-off at 8pm BST on Wednesday night in 2024-25 season curtain-raiser
THE unsettling yelp from Eduardo Camavinga as he overextended and fell in a heap clutching his knee has suddenly emerged as an unwanted developing story to monitor with La Liga champions Real Madrid’s domestic return mere days away.
Yet while their coaching staff hope the injury isn’t serious for the 21-year-old midfielder, versatile enough to feature in multiple positions, the Frenchman’s manager Carlo Ancelotti is aware about the intensified selection headache he must navigate this season with balance – not star names – essential for their success.
“It is always difficult to put together a line-up – you end up leaving out those who deserve to play. It’s a problem, having so many talented players, the key this season will be finding the right defensive balance. In attack it will be tough to understand how we’ll be set out, a lot depends on the creativity of those at our disposal.”
- Ancelotti during his pre-match press conference
Brazilian attacking midfielder Reinier (22) could depart on loan again having returned from his third spell, this time in the Serie A with now-relegated Frosinone. Mbappe’s long-awaited move from PSG was complete while Brazil’s attacking teenage sensation Endrick officially joined from Palmeiras on his 18th birthday last month.
Teenage playmaker Nico Paz could depart for more opportunities elsewhere, Roma’s Brahim Diaz interest was knocked back last month while Rodrygo has been linked with a Premier League move. Arda Guler, armed with an excellent Euro 2024 campaign for Turkey, will feel 2024-25 is his time to shine – fitness permitting.
Those are just a few subplots to consider, ignoring the lucrative Saudi interest in Vinicius Junior or quite how Mbappe fits into an already stacked side. We’ll get a preview of the latter this week against Atalanta, who’ve endured a rough pre-season in terms of friendly results despite some shrewd off-pitch summer business.
Signing Everton’s out-of-favour centre-back Ben Godfrey for a snip under £8m could age well given how seamlessly other British imports have done in Europe – particularly Italy – in recent years, including Ola Aina (Torino), Fikayo Tomori at Milan and old Toffees alum Ademola Lookman – the man singlehandedly firing them into this competition.
Galatasaray loanee Nicolo Zaniolo returns to Italy this season with added motivation after injury saw the winger miss out on the Euros following some rather forgettable Aston Villa form, while creator-in-chief Charles de Ketelaere’s loan-to-buy option was gladly exercised (£18.8m, Milan) in a bloated market where values are volatile.
The jury may still be out on Italy international Mateo Retegui after his first season playing European football but the 25-year-old striker gets an upgrade from mid-table Genoa (£18.8m) and should benefit while Ibrahim Sulemana (£6.4m, Cagliari) shores up the engine room in midfield after Hans Hateboer (£2.5m) departed for Rennes.
Gian Piero Gasperini (66) is a year older than Ancelotti and while far less decorated than his compatriot, has steadily built up a reputation across Europe as one of the continent’s top managers at a time where achieving success with lesser-known players and in modest environments is viewed highly, but deemed unsustainable.
Ancelotti acknowledged his opposite number will be without more key players than him in this curtain-raiser clash, striker Gianluca Scamacca and highly-rated defender Giorgio Scalvini (both ACL, out until 2025) are notable absentees, while midfielder Teun Koopmeiners is refusing to train hoping a Juventus move will materialise.
Nonetheless, this occasion marks the final pre-season matchup for both as their domestic campaigns get underway this weekend. Since Real’s 2-1 win over Manchester United in Aug. 2017, five of the six subsequent Super Cup finals have gone into extra-time, penalties or needed both to decide a victor. This might not.
Possible line-ups
Real (4-3-3): Courtois; Mendy, Rudiger, Militao, Carvajal; Bellingham, Modric, Valverde; Vinicius, Mbappe, Rodrygo.
Atalanta (3-4-2-1): Musso; Kolasinac, Djimsiti, Hien; Ruggeri, de Roon, Pasalic, Zappacosta; Lookman, de Ketelaere; Retegui.
Picture source: Getty Images
Mo and Sports 