Real Madrid and Atalanta BC square off in the most recent UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday night in Warsaw, with the first slice of European fame for the 2024–25 season up for grabs.
In the previous season, Los Blancos added the fifteenth Champions League trophy to their already impressive collection, and in the Europa League final, their Italian opponents shockingly defeated Bayer Leverkusen, who had been unbeatable for years.
As Borussia Dortmund had opportunity after opportunity to win the 2023–24 Champions League final inside the Wembley dome, everyone seemed to agree that the German powerhouse would be forced to rue those missed chances against Real, who possess unparalleled continental skill.
As it turned out, the white team used goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior in the second half to reclaim the European Cup trophy, one of three titles they won in 2023–24 along with La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup.
The only tiny thing that wasn't recorded in Ancelotti's notebook at Bernabeu was a Copa del Rey last-16 exit. Despite earlier rumors of an agreement with the Brazil national team, "Don Carlo," as he is lovingly called in the Spanish capital, has decided to stay in the Real Madrid manager's chair for at least one more season.
The European champions have not made a significant summer roster change, as is common with Blancos, and are currently without two key players in Toni Kroos and Nacho Fernandez. However, Kylian Mbappe is wearing the renowned strip at last after years of trying.
The former forward for Paris Saint-Germain has watched Real Madrid's inconsistent preseason from a distance—Ancelotti's team defeated Chelsea and Albacete after losing to AC Milan and Barcelona—but he will now support Los Blancos in their pursuit of an unprecedented sixth UEFA Super Cup title.
Although Real Madrid leads the rankings with five UEFA Super Cup victories, along with their two recent rivals, Barcelona and Milan, this Wednesday's match in Warsaw will be Atalanta's continental curtain-raiser following their Europa League victory, inspired by Ademola Lookman.
Few predicted Gian Piero Gasperini's team could overcome Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen machine, despite their incredible victory over pre-tournament favorites Liverpool. It took an incredible Lookman hat-trick to win La Dea's first European title and their first trophy of any kind in 61 years.
Lookman may have been the only player to score a hat-trick in a Europa League final and completely destroy the Leverkusen defense in terms of goals scored, but Gasperini won a lot of praise for his team's pressing of the Bundesliga Invincibles. Lookman missed a terrible panenka penalty against West Ham United during his Fulham days.
The Italian titans' success in the Europa League supplemented their fourth-place Serie A performance and Coppa Italia runners-up medal. They will also play in the Supercoppa Italiana the following year and face Copa Sudamericana champions LDU Quito in the UEFA-CONMEBOL Club Challenge.
Though Gasperini's team has had a dismal preseason record—a 2-2 tie with AZ Alkmaar came before crushing defeats to Parma (4-1) and FC St. Pauli (3-0)—Atalanta knows how to turn things up to eleven when a European trophy is at stake, as Dublin saw a few months ago.
