Real Madrid’s coach is anticipating an exciting and entertaining clash against Barcelona.
With the eternal rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid set to face each other in another title showdown, the Spanish Super Cup final promises a thrilling football battle. Ahead of the much-awaited clash, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti expects a fiercely contested game, admitting that predicting the outcome or picking a favorite is nearly impossible.
In Thursday’s semifinal, Real Madrid secured a dominant 3-0 win over Mallorca, while Barcelona defeated Athletic Bilbao 2-0 in the first semifinal a day earlier. The final will take place this Sunday.
The two sides also met in last year’s Super Cup final, where Madrid crushed Barcelona 4-1 to lift the trophy.
Since then, the rivalry has seen mixed results. Real Madrid edged out Barcelona 3-2 in one La Liga match, while Barcelona stunned Madrid with a 4-0 win in another just a couple of months ago.
Barcelona, the record holders with 14 Super Cup titles, now face the challenge of stopping Madrid from equaling their tally of 13. Ancelotti acknowledges it won’t be an easy feat. Speaking after the Mallorca match, he downplayed concerns about the result.
“Recent Clasico matches have been unpredictable. We’ve won some convincingly, like the 4-1 victory in last year’s Super Cup, and we’ve also experienced big defeats, like the 4-0 loss at Bernabéu. On the other hand, we’ve beaten them 4-0 at their home twice,” Ancelotti said.
“It’s hard to predict how the next game will unfold, but it will undoubtedly be entertaining, with high-quality football on display. Of course, we aim to finish better than Barcelona,” he added.
In their semifinal, Real Madrid struggled to convert chances in the first half. Jude Bellingham finally broke the deadlock in the second half, followed by an own goal in stoppage time. Rodrigo sealed the 3-0 victory with a late strike.
Despite the win, Ancelotti admitted it was a tough contest and praised Mallorca’s defensive discipline.
“We started very well but should’ve opened the scoring earlier, perhaps in the first half. After that, the match became more difficult for us. It was a tough game because Mallorca played their game effectively,” said the Italian coach.
“They defended excellently, gave us no space, and forced us to rely on crosses to create chances. They even caused us a few problems at times,” he added.
