‘Debutant’ Super Cup ‘doubtful’ to start
Kylian Mbappe will be benched for Real Madrid’s UEFA Super Cup final against Atalanta in what will be his debut for the club, according to reports.
“Ahead of the UEFA Super Cup final, Carlo Ancelotti faces a Mbappe dilemma,” said Football España on Wednesday (Nov. 11), adding that “Mbappe was a key signing for Real this summer, but he may not start against Atalanta.”
Real will kick off the 2024-25 season with the UEFA Super Cup final against Atalanta at the Warsaw National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland, on May 15 at 4:00 a.m. The match will be played at the Warsaw National Stadium.
The biggest question mark is whether Mbappe will play. Mbappe joined Real from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on a free transfer in June. He signed a five-year contract. According to Spain’s AS, Mbappe will earn a salary of €15 million, making him the highest paid player on the team.
The induction ceremony was a grand affair. It rivaled that of Cristiano Ronaldo, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner and one of Real’s legends. More than 80,000 fans gathered at the Santiago Bernabeu, Real’s home stadium, to watch the induction ceremony on March 16th. There were live music performances, fireworks, and other spectacles.
However, his debut was delayed. Mbappe was competing for France at Euro 2024 in Germany from June to July. After reaching the semifinals, Mbappe was granted a vacation and returned to the squad on August 8th.
“Ancelotti welcomed back the entire squad,” Real said on the club’s official website. Dani Carvajal, Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, Aurélien Chouameni, Eduardo Kamabinga, Per Mendy and Mbappe, who completed his first training session 파워볼게임 as a Madrid player, have started pre-season.”
Mbappe, who was a late arrival and did not play in any of the friendlies, made his official debut without his teammates. The opponent is last season’s UEFA Europa League champions Atalanta.
However, it seems unlikely that he will start this game. Ancelotti is reportedly favoring his existing squad.
“Ancelotti has plenty of options, apart from David Alaba,” said Football Efesanya. However, Mbappe may not start against Atalanta,” said Football Efesanya, adding that “Ancelotti is considering keeping the same squad that played in the Champions League final last June.”
Real started Thibaut Courtois, Per Mendy, Nacho Fernandez, Antonio Rudiger, Dani Carvajal, Toni Kroos, Eduardo Camara, Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, and Hodrigo Gois against Borussia Dortmund.
Ancelotti was reportedly keen to keep the same starting XI, with only two changes, bringing in Luka Modric and Édouard Militant for the departed Kroos and Nacho.
There was also speculation that he was likely to use the game as a testing ground for players who hadn’t really gotten their feet wet during the preseason.
“This is a game where Ancelotti might experiment. Considering he hasn’t played Mbappe and Bellingham all preseason, he needs to experiment.”
It will be interesting to see if Ancelotti decides to bench Mbappe or give him a chance to start.