Champions League winners Real Madrid and Europa League champions Atalanta will lock horns in a winner-take-all tie in this year’s UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday (today) at Poland’s National Stadium in Warsaw.
The reigning La Liga are gunning for a record sixth UEFA Super Cup title, which will make them the most successful side in the competition in history as they are currently tied on five trophies with Barcelona and AC Milan.
Meanwhile, Atalanta, who won their first European title back in May, will be making their Super Cup debut.
In three words, what will happen? 👇 #SuperCup pic.twitter.com/IoZCTXEP8c
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 14, 2024
When and Where is the match?
The 2024 UEFA Super Cup will be played on Wednesday (today), August 14, at the National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland.
The match is scheduled to kick off at 09:00 p.m. local time (08:00 p.m. Nigerian Time).
How did both teams get here?
Real Madrid clinched a record-extending 15th UEFA Champions League title in June, following a 2-0 win over German club Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium, thanks to goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior.
Atalanta, however, claimed the biggest title in their history after a famous 3-0 win over reigning Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman stunned the football world with a hat-trick as they ended Leverkusen’s historic 51-game unbeaten streak.
Team head-to-head
This will be the third meeting between the two teams, as Los Blancos and Atalanta have previously faced each other twice—in the Champions League round of 16 in 2021.
The Spanish club holds the upper hand in this encounter with a 2-0 record. They secured a narrow one-nil win away at Bergamo before a comfortable 3-1 win in the return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
However, of the five goals scored across the two legs, only French defender Ferland Mendy, who scored Madrid’s only goal in the first leg, still plays for either side.
Form guide
With both teams gearing up for their first competitive game of the season, Real Madrid come into this game with two defeats and one win in three pre-season friendly matches.
Atalanta, on the other hand, arrive in Poland with one draw and three losses after playing four friendlies.
Match preview and team news
Real Madrid
The Spanish giants will be making their ninth appearance in the UEFA Super Cup with five wins and three losses (W5 L3). Although they lost their first two finals, they won the next four. However, in their last two, they were beaten by neighbours Atletico Madrid in 2018 before defeating Eintracht Frankfurt in their most recent appearance, in 2022.
Croatian midfielder Luka Modric could become the most decorated player in Real Madrid’s history if they depart Warsaw with a win. Head coach Carlo Ancelotti could also clinch his 14th title as Madrid’s manager, putting him level with Miguel Munoz as the coach with the highest number of trophies in the club history.
French midfielder Eduardo Camavinga has been ruled out of the match after suffering a knee injury in training on Tuesday, while new signings Kylian Mbappe and Endrick could make their competitive debut for Madrid.
Atalanta
La Dea will be without the Italian duo of Gianluca Scamacca and Giorgio Scalvini, who both face lengthy spells on the sidelines after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in pre-season.
Likewise, Italian defender Rafael Toloi and summer acquisition Nicolo Zaniolo will also play no parts in the match thanks to injuries.
Meanwhile, Mali international El Bilal Toure has been left at home, as has Dutch midfielder Teun Koopmeiners, who is on the verge of finalising their transfer away from the club.
However, they will be with star forward Lookman, as well as Charles De Ketelaere, whose move to the club was made permanent earlier this summer, and new signing Ben Godfrey, who joined recently from Everton.
