Kylian Mbappe could make his debut for Real Madrid when they face Atalanta in the Super Cup on Tuesday but coach Carlo Ancelotti would not be drawn on whether the French forward would start the game.
Mbappe, 25, landed in the Spanish capital last week to start training with the team after he had joined Real as a free agent on a five-year deal in June, ending a transfer saga that rumbled on for years. “Mbappe has arrived well, just like the other players who joined last week,” Ancelotti told a press conference on Tuesday. “We haven’t had much time to train but we are doing very well, and Kylian has also arrived in good shape. He is adapting very well. Obviously everyone who is here can play tomorrow.”
The Italian coach had previously said following one of the recent US friendlies that it is the players who won the Champions League who should play the Super Cup. Ancelotti, however, did not rule out the Frenchman making an appearance at some stage.
Asked whether Mbappe could be assigned penalty-taking duties, the manager said that job would only be given to a player who started the game.
“Mbappe is a penalty taker, he does it very well,” Ancelotti said. “(But) Bellingham has done well in the European Championship, and (Federico) Valverde was spectacular in Copa America. So we have a lot of penalty takers. I have to pick one of them for tomorrow’s game. Obviously, I have to pick one that will start the game.”
Real, who have clinched five Super Cups so far, have a chance to become the standalone leaders of the competition ahead of Barcelona and AC Milan, who have also won five times. They could also make history this season if they kick-start their campaign with a win, as there will be seven titles up for grabs for the very first time thanks to FIFA’s new Intercontinental Cup.
“As always, we’re starting the season with all the excitement and desire,” Ancelotti added. “It’s the first title of a season that is going to be very demanding but can also be very successful. We want to start it well. We are aware of the difficulties but I see the team in good shape, motivated to play a great game.”
Meanwhile, the stakes will be high for Europa League winners Atalanta when they face the Real Madrid in the Super Cup but coach Gian Piero Gasperini believes they can pull off another surprise.
Atalanta defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in May, ending the German champions’ remarkable unbeaten streak, and will be up against European champions Real who beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 to lift their record-extending 15th Champions League trophy. “On paper we’re even more of an underdog than we were against Leverkusen, who were coming into the (final) game unbeaten in an entire season,” Gasperini said. “Real Madrid will be an even greater hurdle but that means we’re even more motivated. It doesn’t happen often but you can overturn the odds in football.”
Atalanta will, however, face an extra challenge in Warsaw as they have travelled without injured striker Gianluca Scamacca. The Italy forward, who scored six goals in their winning Europa League campaign, ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a pre-season friendly defeat by Parma (4-1) on Aug. 4 and could be out of action for at least six months. They will also be without Netherlands midfielder Teun Koopmeiners who Italian media reports said is nearing a move to rivals Juventus.
Winger Ademola Lookman said Atalanta should not be underestimated.
“We can’t wait to get on the pitch. Not just me, but the whole team can’t wait to play this match,” Lookman said. “We deserve to be here. Our hard work and perseverance has brought us here and tomorrow is another night to show that.”
Lookman’s hat-trick sealed the Europa League for Atalanta, their second major trophy after they won the Italian top flight in the 1962-63 season.