The European Super Cup this year is not a major match. To be more accurate, it is only half big, with the presence of the Champions League champion, Real Madrid. On the other hand, there is Atalanta - a team that has appeared in the European Super Cup for the first time in history.
In reality, fans were expecting Bayer Leverkusen to be the team standing in the way of Atalanta. Although in terms of name and status, Leverkusen is not much better than the Italian representative, but they had an impressive season in 2023-2024.
Leverkusen remained unbeaten in the Bundesliga, German National Cup, and Europa League until they were defeated by Atalanta in the final.
On their journey to winning the Europa League title, Atalanta eliminated Liverpool, Sporting Lisbon, Marseille, and therefore they deserve to participate in the European Super Cup.
And to prove to those who feel disappointed that the European Super Cup is not a "major match", the team coached by Gian Piero Gasperini will do everything they can to bring a thrilling match.
At least, it will be thrilling for now, and whether it will be a surprise or not is a different story, especially against Real Madrid - a team that specializes in final matches and cup competitions.
In the 2020-2021 Champions League season, Real Madrid and Atalanta met in the 1/8 round, with Los Blancos winning both matches. At least, it shows the difference in balance, although in football, it is not always the case that the strong will win the weak.
At this time, the royal team is even... too strong, because with the addition of only two new players, Kylian Mbappe and Endrick, it is understood that their attacking power will be upgraded in some way.
Experts put coach Carlo Ancelotti in a "comfortable headache" situation, but as usual, the Italian strategist knows how to arrange things so that there is no internal conflict.
Mbappe did not play in any friendly matches when Real Madrid won 1 and lost 2 in their US tour this summer. He had his first training sessions, but it is likely that he will not start in the European Super Cup at Warsaw (Poland), but will enter the game at a suitable time.
Because basically, as people say, before Atalanta, Ancelotti does not need to "use a scalpel to kill a chicken"...
Atalanta of the present time is no longer a surprise. They will be watched more closely, forcing Gasperini to think of something new.
This summer, Atalanta changed quite strongly. Four new players joined with a total investment of 62 million euros, while eight players left with a revenue of almost the same amount as the investment.
Whether there is anything new or not, but Atalanta did not win in their last three friendly matches - they drew one and lost two. Will the nature of the cup competition help them "get started" before Real Madrid, who is very "lively" in important matches?
The European Super Cup match between Real Madrid and Atalanta will take place at 02:00 on August 15, live on Vtvcab.
