Spanish giants Real Madrid are looking to start their official career in the new season, which they ended last May when they won the European Championship and clashed with their rivals Eintracht Frankfurt in the European Super Cup at the Olympic. stadium in Helsinki on Wednesday.
Real Madrid were not strong contenders for the continental title last season, but they overturned defeats in the playoffs against Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City, beating another English team, Liverpool, with a clean sheet in the final.
The Royals strengthened their record in the European Champions League, taking it to 14 titles, while their Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti became the coach with four titles in the most important continental competition.
“We don’t think anyone should take our place and this is a great incentive for us to keep winning,” Ancelotti told UEFA’s website in statements.
Ancelotti, who returned to oversee the capital club for a second term at the start of last season, led his side to win the Spanish league title for the thirty-fifth time in its history.
The Italian coach confirmed that he has great respect for his German rival, saying, “Eintracht Frankfurt achieved something special by winning the Europa League last season, especially since he was not a candidate.”
He added, “The team played great games and beat Barcelona at home, with a brilliant attacking style. It will cause us problems without a doubt.”
This would be the first official meeting between the two sides since the 1960 Champions League final at Hampden Park in Glasgow, which ended in an exhibition victory with Real winning their fifth consecutive continental title 7–3. In the match, Real Hungarian stars Ferenc Puskas and Alfredo Di Stefano scored 4 and 3 goals respectively.
Former Celtic star Jimmy Johnston described it as “a fantastic match in heaven. I’ve never seen anything like it and never thought I would.”
Real Madrid are playing the Super Cup for the eighth time in their history and have won it four times before, knowing that Ancelotti has wasted no time in it as he was crowned as Milan’s chief of staff in 2003 and 2007. and in 2014 with Real Madrid.
And Anceloni felt that his team had no advantage, especially in terms of physical preparation, saying “we have less advantage against Frankfurt, who started their season before us, but we will play to win”.
Frankfurt officially started two weeks ago by participating in the first round of the German Cup, before playing its first match in the “Bundesliga”, falling 1-6 against Bayern Munich, the champion of the last ten seasons. On the other hand, the Spanish league starts last weekend, where Real Madrid have only played test matches so far.
Frankfurt won their first continental title in 42 years by defeating Scottish Rangers on penalties in the Europa League final.
Respect but not fear
Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp reckons his side respect Real Madrid’s history but are not afraid to face it. “We want to be a tough team that fights and doesn’t give up. Of course, we have a lot of respect for the opposition, but we fight the confrontation without fear.”
Eindhoven rookie Mario Gotze, who scored the only goal for his country in the World Cup final in Brazil in 2014 against Argentina, is one of the few with experience in Frankfurt, added Trapp, “Playing the European Super Cup is the result of our success last season. What with Real Madrid, at this time of the season. We can’t ask for more than that.”
The team’s coach Oliver Klausner said, “We are looking forward to facing Real Madrid. They are one of the best teams in the history of football. We will prepare in the best possible way to increase our chances of winning.”
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