Athletic believes in its options in the Super Cup against a Madrid that has been in white for 18 months

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  • Ancelotti’s team, who claim the style of their team, faces the clash with doubts from Alaba and Asensio

  • “We cannot think of winning without suffering, but we are a difficult team and we are going to have options”, says Marcelino

No one doubts that he Real Madrid part as a favorite in the Spanish Super Cup Final this Sunday (7:30 p.m. Let’s go). But neither does anyone rule out the fact that, like a year ago, this time in Arabia, the Athletic can give another surprise and take the title to Bilbao. Despite the victory in Wednesday’s classic, more rushed than expected, the pressure is on the side of Carlo Ancelotti, which after closing last season without titles has a certain urgency to close 18 months of drought. The ‘lions’, in their fetish competition in recent years, do not consider anything impossible.

The two runners-up, from the League and the Cup, will face each other for the third time in just a month and a half. The previous two ended with a madridista victory by the minimum (1-0 at the Bernabéu and 1-2 at San Mamés, both League games), although the setting and context were different. Madrid moves like a fish in water in the finals, the opposite of an Athletic that in the last 13 years he has played nine and has only won two… Super Cups. The lions emerged victorious from their last two participations in the tournament, in which they have five games undefeated, the last three with victories over Madrid, Barça and Atlético.

“We will have options”

“There is no doubt that what Athletic is doing with the power of the League has merit. The fans must be proud of these players. If on top of that you win the final like against Barça, it’s incredible”, he highlights. Marcelino Garcia Toral, who this Friday ran into Ancelotti at the Rey Fhad stadium and took the opportunity to show him a photo of a 1987 Sporting-Milan in which both coincided on the pitch.

“But the past doesn’t count. We know how difficult it is to play against the fittest team, but we are a difficult team. We are going to leave everything in this final and we will have options. Success will be essential. We cannot think of winning without suffering,” he adds.

Marcelino could repeat the eleven that defeated Atlético in the semifinal on Thursday, although the comeback came after the four changes he made in the second half, three in one go. Among them, Nico Williams, author of a goal, is the one with the most options to enter the eleven. You will have minutes in any case.

Without Carvajal due to covid

Who will surely not repeat eleven will be ‘Carletto’, who has the sick leave by covid de Carvajalwhose place will take Lucas Vazquez. If the virus does not claim more victims in the white locker room, the Asensio’s discomfort are the only doubt for the Italian coach, with Rodrygo in the chamber ahead of Hazard. Ancelotti did not rule out Alaba, although it seems that he will also lose the final and Nacho will form a couple with Militao on the rear axle. No more changes are expected, despite the fact that the team seemed to finish the classic tired.

Vary more or less the protagonists, the plan will be different from the classic. “The plan, what is the plan? The plan is to win the match“, joked ‘Carletto’, before acknowledging that the rival’s conditions are very different. “Athletic has different records than BarcelonaThat’s why it’s not going to be the same plan, it’s obvious. He has defensive solidity, good organization, speed up front, skill at set pieces… We have to take everything into account,” said the coach.

Ancelotti became more serious when talking about his system. The Italian is no stranger to some voices that spoil the game against Madrid’s counterattack. In his elegant way, he pulled out his nails: “I greatly respect what Cádiz did to us, it put us in difficulties. There is no magic that makes you win games, there is no perfect system or perfect game. Not because I have possession I’m going to win all the games. It is not true that we only play defense because we are the team that has scored the most goals in the League. I am delighted that it is said that Real Madrid plays against because playing against is not easy“.

In the League, only Sevilla seems capable of preventing the white wing, but in Madrid there is a certain rush to end the drought after the ‘nothing’ last year. “From 1 to 10 our desire is 10. Last year we did not win any title, so the hunger is very great to win something. After winning a classic we know that it is a difficult final. It makes everyone win this trophy Thibaut Courtois admits.

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Marcelo, for the Gento record

In case of white victory, Marcelo would add, perhaps without playing, his 23rd title in Madrid, equaling Gento’s record and leaving behind the 22 of sanchis Y Ramos. For Ancelotti it would be the fifth, seven years after lifting the Club World Cup in 2014. After that success, which meant the 22nd consecutive victory for that team, the white team collapsed in the League and ended the season without any more titles.



Reference-www.elperiodico.com

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