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Their humiliating 4-0 home loss to Barcelona still haunts them
Published : 11 Jan 2025, 08:58 PM
Real Madrid's humiliating 4-0 home loss to Barcelona in October still haunts the club as the rivals prepare for their second Clasico of the season in the Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday.
LaLiga leaders Real recovered from that setback and are on a five-match winning streak ahead of defending the Super Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, but coach Carlo Ancelotti is cautious.
"We have to think about what happened in the first game because they beat us (in LaLiga)," Ancelotti told reporters on Saturday as he looked forward to Real's second cup final in a month, having won the Intercontinental Cup in December.
"We've made a pretty clear assessment, so we'll have to repeat the good things we did and avoid the mistakes. A Clasico is always a Clasico, but a final puts a bit more pressure on you."
Ancelotti has all the players who travelled available for the final including England midfielder Jude Bellingham, who experienced some muscle issues during the semi-final where he scored the first goal in a 3-0 win over Mallorca.
"He's fine, he's recovered well," the Italian said of Bellingham who is Real's third-highest scorer and joint-top with assists in their current LaLiga campaign.
The coach said the Super Cup was an important title, and statistically Real had a good season every time they won it.
"When we haven't won it, it hasn't gone well. It's a competition that gives you a lot more motivation," said Ancelotti, whose last two Champions League trophies with Real have coincided with Super Cup wins.
"Barcelona are a historic rival and the matches are always very competitive. It's difficult for us and for them. The result of the match cannot be predicted," he added.
