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He expects the next game to be entertaining, aiming to surpass Barcelona
Published : 10 Jan 2025, 11:19 PM
The fans should expect the unexpected when Real Madrid face Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday, Real coach Carlo Ancelotti said after his team outclassed Mallorca in the semi-finals.
Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo scored second-half goals to help Real to a 3-0 win over Mallorca after Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 in the other last-four clash.
"The Clasico has been unpredictable lately," Ancelotti told reporters on Thursday.
"There were games we won easily, like the 4-1 last year in the Super Cup. We also won 4-0 twice in Barcelona while they beat us 4-0 at the Bernabeu.
"It's hard to think what kind of game the next one will be. It will be entertaining because there is quality on the pitch. And obviously we want to end up being better than Barcelona."
Real took time to open the scoring against last year's Copa del Rey finalists Mallorca, who sit sixth in the LaLiga standings 13 points off leaders Real.
England midfielder Bellingham broke the deadlock after the hour mark, closing an excellent team move featuring Rodrygo and Kylian Mbappe.
"We started very well, but we could have opened the scoring a little earlier, in the first half," Ancelotti said.
"After the good start it became more difficult for us. It was a demanding game because Mallorca played the game they had to play.
"They were defending very well, closing spaces, trying to look for opportunities with crosses. A couple of times they created problems for us."
Real finished the game without midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, who was replaced by Raul Asencio early in the second half following a clash of heads with a Mallorca defender.
Bellingham looked uncomfortable after going down in the final minutes but completed the game while Valverde was substituted with 15 minutes remaining by Dani Ceballos.
"The doctor preferred to take him (Tchouameni) off the pitch because it was a blow to the head," Ancelotti said. "Bellingham and (Federico) Valvede were overloads. We were not expecting the heat and it affected the rhythm of the game."
