Real Madrid Must Not Repeat El Clasico ‘Mistakes’ In Supercopa Final

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said his players can avenge their thrashing earlier this season by Barcelona by winning the Spanish Super Cup on Sunday, but only if they avoided making the same mistakes.

Hansi Flick’s Barcelona routed Los Blancos 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu in October in LaLiga, although a slump before the winter break helped Real Madrid overtake them at the top of the table.

“We have to think about that game obviously, they beat us, we had a clear evaluation of what happened,” Ancelotti told a news conference Saturday before the clash in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

“We started the game well, then had problems in the second half, so we have to try and repeat the good things we did and avoid the mistakes we made.

“The Clasico is even more pressured when it’s a final, we’ve played a lot against Barcelona and playing a final against them is always something special.”

Can Madrid find a balance for Mbappe, Bellingham and co?

Madrid, who beat Mallorca 3-0 in their semifinal on Thursday, are still searching for a balance between attack and defence in their game after the arrival of French superstar Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain last year.

Along with Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo Goes, the four players give Madrid a significant edge going forward but can hurt the team if they are not focused defensively.

“[In recent Clasicos] individual quality has prevailed over team balance,” continued Ancelotti. “An important aspect [in the final] will be balance and collective work – defending.

“If you defend well, there’s more chance of winning.”

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies