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Carlo Ancelotti reveals when Mbappe will make debut for Madrid
Real Madrid manager, Carlo Ancelotti, has suggested Kylian Mbappe will start against Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup next week.
Mbappe joined Real Madrid on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain earlier this summer, finally making the move to Los Blancos after a lengthy transfer saga that extended over several years
He was unveiled at the Santiago Bernabeu after the completion of Euro 2024 before going on holiday to rest and recover from the international tournament.
Following Madrid’s recent 2-1 loss to Clasico rivals Barcelona in a pre-season friendly, Ancelotti revealed when the world can expect to see Mbappe make his debut.
“Mbappe can be in the Super Cup starting XI. [Jude] Bellingham too and the others [on holiday] too. They are prepared, they have followed a plan and they will all play,” he said.
Madrid have one match left to play in their three-game pre-season tour of the USA having already lost to Barca and AC Milan.
They face Chelsea in Charlotte on Tuesday night before jetting back home.
Mbappe and several other Madrid stars who reached the latter stages of either Euro 2024 or Copa America will instead reconvene at the club’s Valdebebas training complex.
European champions Madrid will head to Warsaw for the Super Cup match against Europa League winners Atalanta on August 14, just four days before starting their La Liga campaign with an away game against Mallorca.
Mbappe’s first home match as a Madrid player is likely to come on August 25 when they welcome Valladolid to the Bernabeu.
A trip to Las Palmas and another home game, this time against Real Betis, will swiftly follow before the first international break of the new season.
Ancelotti on preseason
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has said he is “not worried” that his team is yet to win in preseason.
The Champions League holders followed their 1-0 defeat to AC Milan last week with a 2-1 loss to Barcelona on Saturday.
Ahead of taking on Chelsea on Tuesday in Charlotte in what will be the third and final game of their United States tour, Ancelotti said, “We’re not worried. The result is not so important. It’s preseason games and we are missing eight players.
“We’re working on our preparations and the players are gradually coming back to the team. The aim is for players to get minutes and to get them in good shape.
“I can assure you that we are going to compete with the squad we have,” Ancelotti said. “We can fight for the seven titles. The calendar is very demanding but we have the quality to compete for everything, it is what the club commands.”
Ancelotti on Youngster Endrick
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti with youngster Endrick
Ancelotti, on the other hand, has urged fans to be patient with teenage striker Endrick. The 18-year-old, who completed his transfer to Madrid from Palmeiras this summer, started in both of Madrid’s matches in the U.S. but did not manage to find the net.
“We have to be patient with him,” Ancelotti said. “He has shown great quality and talent. As with [Arda] Güler last year, we don’t have to put pressure on the young players, he has a lot of pressure behind him, he is a very much loved player all over the world, especially in Brazil, but we must be patient with these players, with young people especially.”
Barcelona president Laporta on youngsters
Barcelona president, Joan Laporta
Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, meanwhile, praised his team’s youngsters after their victory in El Clásico which followed their midweek draw against Manchester City.
“We promote young people and develop talent, which for us is the most important thing,” Laporta said on Sunday at a club event in New York.
“We are very proud because there is work behind it. Of course, we go to the market to sign good players, but for us, it is essential to generate talent,” he added.
“We give importance to how we win. We have a good image [against Madrid] and that is the most important thing.”
Barça completed their U.S. summer tour against AC Milan on Tuesday.
