Real take on Atletico in Uefa Super Cup
TALLINN: Following the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane, Real Madrid get their first test against crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid in the Uefa Super Cup in Estonia today.
So far, Madrid have not resorted to a “galacticos’’ spending spree to bring in marquee names at astronomical prices.
Coach Julen Lopetegui seems to be relying on the talent already at his disposal and a new tactical system.
The club, though, have made a few significant purchases, including goalkeeper Thibault Courtois from Chelsea.
Now, the team that were built around Ronaldo and who have won three straight Champions League titles comes up against a strong Atletico team that won the Europa League and finished ahead of Madrid in the Spanish league.
Ronaldo moved to Juventus in a €112 million deal and Zidane resigned as coach.
Those changes have given new impetus to forwards Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio to step up and fill the void left by Ronaldo, who scored 450 goals in 438 matches for Madrid.
Lopetegui, who is prone to shaking things up, may also look to give key roles to a core of Spanish players like Asensio, Isco, Marcos Llorente and Dani Ceballos.
Madrid will hope that Luka Modric stays at the club amid reports that the Croatia international has been seeking a move to Italy.
The creative midfielder had a stellar World Cup, guiding his country to the final.
Atletico have failed against Real on European football’s biggest stage in recent times, losing Champions League finals in 2014 and 2016, and a semi-final in 2017.
Atletico were eliminated from group stage last season, finishing behind Roma and Chelsea, and dropped into the Europa League.
But the team went on to win the competition and also excelled in the Spanish league.
Atletico finished in second place, three points ahead of Real Madrid.
Atletico, coached by Dieogo Simeone, will seek to build on that momentum by beating Real today ahead of the new La Liga season which starts on Friday.