REAL MADRID
When will Kylian Mbappé play his first official game with Real Madrid?
Real Madrid will now play in the European Super Cup on 14 August against Atalanta in the Polish capital with the game poised to be the French striker’s first official game with his new club.
The UEFA Super Cup is the traditional curtain raiser to mark the new season and pits the winners of the Europa League against the victorious side from the Champions League.
This season’s game will be staged in the Polish capital of Warsaw next August and the game will take on an added dimension as everything points to it being the first official match when new signing Kylian Mbapppé pulls on the white jersey for his new club.
Real Madrid will be seeking its sixth European Super Cup win having played in the final on eight times with five wins and three losses with their last participation in Helsinki in 2022 when they recorded a 2-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 in Finland. The 58,000 National Stadium in Warsaw will host this season’s game on 14 August as Ancelotti’s Champions League winners face Gasperini’s Atalanta who saw off high-flying Bayer Leverkusen in the Dublin Europa League final.
With the new LaLiga season set to commence on 16 August, the match in Poland will represent the first official game for Real Madrid in the 2024-25 season and a likely debut for the French forward.
US tour
The Santiago Bernabeu coaching staff have already outlined the preseason with the European Championship in Germany, which will take place between 14 June and 14 July, and the Copa América (from June 20 to July 14) meaning many players won’t return until their respective national sides finish in both competitions.
The players’ return to work is scheduled for the week of July 15-21. Ancelotti will work first with a small group of players that will increase as both Euro 2024 and the Copa América progress.
At present, Los Blancos have confirmed three pre-season friendly games in the United States with all three games set to be played on the East Coast.
The LaLiga side face Milan in Chicago on 31 July, then face Barcelona in New Jersey on 3 August and wind up facing Chelsea in Charlotte three days later.
The club will potentially announce further games for August and the early suggestion is that the French star will not travel to the US and participate in other friendly games before his first official test for the club in Poland at the Super Cup.