Ancelotti managed the Spanish Super Cup semifinal match where Real defeated Mallorca 3-0 on the evening of January 9th. Photo: MD
In the first semifinal match a day earlier, Barca defeated Bilbao 2-0. On January 12th, the two biggest clubs in Spain will face each other in the final at the King Abdullah Sports City in Saudi Arabia.
Recent matches between Real and Barca, also known as El Clasico, have consistently produced surprising results. After Barca's 4-0 victory at the Bernabeu at the end of the 2021-2022 La Liga season, Real responded with a 4-0 victory in the Copa del Rey at Camp Nou in the 2022-2023 season and a 4-1 win in the 2023-2024 Spanish Super Cup final. However, in the first leg of this La Liga season, Hansi Flick's team repeated their 4-0 victory at the Bernabeu.
According to Ancelotti, Real is recovering from a devastating defeat and is nearly back to its best form. He credited Jude Bellingham, the midfielder who has scored nine goals in his last 12 matches. "The team is improving thanks to Bellingham's dynamism. He's combining more with Vinicius and Rodrygo," Ancelotti added.
Kylian Mbappe played the entire semifinal match against Mallorca but failed to score. According to Ancelotti, the French striker has only reached good form, not his best. But he knows how far his player can go and can therefore provide support.
At the end of the semifinal, Real and Mallorca players clashed. Mallorca defender Pablo Maffeo got physical with Bellingham before defenders Raul Asencio and Ancelotti intervened.
"A fight like that was unnecessary," Ancelotti said. "The players got a bit heated and I tried to calm Maffeo down. I don't blame any Real or Mallorca player."
For over 90 minutes of play, Real faced numerous difficulties against Mallorca. The reigning Champions League, La Liga, and Spanish Super Cup champions had to wait until the 63rd minute for their first goal, thanks to Bellingham. Mallorca continued to fight until the added time before finally giving in. Real scored two more goals thanks to an own goal by Martin Valjent in the 90+2nd minute and Rodrygo in the 90+5th minute.
