Big Match Feature: Real Madrid v Atalanta

Already the most successful side in Uefa Champions League history, Real Madrid will now look to claim a record sixth Uefa Super Cup when they take on an Atalanta side bidding to clinch a second European trophy less than three months after their first.

Madrid lifted the European Cup for the 15th time in 2023/24 – more than twice as many victories as the next most successful club, with AC Milan on seven – and now face an Atalanta side who triumphed in the Uefa Europa League in May, their first major silverware in more than 60 years.

The National Stadium in Warsaw is the 12th venue to stage the Super Cup since the fixture switched from its long-term home of Monaco, after Prague (2013), Cardiff (2014), Tbilisi (2015), Trondheim (2016), Skopje (2017), Tallinn (2018), Istanbul (2019), Budapest (2020), Belfast (2021), Helsinki (2022) and Piraeus (2023).

SUPER CUP PEDIGREE

Real Madrid

This is Madrid's ninth appearance in the Super Cup (W5 L3); having lost their first two finals, they won the next four but were beaten by neighbours Atlético de Madrid in 2018 before defeating Eintracht Frankfurt in their most recent appearance, in 2022.

The full breakdown of their results is:

1998: Chelsea 1-0 Real Madrid

2000: Real Madrid 1-2 Galatasaray (aet)

2002: Real Madrid 3-1 Feyenoord

2014: Real Madrid 2-0 Sevilla

2016: Real Madrid 3-2 Sevilla (aet)

2017: Real Madrid 2-1 Manchester United

2018: Real Madrid 2-4 Atlético de Madrid (aet)

2022: Real Madrid 2-0 Eintracht Frankfurt

Madrid have won five Super Cups, level with Milan and Barcelona as the most successful sides in the competition's history.

The Merengues are now level with Barcelona on nine Super Cup appearances – more than any other side.

Madrid's appearance is the 32nd by a Spanish team in the fixture – a Super Cup record.

In 2017, Madrid became the first team to win successive Super Cups since Milan in 1989 and 1990. Their 2018 loss to Atlético prevented them becoming the first to win three in a row.

Dani Carvajal and Luka Modrić have both played in a record four Super Cup wins, a joint record alongside former Madrid teammates Karim Benzema and Toni Kroos plus Paolo Maldini and Dani Alves.

Carvajal and Modrić can also become the first players to appear in six editions of the Super Cup.

Carlo Ancelotti is currently level with Pep Guardiola on four Super Cup victories, a competition record, having overseen Milan's triumphs in 2003 and 2007 and Madrid's 2014 and 2022 successes.

Ancelotti is one of five men to have lifted the trophy as player and coach, alongside Guardiola, Diego Simeone, Luis Enrique and Zinédine Zidane.

The Champions League winners have lifted the Super Cup in ten of the last 11 contests, the exception Atlético de Madrid's 2018 success against Real Madrid.

ATALANTA

This is Atalanta's first appearance in the Super Cup; they are the 41st club to feature and the fourth successive debutants after Villarreal in 2021 and Eintracht Frankfurt (2022) – who both lost – and 2023 winners Manchester City.

Atalanta are the seventh Italian club to feature in the Super Cup, after AC Milan (1973, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 2003, 2007), Juventus (1984, 1996), Sampdoria (1990), Parma (1993), Lazio (1999) and Inter Milan (2010).

The team from Bergamo would become the fifth Italian side to win the Super Cup and the first since the most recent of Milan's five triumphs in 2007.

Atalanta are aiming to become the 26th club to lift the trophy and the second successive new winners after City last year; the English club were the first new name on the trophy since Bayern München in 2013.

A total of 14 clubs have lost on their only Super Cup appearance, most recently Frankfurt against Madrid in Helsinki in 2022.

Italian sides have won on nine of their 13 Super Cup appearances. They are currently the third most successful country in the competition's history, behind Spain (16 wins) and England (10).

The Uefa Cup/Europa League winners have won eight of the 24 finals since the Uefa Cup Winners' Cup was discontinued in 1999 – however, since Zenit in 2008, the only non-European champion club to have managed it are Atlético de Madrid, in 2010, 2012 and 2018.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

2020/21 Uefa Champions League round of 16

Atalanta 0-1 Real Madrid

Real Madrid 3-1 Atalanta

The sides' only previous fixtures came four seasons ago in the first knockout round of the Champions League, Madrid triumphing 4-1 on aggregate against an Atalanta side coached, as now, by Gian Piero Gasperini.

Ferland Mendy scored the only goal four minutes from time at the Stadio di Bergamo on 24 February 2021, the home side having been reduced to ten men as early as the 17th minute when Remo Freuler was shown a red card for a foul on Mendy.

Zidane's Madrid were 3-1 winners at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano on 16 March, goals from Benzema (34) and Sergio Ramos (60pen) – the latter after Vinícius Júnior had been felled by Rafael Tolói – extending their aggregate advantage. Luis Muriel did reduce the arrears seven minutes from time with a fine free-kick but Madrid had the final word, substitute Marco Asensio completing the scoring in the 85th minute.

Madrid went on to reach the semifinals, losing 3-1 on aggregate to eventual champions Chelsea.

FORM GUIDE

Real Madrid

Record v Italian clubs: W45 D11 L26 F136 A98

Madrid were paired with Italian opposition in last season's Champions League group stage, winning 3-2 at Napoli on Matchday 2 – Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham both on target – and 4-2 at home on Matchday 5 with Rodrygo, Bellingham again, Nico Paz and Joselu getting the goals.

That made it ten successive wins against Serie A sides, home and away.

Madrid have won 16 of their last 17 games against Italian clubs, the exception a 3-1 home defeat by Juventus – who they had beaten 4-1 in the 2017 Champions League final in Cardiff – in the 2017/18 quarterfinal second leg. Madrid nevertheless squeezed through having won 3-0 in Turin.

The Spanish side have played five European Cup finals against Italian sides, winning four including the last two, against Juventus in 1998 (1-0) and 2017. Beaten 3-1 by Inter Milan in the 1964 decider, they had previously overcome Fiorentina in 1957 (2-0) and AC Milan the following year (3-2 aet).

Madrid claimed their record-extending 15th European Cup in 2023/24, goals in the final 16 minutes from Carvajal and Vinícius Júnior – the latter the first Brazilian to score in two European Cup finals – earning a 2-0 win against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley on 1 June.

Ancelotti's side had finished top of their section after winning all six Champions League group games for a record-equalling third time, beating Union Berlin (1-0 h, 3-2 a), Napoli (3-2 a, 4-2 h) and Braga (2-1 a, 3-0 h) as they qualified for the round of 16 with two games to spare.

Leipzig were then overcome in the round of 16 (1-0 a, 1-1 a) before epic ties against holders Manchester City (3-3 h, 1-1 a, 4-3 pens) – Rodrygo scoring in both games – and Bayern München (2-2 a, 2-1 h), substitute Joselu scoring twice in the closing minutes to take Madrid to Wembley.

Madrid did not lose a game in a European Cup campaign for the first time in their history (W9 D4).

Ancelotti reached his sixth Champions League final as a coach (2003, 2005 and 2007 with AC Milan; 2014, 2022 and 2024 with Real Madrid) – the most of any coach in European Cup history. His total of five triumphs is also a record.

The Italian also became the first coach to take charge of 200 Champions League games in the quarterfinal first leg against Manchester City.

Madrid will be taking part in their 29th Champions League group stage campaign in 2024/25, a competition record they share with Barcelona. They last missed out in 1996/97 and have qualified for the knockout rounds in all 28 campaigns.

The Merengues finished ten points clear of Barcelona at the top of the 2023/24 LaLiga title, claiming their second championship in three years and 36th overall.

Madrid's record in five Uefa penalty shoot-outs is W3 L2:

5-6 v Crvena zvezda, 1974/75 European Cup Winners' Cup quarterfinal

3-1 v Juventus, 1986/87 European Cup second round

1-3 v Bayern München, 2011/12 Champions League semifinal

5-3 v Atlético de Madrid, 2015/16 Champions League final

4-3 v Manchester City, 2023/24 Champions League quarterfinal

ATALANTA

Record v Spanish clubs: W2 D1 L3 F13 A13

This is only Atalanta's seventh game against a Spanish club – and the first outside the Champions League.

Aside from their 2020/21 tie against Madrid, La Dea beat Valencia 8-4 on aggregate in the 2019/20 round of 16 – Josip Iličić scoring all four goals in a 4-1 away success – but had their most recent Champions League campaign, in 2021/22, ended by a 3-2 home defeat against Villarreal on Matchday 6. They had drawn 2-2 in Spain.

Atalanta claimed only the club's second major silverware – and a first top-flight trophy since the 1962/63 Coppa Italia – in 2023/24, defeating German champions Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the final in Dublin with Ademola Lookman scoring the first final hat-trick in the Uefa Cup/Europa League.

Gasperini's team had won their section ahead of Sporting CP, Sturm Graz and Raków Częstochowa, winning four of their six games and remaining unbeaten, before edging past Sporting again in the round of 16 (1-1 a, 2-1). They stunned Liverpool in the quarterfinals (3-0 a, 0-1 h) and then got the better of Marseille (1-1 a, 3-0 h) to set up that final triumph.

That means Atalanta will be taking part in the Champions League group stage for the fourth time – all since 2019 – in 2024/25.

Atalanta were the ninth different Italian club to reach the Uefa Cup/Europa League showpiece and the first Italian team to win the competition in the Europa League era. The previous Italian champions were Parma in 1998/99.

Atalanta were the 62nd different club to feature in a Uefa Cup/Europa League final.

Gasperini became the oldest coach to win the Europa League, aged 66 years 117 days.

The Bergamo club were fourth in Serie A last season, their fifth top-four finish in eight seasons. They ended on 69 points, 25 behind champions Inter.

Atalanta's record in one Uefa penalty shoot-out is W0 L1:

3-4 v Copenhagen, 2018/19 Europa League qualifying play-off

LINKS AND TRIVIA

Ancelotti played for Milan between 1987 and 1992, winning two Serie A titles and two European Cups. He then went on to manage the Rossoneri between 2001 and 2009, winning two Champions Leagues and one Serie A.

The Italian also played for Parma (1975–79) and Roma (1979–87) and coached Reggiana (1995/96), Parma (1996–98), Juventus (1999–2001) and Napoli (2018–19).

Gasperini was a coach in the Juventus youth system while Ancelotti was in charge of the senior side.

Ancelotti's record against Atalanta as a player was W10 D1 L2; he scored Serie A goals against them for both Roma and Milan.

As a coach, Ancelotti has faced Atalanta 23 times while in charge of Parma, Juventus, Milan and Napoli with the record W10 D8 L5.

Ancelotti and Gasperini have met seven times as coaches, the former recording three wins to Gasperini's two with two draws.

HAVE PLAYED IN SPAIN:

Mario Pašalić (Elche 2014/15)

El Bilal Touré (Almeria 2022/23)

HAVE PLAYED IN ITALY:

Brahim Díaz (AC Milan 2020–23)

Antonio Rüdiger (Roma 2015–17)

HAVE PLAYED TOGETHER:

Brahim Díaz & Charles De Ketelaere (AC Milan 2022/23)

Thibaut Courtois & Davide Zappacosta (Chelsea 2017/18)

Kylian Mbappé & Mitchel Bakker (Paris Saint Germain 2019–21)

Kylian Mbappé & Mario Pašalić (Monaco 2015/16)

Dani Ceballos & Sead Kolašinac (Arsenal 2019–21)

INTERNATIONAL TEAM-MATES:

Luka Modrić & Mario Pašalić (Croatia)

Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo, Éder Militão, Endrick & Éderson (Brazil)

Thibaut Courtois & Charles De Ketelaere (Belgium)

Andriy Lunin & Viktor Kovalenko (Ukraine)

Jude Bellingham & Ben Godfrey (England Under-21, England)

Carvajal – who this summer became one of only 12 players, a list that includes former Madrid teammate Nacho, to win the European Cup and the European Championship in the same year – scored Spain's final goal in a 3-0 win against Croatia on Matchday 1 of EURO 2024. Modrić started for Croatia before being replaced by Pašalić.

Carvajal also featured in Spain's 1-0 victory against Gianluca Scamacca's Italy on Matchday 2 of EURO 2024.

Modrić's goal gave Croatia a 1-0 Matchday 3 lead against Italy but the Azzurri – with Scamacca a late substitute – equalised in added time to progress ahead of their opponents.

Berat Djimsiti's Albania took on Carvajal's Spain on Matchday 3 of EURO 2024, Djimsiti playing 90 minutes in Spain's 1-0 win.

Djimsiti had faced Modrić's Croatia in a 2-2 draw on Matchday 2.

Vinicius Júnior, Rodrygo, Éder Militão, Endrick and Éderson were all members of the Brazil squad at this summer's Copa America.

Carvajal's Spain defeated Pašalić's Croatia in a penalty shoot-out in the final of the 2023 Uefa Nations League, Carvajal converting the decisive kick.

© Uefa