Relentless Real Madrid the team to beat in Kylian Mbappe’s debut season

MADRID – Clearly, a La Liga-Champions League double last season was not enough to satisfy Real Madrid, who have welcomed France captain Kylian Mbappe to an already stellar cast as they set their sights on another trophy-laden campaign.

Under the calm guidance of Italian mastermind Carlo Ancelotti, they reclaimed the Spanish title from bitter rivals Barcelona in dominant fashion and won a record-extending 15th Champions League title – their sixth in the last 11 seasons.

As they get ready to kick off their season in Warsaw on Aug 14 against Europa League winners Atalanta in the Uefa Super Cup, Real look to be even stronger this term.

Coach Ancelotti, however, is keeping his feet firmly on the ground.

“It’s going to be tough as always because it’s the beginning of the season,” he said. “But we are going there with every confidence and conviction, while bearing in mind all the challenges.

“Atalanta deserve to be there because they played an amazing Europa League campaign, knocking out top teams like Liverpool.

“They were able to win those games easily, even the final. We respect this team a lot, but we hope to be at our best.”

Mbappe, who joined the club as a free agent from French giants Paris Saint-Germain on a five-year contract in June, is in line to make his debut against the Italian side.

He won six Ligue 1 titles and four French Cups at PSG and became their record scorer with 256 goals during seven years in Paris, but failed to win the Champions League or the Ballon d'Or.

The forward’s hunger for glory seems like the perfect match for Real’s obsession with excellence, while Ancelotti’s relentless search for improvement means there will be no let-up in the intensity.

The most successful coach in Champions League history with five titles, Ancelotti has expertly managed a club constantly under pressure to uphold sky-high standards.

The Italian kept Real’s momentum going even after the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Karim Benzema and Casemiro, and he now faces another challenge in having to replace midfielder Toni Kroos, who has just retired.

But his biggest headache is who to leave out of his starting XI.

In terms of experience he can call on Dani Carvajal, Luka Modric, Antonio Rudiger and Thibaut Courtois, while at the other end of the spectrum are emerging talent such as 19-year-old Turkey midfielder Arda Guler and 18-year-old Brazilian sensation Endrick.

Brazil’s jet-heeled winger Vinicius Jr and England maestro Jude Bellingham headline this new-age Galacticos team, while Rodrygo, Brahim Diaz, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Eder Militao and Federico Valverde are all coming into their prime.

“We have a very talented squad that has a very competitive mindset,” Ancelotti added.

“The competition within the squad is something that helps everyone to be more focused. That competitiveness is a very positive thing for us.”

Atalanta, on the other hand, are significantly less competitive compared to just a few months ago, their coach Gian Piero Gasperini admitted.

Central midfielder Teun Koopmeiners is set to join Juventus and is no longer training with the first team, while Gasperini has two major injury concerns heading into the Super Cup clash and the season ahead.

“We’ve had two very serious injuries, two cruciate ligaments in (Giorgio) Scalvini and (Gianluca) Scamacca, and then the Koopmeiners situation,” the coach said.

Nevertheless, he is looking forward to the big clash with Real.

“It will be an extraordinary occasion for Atalanta, for Bergamo, for the history of the place. We are playing against the most decorated club in the world, against the team that has won the most in the world,” he added.

“To play a final like this, for this trophy against such an important club, would have been unthinkable until fairly recently. There’s a huge sense of pride. There’s no doubt it’s a high point, perhaps the pinnacle in the history of Atalanta.” REUTERS