In the final of the 2024-25 season Spanish Super Cup, Real Madrid faced off against Barcelona. As the defending champions, Real Madrid had triumphed over Barcelona with a 4:1 victory the previous year and now boasted an even stronger squad, led by new summer signing Kylian Mbappe, alongside Vinicius, Bellingham, and Rodrygo, forming a formidable quartet.
On the Barcelona side, the frontline was still led by Lewandowski, Rafinha, and Ilaix Moriba, with Olmo and Paul Victor, who were successfully registered on a temporary basis, waiting on the bench.
Barcelona's recent form has been poor, and they have been experiencing a tumultuous period since the start of the new year, making Real Madrid the more favored team. However, it should not be forgotten that just over two months ago in the La Liga match, Real Madrid suffered a humiliating 0:4 defeat at home to Barcelona under the guidance of coach Flick, with both teams fielding similar squads to the current ones.
The match started with a dream opening for Real Madrid, as their usual counter-attack saw Vinicius and Mbappe connect to score the first goal within just five minutes. However, this turned out to be the beginning of a nightmare! From the 22nd to the 48th minute, Barcelona scored five consecutive goals, leaving Real Madrid stunned once again. In the 56th minute, goalkeeper Szczesny was sent off, leaving Barcelona with one less player. Despite having an extra man, Real Madrid could only avoid a more devastating defeat.
Lacking spirit, Real Madrid ultimately suffered a crushing 2:5 defeat and missed out on the championship.
After the game, Ancelotti said: "Our performance throughout the match was not good. We thought we could try to turn things around with the red card, as we had an extra man, but we couldn't create any opportunities."
Prior to the start of the Spanish Super Cup final, in the 19th round of La Liga, Atletico Madrid secured a narrow 1:0 victory over Osasuna at home. After 19 matches, they accumulated 44 points, surpassing Real Madrid by a single point to top the La Liga standings.
Recent media reports suggest that if Real Madrid fails to defend both their La Liga and Champions League titles by the end of the season, Ancelotti will be replaced by Xabi Alonso.
Currently in La Liga, Barcelona seems to be faltering, while Atletico Madrid has emerged as a new strong opponent, with no reduction in the difficulty for Real Madrid to defend their title. In the Champions League arena, if Real Madrid performs similarly to how they did in the Spanish Super Cup final, it is uncertain whether they can even make it into the knockout stages, let alone defend their title.
If Ancelotti can achieve success, whether in La Liga or the Champions League, he would be making history! Real Madrid has not successfully defended their La Liga title for sixteen years, and Ancelotti, who has coached across the top five leagues, has never led a team to successfully defend a league title in his career. In the Champions League, since its reform, only Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid has managed to successfully defend their title.