Sport24.az
Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso will be looking to secure a crucial victory this evening against Atletico in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final. The winner of the Madrid derby will face Barcelona in the final.
The Catalan club won the other semi-final 5-0 against Athletic. Sport24.az reports that Real Madrid last faced Atletico in September at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium and lost 5-2. Robin Le Normand, Alexander Sørloth, Julian Alvarez twice, and Antoine Griezmann scored in that match.
Xabi Alonso is already under significant pressure after a difficult start to his job at the Bernabeu. Despite the team defeating Betis 5-1 in their first game of 2026, a general decline in form and Barcelona's consecutive victories meant that Real finished the year four points behind their rivals.
Ahead of the semi-final, Alonso stated that the team must be fully prepared psychologically for the game:
"This is a semi-final and we have to be mentally ready, fight and pay attention to details. Atletico is always a difficult opponent, but we have enough reasons to go into this game with great energy and desire. This is the first title of the season and that's why it's the most important cup. We want to perform better than in the league game. We know what was missing in that game and we don't want to repeat the same mistakes. I believe that the team will show a different face, a different level this time. Positive lessons can be learned from defeats and we will not repeat some things."
