Madrid won the Champions League final last season, and it kicks off the new season on Wednesday in Helsinki, Finland, against Europa League winner Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Super Cup.
It will be the teams’ first competitive encounter since the 1960 European Cup final, when Madrid won an exciting 7-3 victory at Glasgow’s Hampden Park to capture its fifth consecutive European cup at the time.
For Madrid, Alfredo Di Stéfano scored a hat trick while Ferenc Puskás scored four goals.
The game drew about 127,000 spectators, which still remains the greatest turnout for a European Cup final.
Frankfurt will compete in the Super Cup for the first time after defeating Rangers in a shootout in the Europa League final, while Madrid is vying for its fifth Super Cup victory and first since 2017.
Madrid completed the previous campaign on a high note after completely dominating the Spanish league and overcoming subpar performances to go to the Champions League knockout rounds.
In the end, it defeated Liverpool in the final to win a record-breaking 14th European championship.
Real Madrid touch down in Helsinki 🛬🇫🇮#SuperCup pic.twitter.com/XWVdXKXUSm
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 9, 2022
How Is Madrid Preparing For The Season?
“We will try to win everything possible this season,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti stated on Tuesday.
“I don’t know if we will be able to do it, we know it will be very complicated. But the squad is very good and I have a lot of confidence on my players.”
The Spanish powerhouse, led by Karim Benzema after his best season ever, will remain mostly unaltered in 2022–2023.
In the attack, which was formidable last year, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo are also back, and Casemiro, Luka Modric, and Toni Kroos continue to serve as the midfield’s cornerstones.
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Antonio Rüdiger, a center back, and Aurélien Tchouaméni, a midfielder, are newcomers to the team.
On Sunday, Madrid will play its first league game of the season against newly-promoted Almera.
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