On the way to Riyadh, on a flight in which the now referee commentator Mateu Lahoz was also traveling, Alberola Rojas smiled calmly. He looked relaxed and, as always, in excellent physical shape, those arms don’t work themselves. The Ciudad Real referee is in charge of directing tonight (8 pm) the first semi-final of the Spanish Super Cup between Real Madrid and Atlético. He already delivered justice in the league derby in September and therein lies his sin, in the eyes of the scathing and partial view of Real Madrid Television, which has not missed the opportunity to send its ships against the referee. Because? Basically for being the referee of Madrid’s only defeat this season after 26 games played.
Because the white campaign, until now almost impeccable despite their cataract of injuries, only has one blot, the match at the Metropolitano in which they succumbed emphatically (3-1) due to a double from Morata and a goal from Griezmann. Since then, the men of the renewed Carlo Ancelotti have gone 19 games without losing thanks to Bellingham’s marksmanship and his ancestral competitive spirit, which makes him take the games forward in any way.
But now Atlético comes, as fearsome in the Metropolitano as it is vulnerable outside. With more offensive weapons, but less Herculean without the ball. A rare bird in the world of the everlasting Simeone. The derby is presented as the first chapter of a trilogy, since the whims of fate have brought them together next week in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey and at the beginning of February they will meet again in the second round of the League. Three derbies, three different competitions and wounds that will surely open from one match to the next. “I don’t like playing against Atlético so many times, they are a very strong rival, but the same thing will happen to them,” Ancelotti said. “We are excited about playing against Madrid, it motivates us and generates expectations for us,” Simeone conceded. Tonight’s Super Cup opens at the Al Awwal Park stadium, a venue with only 25,000 spectators located on the campus of King Saud University. It is the home of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr matches and a modern facility that was inaugurated in 2015. The protagonists will discover it today since yesterday they exercised at the Al Nassr facilities, but not in the stadium.
Madrid can count on the recovered full-back Mendy while Courtois, Militão, Alaba and Lucas Vázquez remain injured. Reinildo, concentrated with Mozambique for the Africa Cup, and Lemar will not be at Atlético. Yes, he is part of the Pablo Barrios expedition, which is finalizing his tune-up after his meniscus tear. Simeone and Ancelotti have faced each other as coaches in 19 derbies. The equality is total, with 7 victories by beard. “I feel very comfortable in white and Simeone responds to the profile of his club. I have a lot of respect for him,” Ancelotti concluded. Today, chapter 20.
