The European soccer season returns to competitive action later this month for the UEFA Super Cup as Spanish giants Real Madrid take on Italian outfit Atalanta in the first major final of the new season.
Real Madrid are the reigning La Liga and UEFA Champions League holders after a tremendous season in 2023/24, while Atalanta won the Europa League trophy and finished fourth in Serie A in a very successful season for themselves.
We'll take a look at the fixture and the two teams competing in it to provide you with our best free soccer betting picks to earn you some extra cash while you take in the action on the pitch.
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UEFA Super Cup 2024 information
- Wednesday, August 14th 2024
- National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland
- 15:00 ET kick-off
- Live on CBS
Real Madrid vs Atalanta odds
- Real Madrid - (-175)
- Atalanta - (+420)
- Tie after 90 minutes - (+350)
Carlo Ancelotti made it five Champions League tournament successes as a manager in the 2023/24 campaign, leading his Real Madrid team to a comfortable 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley in the final.
Star players Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham stepped up with top performances as they linked up for a goal after Dani Carvajal's opened, as Los Blancos extended their record as the most successful club in European competition with a 15th victory.
They were also crowned national champions of Spain for a record-extending 36th time, as they finished the season ten points clear of their nearest rivals Barcelona, and will now come into this game as heavy favorites to win yet another UEFA Super Cup knowing that a win will take them top of the pile with six successes.
Since then they have improved their squad greatly, with young phenom Endrick finally completing his move to the Bernabeu 18 months after a deal was agreed. Additionally, the worst kept secret in soccer was finally made official as Kylian Mbappe completed a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, and he will lead the attack in the new season. Legendary midfielder Toni Kroos has retired however.
They'll be coming up against an exciting Atalanta side, led by Italian boss Gian Piero Gasperini, who won the Europa League trophy with a dominant 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen.
That was made even more impressive by the fact that Xabi Alonso's side were on the verge of an invincible treble as they won the German Bundesliga and DFB Pokal, with Atalanta becoming the only team to defeat them in all competitions, all season.
Since their success they have added Ben Godfrey, Ibrahim Sulemana and Nicolo Zaniolo to their squad, but have lost Duvan Zapata, Nicolo Cambiaghi, Aleksey Miranchuk and Caleb Okoli.
Soccer Picks: Real Madrid to win in 90 minutes
While there have been big changes at the Bernabeu in the off-season, one thing never changes and that is their desire and ability to win trophies.
Endrick has already won five trophies during his time in Brazil despite being just 18, while Mbappe is one of the most decorated footballers in Europe of this generation, so they haven't lost any know-how at this point when it comes to the biggest stage.
There are some question marks about how Ancelotti will be able to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together with Rodrygo, Brahim Diaz and Arda Guler also options in attack, but that is why he is paid the big money and why he is regarded as one of the greatest of all-time in the dugout.
With such quality and experience in the squad, it's hard to see how they don't beat an Atalanta side who have never competed at such a high level before. Neither side will want to play more than the 90 minutes so early on in the season, so expect a routine victory inside regulation time for the favorites.
Check out our review for Bovada sports betting here.
Soccer Picks: Kylian Mbappe to score
It's rare that a player is built for the biggest of occasions, but aside from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo you could argue nobody loves the spotlight more than Mbappe does.
The 25-year-old is the all-time top goalscorer in Paris Saint-Germain history, has scored in two World Cup finals (including a hat-trick in one) and scored away from home against the likes of Barcelona, Madrid, Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City and Bayern Munich in his career to date.
The move to Real Madrid had been long anticipated for several years, and the France star will surely be looking to make a big impression with his new fans by hitting the ground running and leading them to another trophy.
Back Mbappe to do just that by finding the net in his first official game for the club, and pulling out his trademark arms-crossed celebration for the first of many times over the course of the season.
