Spanish Super Cup: Real Madrid coach Ancelotti defends Vinicius Jr ahead of clash with Mallorca in Jeddah

Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr is available to play in the Spanish Super Cup, despite his recent two-match suspension, and on Wednesday manager Carlo Ancelotti continued to defend his player despite the club losing their appeal. Vinicius was sent off for slapping Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski in Friday's La Liga match, and after an appeal, the Spanish FA suspended the striker for two league games, clearing him for Thursday's Super Cup semi-final against Mallorca. Ancelotti had been confident of winning the appeal, believing it to be a yellow card offence, and also said that Vinicius is under enormous mental stress due to previous incidents of racist abuse directed at him in Spain. The manager still believes the suspension decision was wrong. “We are delighted with Vinicius in every aspect,” Ancelotti told a press conference ahead of Thursday's game in Jeddah. “Both he and I hear what happens on the pitch. I keep saying that it is difficult to be Vinicius. The sanction is not correct. “When you talk about Vinicius' provocation, you deflect the shot from the insults he receives.” Real have already played Mallorca this season, when they were held to a 1-1 draw in the opening game of the campaign, and Ancelotti is happy that their Super Cup tie will go to penalties without extra time should they end level again. “We know the opponent very well and they know us. It's going to be very competitive, they cost us a lot in La Liga. They have good characteristics and can fight for the game,” Ancelotti said. “You think you will play a good game and win it. If you don't win, there's the penalty shoot-out. “It changes a lot. It avoids extra time, which can be more complicated to manage.” The winners will face either Barcelona in Sunday's final after the Catalans beat Copa del Rey holders Athletic Club 2-0 in Jeddah on Tuesday. Ancelotti said his team is motivated to begin the new year with an important trophy and continue their winning record in Saudi Arabia. Real have won the Spanish Super Cup three times in four visits to the Kingdom, including last year when they dominated rivals Barcelona 4-1 in Riyadh. Returning as defending champions to the scene of their first Saudi triumph in 2020, when the competition was expanded to four teams and relocated to Saudi Arabia, Real Madrid will be confident of equalling Barcelona’s all-time Supercopa record of 14 titles. The European and La Liga champions arrive in Jeddah top of the league table, with six wins and a draw in their last seven games in all competitions. Ancelotti has been in charge for two of Real Madrid’s Supercopa triumphs in Saudi Arabia – in 2022 and 2024 – and the Italian is determined to add another trophy to his already stacked collection. In December, the Italian became the Spanish club's most decorated coach with 15 trophies after Real beat Mexico's Pachuca 3-0 to win the Intercontinental Cup. “It is an important competition. It is the first competition of the year. It has brought us a lot of motivation," Ancelotti said. "We hope that this Supercopa will bring us motivation and commitment. We already know that when this team has a title at stake, it focuses very well. They have rested and the players have taken advantage of it to rest and arrive well in 2025." Real Madrid can expect massive support inside the 62,345-capacity King Abdullah Sports City on Thursday. Los Blancos are one of the best supported clubs in Saudi Arabia, but Ancelotti said he was not taking victory over Mallorca as a given, after the two sides played out a 1-1 draw in the league in August. “We have a lot of affection for Saudi Arabia. [But] the fans are not going to change what might happen on the pitch against a good team, who will make things difficult for us, as happened in the first game of the season,"he said. "We know our opponents very well and they know us. It's going to be very competitive, it was hard for us in the league. They have good characteristics and can fight us in the match." Mallorca are enjoying a strong season in La Liga, occupying sixth place at the halfway stage. However, they arrived in Jeddah on the back of a shock defeat to fourth-tier Pontevedra in the third round of the Copa del Rey, denying the Palma club the opportunity to replicate last season’s impressive run to the final. Mallorca captain Antonio Raíllo insisted the surprise loss will not define the club’s season and that the squad is fully focused on the rest of the campaign. He said: “We are professionals and we have to look forward after what happened in Pontevedra. The match against Real Madrid is very important. We have to understand that it is a setback that should not spoil the season we are having. Being here is a reward. “Mallorca's strength is its unity, its family-like unity. This is our strength. This team is good as a whole. I haven't prepared any talks, I haven't thought about it. But when the match comes, few words can be said because we fight to play this type of match. My teammates will be motivated.”

Spanish Super Cup: Real Madrid coach Ancelotti defends Vinicius Jr ahead of clash with Mallorca in Jeddah

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