Kylian Mbappé is set to fulfill his ambition of defending Real Madrid’s La Liga and Champions League titles from the previous season, and he might even secure his first trophy with the club on his debut.

Mbappé was officially introduced to Real Madrid fans at the Santiago Bernabéu on July 16, following his summer transfer from Paris Saint-Germain. However, the 25-year-old superstar did not join the team’s preseason tour in the U.S. due to an extended summer break after France’s run to the Euro 2024 semifinals. Nonetheless, plans for his debut with the new club are already in place.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti recently confirmed that Mbappé will make his Real Madrid debut in the UEFA Super Cup match against Atalanta in Warsaw, Poland, on August 14. “It is clear that Mbappé can start in the Super Cup. Jude Bellingham and the others will also be ready. They have been preparing and following a plan, and all will play,” Ancelotti told Mundo Deportivo.

With Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham still missing from the lineup and stars like Éder Militão, Vinícius Júnior, and Rodrygo only just returning from vacation, Real Madrid is experiencing a challenging preseason. They have suffered two consecutive defeats in their three-match U.S. tour, losing 1-2 to Barcelona on Saturday and previously falling 0-1 to AC Milan. They still have one more game against Chelsea in Charlotte on August 6 before returning to Spain.

Despite the setbacks, Coach Carlo Ancelotti remains calm about the situation: “Don’t panic. These are preseason games, and we are missing eight players. Clearly, we are continuing the preparation process, and gradually, the players are returning. Results are not important at this stage! With so many key players absent, we cannot focus on tactical issues or anything else right now; we just need to get the players into good shape. Tactically, we will work on things starting August 7, after we return from the U.S. and have all our players available.”

Real Madrid will officially kick off their La Liga title defense on August 18 with an away match against Mallorca.