"Why not start him ffs", "When will Ancelotti take him serious?" - Fans question Real Madrid man's omission from XI for Barcelona clash

Real Madrid fans have questioned manager Carlo Ancelotti’s decision not to include Raul Ascencio in the starting lineup of the Supercopa de Espana final clash with Barcelona on Sunday (January 12). The 19-year-old was named on the bench as Antonio Rudiger and Aurelien Tchouaméni started ahead of him in the heart of the Los Blancos defence.

Madrid and Barcelona are meeting for the third consecutive time in the Supercopa de Espana final after they respective beat Mallorca and Athletic Bilbao in the semis. In their La Liga clash earlier this season, Hansi Flick’s men had claimed an emphatic 4-0 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Meanwhile, Ascencio made his debut start for Madrid against Leganes in La Liga in November after Eder Militao's injury. The academy graduate impressed as Los Blancos cruised to a 3-0 victory and consequently earned the praise of fans.

While Ascencio has come on as a substitute in Real Madrid’s last two matches, fans feel he deserved to start the Super Cup final clash with Barcelona.

Fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to express their displeasure about the exclusion of Ascencio from the starting XI.

''Why not start Asencio ffs?," one wrote.

Another tweeted:

''When will Ancelotti take Raul Asencio serious?''

''Good but I think asencio should have started,'' another chimed in.

''That Ancelotti mf wont see light if we concede silly goals because his old ass doesn’t want to start Asencio,'' another wrote.

''Not starting Asencio is going to cost us a trophy I can’t believe my eyes,'' one added.

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Carlo Ancelotti says Real Madrid are in ''good shape'' ahead of Super Cup final with Barcelona

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti gave positive news about his team ahead of their Supercopa de Espana final with Barcelona at the King Abdullah City in Saudi Arabia.

The manager said that his team are in good shape and that he has resolved the issues they had against Mallorca in the semi-final. Ancelotti said (via the club’s website):

“We're in good shape, we're hungry and excited. The issues we had during the Mallorca game have been resolved and we have all our players available.

"We're really excited for this one and the confidence we have going into every final will be crucial. Barcelona is a historic rival and these games are always hard-fought and tough for both sides. We'll try and do all we can to win another trophy."

He added:

“Of course we'll have to think about the first Clásico of the season, when they beat us. We started well in that game but then we ran into problems in the second half.

"We have to see a repeat of the things we did well and avoid the mistakes we made later. A Clásico is a Clásico and the pressure is even greater in a final. Playing Barcelona in a final is always very special."

Real Madrid are the reigning Super Cup champions, having beaten Barcelona 4-1 in last year's final. The Blaugrana are the most successful club in competition history (14), one more than Los Blancos.