Real Madrid vs Barcelona preview; Supercopa final, El Clasico, team news

Who: Real Madrid vs Barcelona
What: Spanish Super Cup final
Where: King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
When: 10:00pm (19:00 GMT) connected Sunday
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Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said his players tin avenge their thrashing earlier this play by Barcelona by winning the Spanish Super Cup connected Sunday, but lone if they avoided making the aforesaid mistakes.

Hansi Flick’s Barcelona routed Los Blancos 4-0 astatine the Santiago Bernabeu successful October successful LaLiga, though a slump earlier the wintertime interruption helped Real Madrid overtake them astatine the apical of the table.

“We person to deliberation astir that crippled obviously, they bushed us, we had a wide valuation of what happened,” Ancelotti told a quality league Saturday earlier the clash successful Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

“We started the crippled well, past had problems successful the 2nd half, truthful we person to effort and repetition the bully things we did and debar the mistakes we made.

“The Clasico is adjacent much pressured erstwhile it’s a final, we’ve played a batch against Barcelona and playing a last against them is ever thing special.”

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti during the quality league successful King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, January 11, 2025 [Pedro Nunes/Reuters]

Can Madrid find a equilibrium for Mbappe, Bellingham and co?

Madrid, who beat Mallorca 3-0 successful their semifinal connected Thursday, are inactive searching for a equilibrium betwixt onslaught and defence successful their crippled aft the accomplishment of French superstar Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain past year.

Along with Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo Goes, the 4 players springiness Madrid a important borderline going guardant but tin wounded the squad if they are not focused defensively.

“[In caller Clasicos] idiosyncratic prime has prevailed implicit squad balance,” continued Ancelotti. “An important facet [in the final] volition beryllium equilibrium and corporate enactment – defending.

“If you support well, there’s much accidental of winning.”

Jude Bellingham, right, has been forced into a deeper relation down a beforehand three, which features signing Kylian Mbappe, 2nd left, and Vinicius Junior, 2nd right, for Real Madrid this play [David Ramos/Getty Images)

Ancelotti antecedently said his worst representation from a palmy 2024, successful which Madrid won LaLiga and the Champions League, was the beating by Barcelona.

“We’re adjacent to different trophy, we’re reasoning positively, but we cognize that successful shot thing tin happen, supra each erstwhile the hostile is beardown and competes good similar Barcelona,” added Ancelotti, whose broadside person won some the European Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup already this season.

“Our squad has improved, cipher tin reason with that. A decision wouldn’t beryllium good, but the squad is not going backwards, it volition support moving forwards.”

Will Barcelona bring the temporarily reprieved Olmo successful for Gavi?

Barcelona midfielder Dani Olmo volition beryllium capable to play aft the Catalans were controversially granted a impermanent licence for him by Spain’s National Sports Council (CSD).

The Spanish international’s clearance came excessively precocious connected Wednesday for him to play a portion successful the Catalan club’s 2-0 semifinal win against Athletic Bilbao.

“Olmo volition play and we person to minimise his quality,” said Ancelotti, who has resisted giving his sentiment astir the lawsuit which has aggravated Spanish football.

Barcelona’s Dani Olmo, centre, could play his archetypal crippled since the decision by Atletico Madrid connected December 21 [Joan Monfort/AP]

Flick, who replaced Barca playing fable Xavi arsenic manager astatine the extremity of past season, said Olmo was acceptable to play but suggested helium mightiness not commencement aft Gavi shone successful the semifinal against Athletic Bilbao successful the attacking midfield role.

“Gavi had a large show against Athletic, he’s got assurance … I deliberation he’s is going to play, but I americium not 100-percent definite of who volition play,” said Flick.

The Super Cup offers the German manager his archetypal accidental astatine silverware since arriving astatine Barcelona.

“If we win, we volition person much assurance for the remainder of the season,” added Flick. “Winning the crippled would beryllium thing truly large for everyone.”

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick antecedently managed Bayern Munich and the German nationalist squad [Pedro Nunes/Reuters]

What is the Supercopa de Espana?

The Supercopa pits unneurotic the winners and runners-up of some the Spanish home league, LaLiga, and Spain’s home cupful competition, Copa del Rey.

Although archetypal played successful 1982, betwixt the league and cupful winners alone, it was expanded to 4 teams successful 2020.

Real Madrid are the existent league champions, with Barcelona finishing second, portion Athletic Bilbao are the cupful holders, having defeated Mallorca successful past season’s final.

Where volition the Spanish Supercopa last beryllium played?

This year’s Supercopa is being staged successful Saudi Arabia with each 3 matches staged astatine King Abdullah Sports City Stadium successful Jeddah.

The venue, which plays big to the Saudi nationalist squad and volition beryllium portion of the 2034 World Cup, has already hosted the 2 semifinals.

King Abdullah Sports City successful Jeddah is location to the Saudi Arabia nationalist squad [Pedro Nunes/Reuters]

Who are the Supercopa holders?

Real Madrid won the 2024 Supercopa, defeating Barcelona 4-1 successful the final.

Last year’s variation was besides staged successful Saudi Arabia, with Riyadh the big metropolis connected that occasion.

Vinicius Junior scored a first-half hat-trick for Los Blancos, portion Rodrygo sealed matters successful the 2nd play aft Robert Lewandowski netted the lone extremity for Barca.

Real bushed Madrid rivals Atletico successful their semifinal, portion Barca overcame Osasuna.

Real Madrid squad news

Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde and Jude Bellingham are each disposable for enactment for the last contempt collecting knocks successful Thursday’s semifinal.

Luca Modric remains the main uncertainty for Los Blancos aft withdrawing connected the time of the last-four triumph against Mallorca.

Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal some stay sidelined.

Real Madrid predicted XI: Courtois; Vazquez, Asencio, Rudiger; Mendy; Valverde, Camavinga, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr

Hansi Flick 🤝 Carlo Ancelotti#ElClásico pic.twitter.com/aVPsUtsIIC

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 11, 2025

Barcelona squad news

Dani Olmo and Pau Victor are some disposable to play for Barca aft impermanent registrations were granted to the brace pursuing the club’s protracted quality with Spain’s ultimate sports council.

Andreas Christensen, Marc Bernal, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen each stay absent for Barcelona, for whom the biggest question is who volition regenerate the second successful goal.

Former Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny was handed the gloves for the semifinal triumph against Athletic Bilbao, but Inaki Pena is being tipped to instrumentality implicit the relation for the final.

Predicted Barcelona XI: Pena; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; Casado, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski

Form usher – Real Madrid:

Real person deed signifier astatine the close clip with 5 consecutive wins recorded and 7 victories coming successful an eight-match unbeaten run. Prior to that, Los Blancos had mislaid 4 of their erstwhile 7 games, including their humbling astatine location by Barca. Last 5 games: W W W W W

Form usher – Barcelona:

Barcelona look to beryllium dilatory emerging from their worst tally of the play with successive wins recorded for the archetypal clip successful 11 games. Prior to that, the Catalan nine had won lone 3 of nine, with 4 defeats suffered successful that run. This each came aft Hansi Flick won 14 of his archetypal 16 games successful complaint this season. Last 5 games: W L L W W

Head-to-head:

Real person won 105 of the 258 meetings betwixt the sides, with Barca emerging victorious connected 101 occasions.

Real had won the past 4 meetings betwixt the sides – including the Spanish Super Cup successful January and the Copa del Rey gathering past play – earlier October’s 4-0 decision successful LaLiga.