Having suffered a defeat at the hands of Real Madrid in the previous instalment of El Clasico, Barcelona will be looking to stun their arch-rivals in the final of the Super Cup.
Real Madrid and Barcelona are all set to square up against each other in the final of the Spanish Super Cup. Both teams have done well so far in all competitions, and they now have an opportunity to lift their first title of 2024.
Los Blancos have been in sensational form since the start of the 2023/24 season. They are currently sitting at the top of La Liga and have only suffered one defeat in all competitions so far. They are on a six-match winning streak and have not lost their last 20 outings.
The team in white are heading into this fixture on the back of a 5-3 win over city rivals Atletico Madrid. It was a hard-fought encounter that went into extra time and eventually, Carlo Ancelotti’s men came out on top as they dominated the ball and took more shots on goal.
As far as Barcelona are concerned, they have made their way to the final on the back of an easy 2-0 win over Osasuna. The Catalan giants dominated possession and created more chances. While they might have failed to find the back of the net in the first half, they scored twice in the second half to book a slot in the final alongside Real Madrid.
Barcelona have not been as dominant as they were last time out. But they are still in contention for all major titles. Xavi’s team are seven points behind league leaders, and a win against them in the Super Cup will surely boost their confidence. They are currently on a four-match winning streak and will surely make life difficult for Los Blancos.
The previous meeting between the two teams took place back in October when Jude Bellingham scored twice to help Real Madrid come back from a goal down and win. The team in white were not at their best, but they still managed to get the desired result. However, things could be a bit complicated in the final. As a result, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Real Madrid
Real Madrid will be without the services of Lucas Vazquez, Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao, and David Alaba. Meanwhile, Federico Valverde is expected to be back fit in time after getting subbed off in extra-time following a knock against Atletico Madrid.
Carlo Ancelotti is expected to field an unchanged XI in this fixture. The same XI that started in the semi-final will most likely start the final despite reports suggesting that Kepa Arrizabalaga will be benched for Andriy Lunin.
Kepa will be in goal in a 4-4-2 formation with a diamond in the centre of the park. Dani Carvajal and Ferland Mendy will be the full-backs, and they will look to join the attack at every possible opportunity. They will also look to help out Antonio Rudiger who will pair up with Nacho in the heart of the defence.
Aurelien Tchouaméni will be the holding midfielder and he will have the support of Luka Modric and Federico Valverde. The trio will look to ensure Barcelona’s midfielders do not end up dominating the proceedings.
Jude Bellingham will start in behind the front two as the attacking midfielder. He will look to continue his dominant goal-scoring run and will also look to create chances for Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes who will start up top as the two forwards.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Kepa; Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Modric; Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius
Barcelona
Xavi Hernandez will be without a total of six players for this fixture. Raphinha, who picked up a hamstring injury in their last outing will join Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Gavi, Marcos Alonso and Inigo Martinez on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Joao Cancelo won’t be back fit in time for the final.
Barcelona will stick to the 4-3-3 formation against Real Madrid, with Inaki Pena in goal. While Barcelona often start Ronald Araujo as a right-back to counter the threat of Vinicius, they are unlikely to do that in this fixture as the Brazilian has started playing centrally due to the demands of the team.
Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde should be the full-backs, while Araujo and Andreas Christensen will take charge at the heart of the defence. The back four will look to keep a clean sheet against a star-studded Real Madrid attack that has been scoring goals for fun.
Pedri, who made an appearance from the bench, in their last outing will most likely start the final alongside Frenkie de Jong and Ilkay Gundogan. They will look to control the possession of the ball and dictate the pace of the game.
With Raphinha injured, Lamine Yamal will take charge on the right flank, while Joao Felix will take charge on the left. Robert Lewandowski who found the back of the net in the semi-final will be leading the line for Barcelona against Real Madrid.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pena; Kounde, Araujo, Christensen, Balde; Pedri, De Jong, Gundogan; Yamal, Lewandowski, Felix
Key Stats
- Real Madrid and Barcelona are all set to square up against each other in the final of the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia for the second year in a row.
- The Catalan giants are record winners of the competition with 14 titles.
- It is Los Blancos’ third consecutive Spanish Super Cup final.
- Barcelona have won each of their last four outings in all competitions.
- Carlo Ancelotti’s team have been unbeaten in their last 20 outings.
Player to Watch
Federico Valverde
Valverde might not have found the back of the net in the semi-final of the Spanish Super Cup but his overall game was sensational. He was a standout player for the team in white, and they will hope the 25-year-old once again delivers in the final.
The Uruguayan international has been a big game player for Real Madrid. He has delivered in important games, and they expect something similar in the final against Barcelona. But, he has only found the back of the net once this season for Real Madrid and will hope he can add to it in the Spanish Super Cup final against Barcelona.
Prediction
Real Madrid 3-2 Barcelona
Real Madrid have been unbeaten in the last 20 outings, and they have won each of their last six fixtures. Their recent form suggests that it won’t be easy to stand against them. They are heading into this fixture as favourites and will hope things go according to plan.
While Barcelona have won each of their last four outings, they have not been at the levels they were last season. Xavi’s team have struggled at times. They are still in the race for all major titles but they still need to improve on various aspects in order to once again dominate Europe. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-2 win for Real Madrid over Barcelona.
