Who: Real Madrid vs Barcelona
What: Spanish Super Cup final
Where: King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
When: 10:00pm (19:00 GMT) on Sunday
Follow Al Jazeera’s live text and photo build-up and commentary stream.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said his players can avenge their thrashing earlier this season by Barcelona by winning the Spanish Super Cup on Sunday, but only if they avoided making the same mistakes.
Hansi Flick’s Barcelona routed Los Blancos 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu in October in LaLiga, although a slump before the winter break helped Real Madrid overtake them at the top of the table.
“We have to think about that game obviously, they beat us, we had a clear evaluation of what happened,” Ancelotti told a news conference Saturday before the clash in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
“We started the game well, then had problems in the second half, so we have to try and repeat the good things we did and avoid the mistakes we made.
“The Clasico is even more pressured when it’s a final, we’ve played a lot against Barcelona and playing a final against them is always something special.”
Can Madrid find a balance for Mbappe, Bellingham and co?
Madrid, who beat Mallorca 3-0 in their semifinal on Thursday, are still searching for a balance between attack and defence in their game after the arrival of French superstar Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain last year.
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Along with Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo Goes, the four players give Madrid a significant edge going forward but can hurt the team if they are not focused defensively.
“[In recent Clasicos] individual quality has prevailed over team balance,” continued Ancelotti. “An important aspect [in the final] will be balance and collective work – defending.
“If you defend well, there’s more chance of winning.”
Ancelotti previously said his worst memory from a successful 2024, in which Madrid won LaLiga and the Champions League, was the beating by Barcelona.
“We’re close to another trophy, we’re thinking positively, but we know that in football anything can happen, above all when the opponent is strong and competes well like Barcelona,” added Ancelotti, whose side have won both the European Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup already this season.
“Our team has improved, nobody can argue with that. A defeat wouldn’t be good, but the team is not going backwards, it will keep moving forwards.”
Will Barcelona bring the temporarily reprieved Olmo in for Gavi?
Barcelona midfielder Dani Olmo will be able to play after the Catalans were controversially granted a temporary licence for him by Spain’s National Sports Council (CSD).
The Spanish international’s clearance came too late on Wednesday for him to play a part in the Catalan club’s 2-0 semifinal win against Athletic Bilbao.
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“Olmo will play and we have to minimise his quality,” said Ancelotti, who has resisted giving his opinion about the case which has aggravated Spanish football.
Flick, who replaced Barca playing legend Xavi as coach at the end of last season, said Olmo was ready to play but suggested he might not start after Gavi shone in the semifinal against Athletic Bilbao in the attacking midfield role.
“Gavi had a great performance against Athletic, he’s got confidence … I think he’s is going to play, but I am not 100-percent sure of who will play,” said Flick.
The Super Cup offers the German coach his first chance at silverware since arriving at Barcelona.
“If we win, we will have more confidence for the rest of the season,” added Flick. “Winning the game would be something really big for everyone.”
What is the Supercopa de Espana?
The Supercopa pits together the winners and runners-up of both the Spanish domestic league, LaLiga, and Spain’s domestic cup competition, Copa del Rey.
Although first played in 1982, between the league and cup winners alone, it was expanded to four teams in 2020.
Real Madrid are the current league champions, with Barcelona finishing second, while Athletic Bilbao are the cup holders, having defeated Mallorca in last season’s final.
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Where will the Spanish Supercopa final be played?
This year’s Supercopa is being staged in Saudi Arabia with all three matches staged at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah.
The venue, which plays host to the Saudi national team and will be part of the 2034 World Cup, has already hosted the two semifinals.
Who are the Supercopa holders?
Real Madrid won the 2024 Supercopa, defeating Barcelona 4-1 in the final.
Last year’s edition was also staged in Saudi Arabia, with Riyadh the host city on that occasion.
Vinicius Junior scored a first-half hat-trick for Los Blancos, while Rodrygo sealed matters in the second period after Robert Lewandowski netted the only goal for Barca.
Real beat Madrid rivals Atletico in their semifinal, while Barca overcame Osasuna.
Real Madrid team news
Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde and Jude Bellingham are all available for selection for the final despite collecting knocks in Thursday’s semifinal.
Luca Modric remains the main doubt for Los Blancos after withdrawing on the day of the last-four victory against Mallorca.
Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal both remain 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 team news
Dani Olmo and Pau Victor are both available to play for Barca after temporary registrations were granted to the pair following the club’s protracted dispute with Spain’s supreme sports council.
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Andreas Christensen, Marc Bernal, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen all remain absent for Barcelona, for whom the biggest question is who will replace the latter in goal.
Former Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny was handed the gloves for the semifinal win against Athletic Bilbao, but Inaki Pena is being tipped to take over the role for the final.
Predicted Barcelona XI: Pena; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; Casado, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski
Form guide – Real Madrid:
Real have hit form at the right time with five straight wins recorded and seven victories coming in an eight-match unbeaten run. Prior to that, Los Blancos had lost four of their previous seven games, including their humbling at home by Barca. Last five games: W W W W W
Form guide – Barcelona:
Barcelona appear to be slowly emerging from their worst run of the season with successive wins recorded for the first time in 11 games. Prior to that, the Catalan club had won only three of nine, with four defeats suffered in that run. This all came after Hansi Flick won 14 of his first 16 games in charge this season. Last five games: W L L W W
Head-to-head:
Real have won 105 of the 258 meetings between the sides, with Barca emerging victorious on 101 occasions.
Real had won the last four meetings between the sides – including the Spanish Super Cup in January and the Copa del Rey meeting last season – before October’s 4-0 defeat in LaLiga.
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