One of the greatest matches in sport will grace King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah on Sunday when Barcelona face bitter rival Real Madrid in the final of the Spanish Super Cup. Cup.
Barça, the reigning champions who beat Real Madrid in last year’s final, are the team that will once again stay in Spain’s top division, La Liga.
Real, on the other hand, are under increasing pressure, especially their new coach Xabi Alonso.
Al Jazeera Sport looks at a final that carries much more weight when it holds the label: El Clasico.
Why are Real Madrid and Xabi Alonso under pressure?
Alonso has bolstered the Real Madrid squad in recent weeks after a tumultuous period, but the Spanish Super Cup final appears to be a crucial moment for the beleaguered coach.
On the verge of being sacked after a difficult situation Alonso has responded with five straight victories, the fifth of which came against Atletico Madrid in Thursday’s semi-final.
Victory over Super Cup holders Barcelona would bring Alonso his first trophy at the helm.
A second win in two matches over Barcelona would give Alonso time and respite.
Spanish media reported that Perez was going to sack Alonso if the team lost to Manchester City in the Champions League on 10 December, which they did, but the team’s improved play bought the coach another chance.
Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe during a training session in Saudi Arabia ahead of the Super Cup final [Vincent West/Reuters]
What happened in last year’s Super Cup final between Real Madrid and Barça?
“Barcelona defeated Real Madrid by a score in last year’s final, which was also in Jeddah.
It was a crushing blow for then coach Carlo Ancelotti and was also a springboard for Hansi Flick, fresh as Barça coach.
How important is the Spanish Super Cup for Real Madrid and Barcelona?
Winning the Super Cup helped Flick’s last season at Barcelona, incentivising his team to win La Liga and the Spanish Cup.
Three seasons before that, the Super Cup winners also won Spain’s top division.
“Two things are clear – because this is the tournament we are playing in [now], this is the most important thing,” Alonso said.
“If you ask me about in terms of priority for the season, it’s fourth place.”
What’s the latest on Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe?
“Real are encouraged by Mbappe’s return to the squad after he missed the win over Atletico Madrid and Sunday’s La Liga win over Betis while recovering from a knee. ligament sprain.
The coach said Mbappe has as much chance of making the starting line-up against Barcelona as anyone else and he is confident the striker has recovered, although he was expected to miss another week.
With 29 goals in 24 games in all competitions, Mbappe is Real Madrid’s top scorer this season and their outstanding player.
The striker has scored six goals against Barcelona in five games since joining Real Madrid.
His return could make life difficult for Alonso because the team doesn’t seem to be working at its best when Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham play together.
Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal during training ahead of the Spanish Super Cup final [Vink] ent West/Reuters]
How are Real Madrid’s Brazilian strikers Vinicius and Rodrigo doing?
One player who has become indispensable to Alonso in recent weeks is Brazilian winger Rodrigo.
After a miserable run of 32 games without a goal, the right winger has burst into life, scoring three goals and making three assists in his last five.
On the opposite flank, Vinicius is struggling for form.
Since finishing second in the 2024 Ballon d’Or rankings, he has fallen far from his top level.
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Vinicius has not scored in the last 16 games for Real Madrid and Alonso must decide whether to join him against Barça.
What happened the last time Barcelona played Real Madrid?
The Catalans beat Madrid four times in four meetings last season, but Alonso’s team beat their opponents 2: 1 in October in La Liga.
“We must win, we lost two finals to them last year,” urged Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut. Courtois.
“They need to win as well. After the Clasico defeat in La Liga, they will want revenge.”
Barcelona are ready for Mbappe’s return to Real Madrid
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick labelled Mbappe as the man of the moment but backed his team to succeed despite his arrival in Saudi Arabia Arabia.
“Mbappe is the best striker at the moment… he has scored many, many goals and he is a world-class player, that’s what I can say,” admitted Flick, whose side defeated Real Betis by a scoreline in Wednesday’s semi-final.
However, the German coach was keen to point out that his side beat Mbappe’s Madrid last season. all four times they met.
“Barça defeated them 5 – 2 in the Spanish Super Cup final last season and also won La Liga Clasicos and the Spanish Cup final.
In their only meeting with Alonso’s team this season, Madrid won 2 – 1 in the league.
“How many Clasicos have we played in the last year and a half? And how many have we won? We lost one,” Flick said.
“I know he’s a fantastic player and for him, with the space behind [the defence], he’s really great…”
“We adapt some things, as always, but it’s not just about Mbappe, it’s about Real Madrid, it’s about how we want to play and how we expect them to play”
Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal celebrates the trophy and his team-mates after winning the Spanish Super Cup last season [Pedro Nunez/Reuters]
What is the Spanish Super Cup?
The Super Cup brings together the winners and runners-up of both Spain’s domestic league, La Liga, and Spain’s domestic cup competition, the Spanish Cup.
Although it was first held in 1982, only between the league and cup winners, it was expanded to four teams in 2020.
The reigning league champions are Barcelona, with Real Madrid in second place. They were also finalists As a result of the Spanish Cup, Athletic Madrid and Athletic Bilbao reached the semi-finals after finishing third and fourth in the league last season.
Where will the Spanish Super Cup final be played?
The Super Cup is being held in Saudi Arabia for the second consecutive year, with all three matches to be played at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium. in Jeddah.
This stadium hosts the Saudi national team and will be part of the 2034 World Cup.
Riyadh hosted the final a year earlier, with Real Madrid winning 4 – 1 Barcelona.
Head-to-head meetings
This will be the 262nd meeting between the teams, with Real Madrid winning 106 meetings and Barcelona winning 104 meetings.
Barcelona team news
Marc – Andre ter Stegen, Gavi and Andreas Christensen are absent, with the latter two suffering from knee problems and the former out due to an unspecified complaint.
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Yamal was expected to return to the starting line-up having been under-prepared for the semi-final against Atletico. However, the winger came off the bench and scored a goal.
Ronald Araujo has returned to full training but is only expected to be named among the substitutes.
Real Madrid team news
Whether Mbappe will be included in the squad, even in the starting line-up or as a substitute, is the big news after a week of speculation about the forward’s knee injury.
Trent Alexander – Arnold, Eder Militao and Brahim Diaz remain absent, but there is a chance Rodrigo, Antonio Rüdiger and Raul Asensio could all undergo fitness tests following knocks sustained in the semi-final against Atletico.
Dean Heysen returned to the bench for the match against Atletico and could return to the starting line-up in place of Rüdiger if his fellow defender fails to make an impact.
Barcelona’s predicted starting line-up is as follows
J. Garcia, Kunde, Kubarsi, E. Garcia, Balde, Pedri, De Jong, Yamal, Rafinha, Fermin, F. Torres.
Real Madrid Predicted starting line-up
Courtois, Valverde, Asensio, Weysen, Carreras, Kamawinga, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Rodrigo, Mbappe, Vinicius
Barcelona and Real Madrid’s fares
- Strong>Barcelona: Z – Z – Z – Z – Z-Z
- Strong>Real Madrid: C – C-C – C-C – C-C