Who: Barcelona vs Real Madrid
Content: Spanish Super Cup Final
Location: King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
When: Sunday, January 11th, 8pm (19:00 GMT)
How to follow: All content will be broadcast on Al Jazeera Sports from 15:00 GMT, ahead of the text commentary stream.
One of the greatest competitions in the history of sports will grace Jeddah’s King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on Sunday, when Barcelona face fierce rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final.
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Defending champions Barca, who defeated Real in last year’s final, will once again be the team to stand still in Spain’s top La Liga.
Meanwhile, pressure is mounting on Real, especially on new manager Xabi Alonso.
Al Jazeera Sports will cover El Clasico, the final match that becomes more important the more tags are formed.
Why are Real Madrid and Xabi Alonso under pressure?
Alonso has steadied Real Madrid’s ship in recent weeks after a tumultuous period, but the Spanish Super Cup final looks like a make-or-break moment for the embattled manager.
When Alonso was on the verge of being sent off after a dire run of form, Alonso led Madrid to a fifth straight win, which ended Thursday’s semi-final against Atlético Madrid.
Defeating Super Cup holders Barcelona would give Alonso his first trophy as manager.
A second win in two games against Barcelona would give Alonso time and space.
However, if they succumb to manager Hansi Flick’s side, it would give Real president Florentino Perez yet another excuse to sack the coach he hired in June but seemed unconvinced.
Spanish media reported that Perez intended to sack Alonso if the team lost to Manchester City in the Champions League on December 10, which happened, but the team’s improved performance gave the manager another chance.
What happened in last year’s Super Cup final between Real and Barça?
In last year’s final, also held in Jeddah, Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 5-2.
This was a blow to then-manager Carlo Ancelotti, but a springboard for Hansi Flick, who had just taken up the role of Barça manager.
How important is the Spanish Super Cup for Real Madrid and Barcelona?
Winning the Super Cup was a credit to Flick, who was only at Barcelona last season and propelled the team to La Liga and Copa del Rey titles.
In the previous three seasons, the Super Cup winners also went on to win the Spanish top flight.
“Two things are clear: (now) it’s the tournament we’re playing in, so that’s the most important,” Alonso said.
“In terms of season priorities, it’s number four.”
What’s the latest on Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé?
Real are boosted by Mbappé’s return to the squad after missing the 2-1 La Liga win over Atletico and Sunday’s 5-1 win over Real Betis while recovering from a knee sprain.
The manager said Mbappé was more likely than anyone else to start against Barcelona and was confident of his recovery despite being expected to miss another week.
With 29 goals in 24 appearances in all competitions, Mbappe is Real Madrid’s top scorer this season and has clearly been an outstanding performer.
The striker has scored six goals in five games against Barcelona since joining Real Madrid.
His return could make life more difficult for Alonso, as the team doesn’t seem to function at its best when Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham are lined up.
How are Real Madrid’s Brazilian forwards Vinicius and Rodrygo doing?
One player who has been essential to Alonso in recent weeks is Brazilian winger Rodrygo.
After a dismal 32 games without a goal, the right winger has exploded with three goals and three assists in his last five games.
On the other side, Vinicius is struggling to improve his form.
Since finishing second in the Ballon d’Or ranking in 2024, he has been far from the top level.
Vinicius has not scored in his last 16 games for Real Madrid and Alonso will have to decide whether to line up alongside Vinicius against Barça.
What happened the last time Barcelona played against Real Madrid?
Last season, the Catalans beat Madrid four times in four meetings, but Alonso’s side defeated their rivals 2-1 in La Liga in October.
“We have to win. Last year we lost to them twice in the final,” said Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
“They have to win too. After losing the Clasico in La Liga, they will want revenge.”
Barcelona, Mbappe ready to return to Real Madrid
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick said that while Mbappé was an exciting figure, he would help the team succeed once he arrived in Saudi Arabia.
“At the moment, Mbappe is the best striker… He has scored so many goals and he is a world-class player, that’s what I can say,” admitted Flick, whose side beat Real Betis 5-0 in Wednesday’s semi-final.
However, the German coach was keen to point out that his team beat Mbappé’s Madrid in all four games they played last season.
Barça defeated Barça 5-2 in last season’s Spanish Super Cup final, and also won La Liga’s Clasico and Copa del Rey finals.
In the one meeting this season against Alonso’s team, 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 once,” Flick said.
“I know he’s a great player, but he’s a really great player with the space behind (the defense)…”
“As always, we will adapt something, but it’s not specifically about Mbappé, it’s about Real Madrid and how we want to play and how we expect them to want.”
What is the Spanish Super Cup?
The Super Cup pits the winners and runners-up of La Liga, the Spanish domestic league, and Copa del Rey, the Spanish domestic cup competition.
The tournament was first held in 1982 with only league and cup winners, but was expanded to four teams in 2020.
The current league champions are Barcelona, with Real Madrid in second place. They are also finalists in the Copa del Rey, with Athletic Madrid and Athletic Bilbao lining up in the semi-finals after finishing third and fourth in the league last season.
Where will the Spanish Super Cup final be held?
The Super Cup will be 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.
The venue will be the home of the Saudi national team and will compete in the 2034 World Cup.
The previous year, Riyadh hosted the final, with Real Madrid winning by defeating Barcelona 4-1.
direct confrontation
This is the 262nd time the two teams have faced each other, with Real Madrid winning 106 times and Barcelona 104 times.
barcelona team news
Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Gabi and Andreas Christensen are all absent, the latter two with knee problems and the former with an unspecified complaint.
Yamal was not fit enough to start in the semi-final against Atlético but is expected to return to the starting XI. However, the winger came off the bench and found the back of the net.
Ronald Araujo has returned to full training but is only expected to be included in the substitutes.
Real Madrid team news
After a week of speculation about Mbappé’s knee injury, headline news is whether he will be on the team sheet, whether as a starter or as a sub.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Eder Militao and Brahim Diaz remain sidelined, but Rodrygo, Antonio Rudiger and Raul Asensio could pass fitness tests after the knock they suffered in the semi-final against Atletico.
Dean Huyssen returned to the bench against Atlético and could return to the starting eleven in Rudiger’s place if his fellow defender fails to make his mark.
Barcelona’s predicted starting lineup
J Garcia, Kunde, Kvarsi, E Garcia, Balde, Pedri, de Jong, Yamal, Rafinha, Fermin, F Torres.
Real Madrid’s projected starting lineup
Courtois, Valverde, Asensio, Huisen, Carreras, Camavinga, Choameni, Bellingham. Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius
Barcelona and Real Madrid form guide
Barcelona: WWWWW Real Madrid: WWWWW
