He Barcelona defends his title this Sunday in the final of Spanish Super Cup in Riyadh in a repeat of the dispute played a year ago against AC Milan real Madrid who wants to make up for that defeat. The match will start at 4pm (Argentine time), with television DSport.
“Last year was a final in which we were very good, in which we were superior. We hope to be able to repeat it”Barça captain Sergi Roberto said in a press conference.
On Thursday the Barça team suffered to get the pass against a Osasuna which once again showed Barça’s difficulties in closing out a match that they largely dominated.
Ball control is the key for Barça to try to repeat the victory over Real Madrid, beaten 3-1 in January 2023 in the Saudi capital.
“We have to try to play a great match, impose our personality, our way of playing and dominate the ball,” said Xavi at the Al-Awwal stadium, where the final will be played.
The Barça coach will not be able to count on Brazilian winger Raphinha for the match, suffering from a muscle injury in the match against Osasuna.
On the other hand, Xavi once again has Pedri at his disposal, who against the Navarrese had a few minutes praised by the Barça coach.
“With Pedri everything becomes clear,” he said after that match, before specifying this Saturday that “he is 100%”.
Pedri, discharged on Thursday due to the muscle injury reported on 19 December, could join Barça’s eleven on Sunday.
Barça is confident that, like last year, repeating the victory in the final will serve to relaunch their season.
But the goal seems complicated against Real Madrid who beat Atlético 5-3 on Wednesday at the Al-Awwal stadium, which will also host Sunday’s match.
The white team ended up imposing its best physique in a challenging match that was decided in extra time.
“We are fine, there is calm in the team, the players have recovered or will recover until tomorrow’s match,” Ancelotti said on Saturday.
Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde finished the match injured, but on Friday they were with their teammates training at the Al-Nassr facilities, Cristiano Ronaldo’s team.
Only Dani Carvajal worked in the gym, but “he’s fine, he needed an extra day of rest, he’s not like the youngsters, but he can play without problems,” Ancelotti said.
The match is presented as a revenge for Real Madrid after the terrible image offered a year ago in the defeat against Barcelona.
Winning would be “a hard blow, we start by winning the first title of the season”, captain Nacho Fernández recalled on Saturday.
Without the injured Thibaut Courtois, the doubt is about the goal after Kepa’s erratic performance against Atlético.
Ancelotti, who always remains cryptic on this issue, could choose to make room for Lunin.
“I feel like I can’t choose a starter and a replacement,” he said Saturday.
The match is also an opportunity for the Italian manager to equal Zinedine Zidane as the club’s second most successful manager with 11 trophies.
The Italian won four titles in his first season as Merengue manager (2013-2015), adding a further six since his return in 2021, to remain just one title behind Zidane.
A new victory on Sunday would bring him level with the Frenchman, leaving him ahead only of Miguel Muñoz, who won 14 titles with Real Madrid.
– Probable lineups
real Madrid: Kepa – Carvajal, Nacho, Rüdiger, Mendy – Tchuaméni, Kroos, Valverde, Bellingham – Vinicius, Rodrygo. Trainer: Carlo Ancelotti (ITA)
Barcelona: Iñaki Peña – Koundé, Araujo, Christensen, Balde – Frenkie de Jong, Sergi Roberto, Gündogan, Pedri – Lamine Yamal, Lewandowski. Trainer: Xavi Hernandez.
Referee: Juan Martinez Munuera
Source: Clarin
Jason Root is the go-to source for sports coverage at News Rebeat. With a passion for athletics and an in-depth knowledge of the latest sports trends, Jason provides comprehensive and engaging analysis of the world of sports.