On Sunday night, Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd Stadium will host the 2023 Supercopa de Espana final between arch-rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Both sides booked their place in the final thanks to penalty shootout wins, with Real Madrid beating Valencia and Barca dispatching Real Betis.
🔜💪 ¡Nos enfrentaremos al @FCBarcelona_es en la final de la #SuperSupercopa! pic.twitter.com/fWvKOFmT82— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) January 12, 2023
🔜💪 ¡Nos enfrentaremos al @FCBarcelona_es en la final de la #SuperSupercopa! pic.twitter.com/fWvKOFmT82
Barcelona have won 13 Supercopa de Espana titles over the years, while Los Blancos have won 12. That said, the defending champions have triumphed twice since Barca’s last title in 2018.
Real Madrid punched their ticket to the final on Wednesday, drawing 1-1 with Valencia before winning 4-3 on penalties.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men enjoyed the lion’s share of possession and also registered 16 shots, six of which were on target. However, Valencia pushed them all the way.
By their own high standards, Real Madrid have been relatively inconsistent of late – winning four, drawing two and losing three of their last nine games in all competitions.
After losing 2-1 to Villarreal last weekend, Los Blancos find themselves second in the La Liga table – three points behind Barcelona.
Indeed, Barca have lost just one of their 16 La Liga games this season – picking up 13 wins and two draws along the way.
Xavi’s side also boast the best defensive record in the division, having conceded a measly six goals. Better still, they have kept 12 clean sheets in the league this term.
On Thursday, Real Betis came from behind on two occasions to draw 2-2 with Barcelona. In the end, though, the Catalans won 4-2 on penalties to reach the final.
Having lost just one of their previous 11 encounters across all competitions, Barca will fancy their chances of triumphing on Sunday.
Head-to-head: It is worth noting that Barcelona have only managed to win one of their last eight Supercopa de Espana meetings with Real Madrid.
Across the past 14 meetings in all competitions, both sides have claimed five wins. The other four games were draws, pointing towards a close-fought battle this weekend.
Team news: Real Madrid will be without the injured quartet of Alvaro Odriozola, Aurelien Tchouameni, David Alaba and Lucas Vazquez on Sunday.
Barcelona boast an injury-free squad at the moment, with Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres eligible to play on Sunday despite their La Liga suspensions.
When you look at the recent head-to-head record between Real Madrid and Barcelona, all the signs point towards a tight game in Saudi Arabia.
Forebet predicts that Real Madrid and Barcelona will play out a low-scoring draw in normal time, with extra-time and/or penalties required to determine the winner.