On Wednesday night, Real Madrid and Valencia clash in the first semi-final of the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.
This year there is a new format for the competition, as instead of two teams participating like in seasons gone by, four teams will compete.
Valencia qualified for the Super Cup courtesy of their Copa del Rey triumph over reigning champions Barcelona. Los Blancos are here because they finished third in La Liga last season.
As two of the biggest teams in the Spanish game, both have a history with this competition. Real Madrid have won the competition on ten occasions and also been runners-up on five occasions. Only their bitter rivals Barcelona have claimed more Super Cup wins.
Valencia have not participated on as many occasions as their opponents, appearing four times in the Super Cup, winning once in 1999 and finishing as runners up on three occasions, including in 2008 when they suffered a defeat against Wednesday night’s opponents.
Los Ches are once again slight underdogs to beat the team from the Spanish capital. However, Albert Celades’ team head into the clash undefeated in their last seven matches in all competitions. Their recent outings have been low-scoring affairs, though, with their last four straight games producing under 2.5 goals.
One worry is that no team in La Liga’s top six have scored fewer goals than Valencia this season. One plus for Los Ches is that they will not be facing two of Real Madrid’s biggest danger men in Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema, who have stayed in the capital due to illness and injury.
Real Madrid are in good form of late, as they are undefeated in their last 14 matches and are giving arch-rivals Barcelona a fight for the Spanish title.
This clash could be a tight one. However, Forebet predicts that Real Madrid will come out on top to book their place in the final.