On Thursday night, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid meet in the second semi-final of the Spanish Super Copa.
Barcelona qualified as La Liga champions, while Atletico’s participation was ensured due to Diego Simeone’s team finishing as runners-up in the Spanish top-flight last season.
This should be an intriguing clash, as both teams have been in good form of late, with Barcelona undefeated in 11 matches, while Atletico are undefeated in five games in all competitions, with their last defeat coming against the Catalan giants at the Wanda Metropolitano in early December.
Ernesto Valverde’s team have drawn in three of their last four matches in all competitions. However, they have been prolific in front of goal, finding the net at least twice in five of their last six matches, which is no surprise considering the attacking players at their disposal.
👋 Hello again, Jeddah! 🇸🇦📍 It's great to be back 🛬🏆 #SuperCopa2020⚽ #BarçaAtleti 🔴⚪ #AúpaAtleti pic.twitter.com/rD1X3QtOdT— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) January 7, 2020
👋 Hello again, Jeddah! 🇸🇦📍 It's great to be back 🛬🏆 #SuperCopa2020⚽ #BarçaAtleti 🔴⚪ #AúpaAtleti pic.twitter.com/rD1X3QtOdT
Atletico have also suddenly rediscovered their goalscoring touch of late, as they have scored two goals in their last four games, which have all finished in victories.
When it comes to the Spanish Super Cup’s Barcelona are the masters of the competition. The reigning La Liga champions are the most successful team in the history of the competition, lifting the trophy 13 times, while also finishing as runners-up on ten occasions. Their most recent Supercopa victories came in 2016 and 2018, with the Catalan giants defeating Sevilla in both games.
Atletico Madrid have obviously not made as many appearances in the Super Cup as Thursday nights opponents. However, Los Rojiblancos have won the competition twice, while finishing as runners-up on four occasions.
Their last appearance in the Supercopa came back in 2014 when they recorded a 3-1 aggregate win over arch-rivals Real Madrid. In the previous year’s Super Cup, they suffered defeat against Barcelona.
Forebet predicts that Barcelona will record a narrow victory in a low-scoring game to advance into the final of the newly formatted competition.