Holders Barcelona eyes consecutive Supercopa de Espana final appearance as they take on Osasuna in the semi-final in Riyadh.
BAR vs OSA Match Details
Date: Thursday, 11 January 2024 / Friday, 12 January 2024
Time: 22:00 (KSA) / 00:30 (IST)
Venue: Al-Awwal Park, Riyadh
BAR vs OSA Match Preview
Barcelona have charming memories of playing the Spanish Super Cup having won the competition last time by beating arch-rivals Real Madrid 3-1 in the final. The Catalan giants are willing to repeat the feat with an El Classico final possible again should Real progress in the Madrid derby against Atletico in the other semifinal. Though Xavi men have to get past a resilient Osasuna team first in their last-four clash to get to the showpiece. While Barcelona went on to add the La Liga title in addition to the Super Cup win last season, they have somewhat drifted from their league defence with a seven-point gap opening up between them and leaders Real Madrid and also this season’s surprise package Girona. After suffering a worrying end to 2023 by losing to the latter at home and Royal Antwerp in the Champions League with a draw away at Valencia, they turn back the form with late winners against Almeria and Las Palmas in La Liga before picking up a nervy 3-2 victory against fourth-tier side Barbastro in the Copa Del Rey this weekend. Barcelona will want to keep the momentum going into the Super Cup by beating Thursday’s opponent but without hiccups.
Osasuna are making their first-ever appearance in the Supercopa de Espana after making a dream run to the Copa Del Rey final last season. Although their dream of winning the first major trophy was ended by Real Madrid, Los Rojillos will be wishing to create memories in another cup competition hosted in Saudi Arabia. While Osasuna finished a high seventh last term, their league form has faltered this season, sitting 12th with just 22 points earned from 19 matches. However, their extra-time win over second-tier Castellon in the Copa Del Rey showed their mentality again in cup contests which will come handy sharing the platform with three juggernauts of Spanish football. Osasuna have proven to be a solid unit keeping three clean sheets in the last four outings and also giving their semi-final opponent Barcelona some headache before. Despite that, their inefficiency of scoring not more than one could put them at a disadvantage even though the Catalan giants have leaked 13 in the last six competitive games. It will require a true fairytale story from an underdog from Osasuna to reach consecutive cup finals.
Recent Form (all competitions)
BAR: WWWDL
OSA: WWLWD
BAR vs OSA Team News
Barcelona have doubts over the availability of Joao Cancelo and Pedri even though both are added to the Super Cup squad. Number one Marc-Andre ter Stegen and defender Marcos Alonso are both ruled out with a back problem while Gavi remains sidelined with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Ilkay Gundogan has recovered from illness in time to feature in the tournament's semi-final.
Meanwhile, Osasuna will miss the service of Chimy Avila after picking up an injury against Almeria in the last league outing but Unai Garcia will return from his injury issue. The side is also boosted by the return of Johan Mojica who missed the last four matches with his injury problems.
BAR vs OSA Predicted Lineups
BAR: Pena; Cancelo, Kounde, Araujo, Balde; Roberto, De Jong, Gundogan; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Felix
OSA: S Herrera; Areso, D. Garcia, Catena, Pena; Moncayola, Torro, Oroz; Arnaiz, Budimir, Gomez
BAR vs OSA Head-to-Head (all competitions)
Played - 22
BAR won - 17
Drawn - 3
OSA won - 2
BAR vs OSA Dream11 Team Prediction
Despite Osasuna’s solidity, Barcelona are favorites to win the semi-final tie and progress to the Spanish Super Cup 2024 final.
BAR vs OSA Dream11 Top Picks
Captain Pick: Robert Lewandowski
Vice-captain Picks: Ilkay Gundogan, Raphinha
Others: Joao Felix
Our top pick for the BAR vs OSA Dream11 team is Robert Lewandowski (10 goals, 4 assists) and Ilkay Gundogan (3 goals, 6 assists in all competitions). The other pick is Raphinha (4 goals, 6 assists in all competitions).
BAR vs OSA Dream11 Team Suggestion
GK: S Herrera (7.5)
DEF: Cancelo (8), Kounde (8.5), D Garcia (8.5)
MID: Raphinha (8), Gundogan (9), De Jong (8), M Gomez (8)
FW: Budimir (9), Lewandowski (9), Felix (9)
Vice-captain: Ilkay Gundogan
Captain: Robert Lewandowski
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