The second El Clasico of the season will be played in the Super Cup final with Barcelona squaring off against holders Real Madrid in Jeddah.
BAR vs RM Match Details
Date: Sunday, 12 January 2024/ Monday, 13 January 2024
Time: 20:00 (CET), 00:30 (IST)
Venue: King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah
BAR vs RM Match Preview
After losing back-to-back games in the league to end the year, which also saw them lose the top spot to Real Madrid, Barcelona has positively begun 2025 after the winter break. Having defeated fourth-division side Barbastro 4-0, the Catalan giants picked up a 2-0 win against Athletic Club in the Spanish Super Cup final at Jeddah. Gavi scored his first goal of the season after his long-term injury layoff in the 17th minute before assisting Lamine Yamal in the second half for the sealer. Wojciech Szczesny, who debuted in the Copa del Rey game, kept back-to-back clean sheets with a solid display between the sticks. This result locks them in an El Classico with Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final for the ninth time and for the third consecutive edition. Hansi Flick's team won the league match 4-0 in a captivating performance and will aim to replicate the result against Los Blancos to secure the first trophy of the season. However, they should not get carried away since they lost 4-1 last time at this stage. The record 14-time winners will not want their arch-rivals to equal their tally. Winning this fixture for the second time will be a boost for the title race as what happened two years ago with Barcelona winning the El Clasico 3-1 in the Spanish Super Cup final.
Real Madrid picked themselves up from early December last year and now possesses an eight-game unbeaten run in all competitions after defeating Mallorca 3-0 in the semi-final with a strong second-half display. Last season’s Copa Del Rey runners-up managed to hold Carlo Ancelotti's men till the hour mark before Jude Bellingham broke the deadlock with Martin Valjent’s own goal and Rodrygo's strike in stoppage time sealed their passage to the final. Los Blancos have already pocketed the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Intercontinental Cup this season with a chance to win the Spanish Super Cup in the third straight cup final of the season and the competition. Copa Del Rey, La Liga and the Champions League are the other three tournaments they will aim for, a chance to complete a historical sextuple. Apart from the heavy loss earlier in the season, Real Madrid has won the other four El Classicos in the last five meetings which is a promising record to carry for the final. Claiming the trophy will state that the club has recovered from their hangover from the first half of the season. To claim the title, the team must avoid losing to their arch-rivals for a third consecutive time in all competitions.
BAR vs RM Recent Form (all competitions)
BAR: WLLWW
RM: WWWWW
BAR vs RM Predicted Lineups
Barcelona
Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; Casado, Pedri; Yamal, Gavi, Raphinha; Lewandowski
Real Madrid
Courtois; Vazquez, Tchouameni, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Camavinga; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius; Mbappe
BAR vs RM head-to-head (Spanish Super Cup)
Played - 17
BAR won - 5
Drawn - 2
RM won - 10
BAR vs RM Dream11 Match Prediction
While El Classicos are difficult to predict even more if it is the decider of a cup final, holders Real Madrid might have the edge over their rivals Barcelona owing to more consistent form. We predict a 2-1 win for Los Blancos.
BAR vs RM Dream11 Top picks
Captain Pick: Jude Bellingham
Vice-captain Picks: Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski
Others: Raphinha, Kylian Mbappé
Alternative: Vinicius Junior
BAR vs RM Dream11 Team Suggestion
GK: Szczesny (Cr - 7)
DEF: Vazquez (Cr - 8.5), Kounde (Cr - 8.5), Balde (Cr - 7.5)
MID: Yamal (Cr - 9), Bellingham (Cr - 8.5), Gavi (Cr - 7.5), Valverde (Cr - 8),
FW: Raphinha (Cr - 9), Lewandowski (Cr - 9), Mbappe (Cr - 9),
Vice-captain: Lamine Yamal
Captain: Jude Bellingham
