Real Madrid vs Barcelona preview: Supercopa final, El Clasico, team news

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has stated that his team can defeat Barcelona in Sunday's Spanish Super Cup final to avenge their previous defeat by Barça earlier this season, but he emphasized that the team must avoid repeating past mistakes.

In October, Hansi Flick's Barcelona team triumphed over Real Madrid with a 4-0 victory at the Santiago Bernabéu in La Liga. Despite this, Barça's form dipped before the winter break, allowing Real Madrid to overtake them in the standings. Ancelotti stated at the pre-match press conference in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, "We clearly need to consider that game; they beat us, and we have a clear assessment of what happened."

Ancelotti continued, "We started well, but we had problems in the second half. Therefore, we must strive to repeat what we did well and avoid the mistakes we made." He added, "The pressure is greater when a final is a Clásico. We have played against Barcelona many times, and a final against them is always special."

Real Madrid defeated Mallorca 3-0 in Thursday's semi-final, but they are still seeking a balance between attack and defense. The arrival of French star Kylian Mbappé from Paris Saint-Germain last year, along with Vinicius, Bellingham, and Rodrygo, provides a significant advantage for Real Madrid in attack, but it can also hurt the team if they are not focused enough defensively. Ancelotti stated, "(In recent Clásicos) individual ability has prevailed over team balance. A crucial aspect of the final will be balance and collective play – defense. If you defend well, you have a greater chance of winning."

Ancelotti had previously stated that his worst memory of a successful 2024 (where Real Madrid won La Liga and the Champions League) was being defeated by Barcelona. "We are close to another trophy, and we are thinking positively, but we know that anything can happen in football, especially when the opponent is as strong and competitive as Barcelona," Ancelotti added. His team has already won the European Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup this season. "Our team has improved, there is no doubt about that. Defeats are not good, but the team will not regress, it will continue to move forward."

Barcelona midfielder Dani Olmo will be available to play after the Spanish National Sports Council (CSD) controversially granted him temporary permission to participate. The Spanish international's permit arrived late on Wednesday, preventing him from participating in the Catalan club's 2-0 semi-final victory over Athletic Bilbao. Ancelotti stated, "Olmo will play, and we must try to minimize his threat." He remained silent on the case, which has exacerbated the conflict in Spanish football.

Flick, who replaced Barça legend Xavi as coach at the end of last season, stated that Olmo is ready to play, but he hinted that Olmo might not start, as Gavi performed well in the midfield attacking position in the semi-final against Athletic Bilbao. "Gavi played well against Athletic Bilbao, he is confident... I think he will play, but I cannot be 100% sure who will start," Flick said.

The Super Cup offers the German coach his first chance to win a title since arriving at Barcelona. "If we win, we will have more confidence for the rest of the season," Flick added. "Winning is a very important thing for everyone."

The Spanish Super Cup is contested by the champions and runners-up of La Liga and the Spanish domestic cup, the Copa del Rey. Although initially contested only between the league and cup winners in 1982, it was expanded to four teams in 2020. Real Madrid is the current league champion, Barcelona finished second, and Athletic Bilbao is the cup champion, having defeated Mallorca in last season's final.

This year's Super Cup is being held in Saudi Arabia, with all three matches taking place at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah. The stadium, which is the home of the Saudi national team and will be part of the 2034 World Cup, has already hosted two semi-finals. Real Madrid won the 2024 Super Cup, defeating Barcelona 4-1 in the final. Last year's competition was also held in Saudi Arabia, with Riyadh as the host city. Vinicius Júnior scored a first-half hat-trick for Real Madrid, while Rodrygo secured the victory in the second half, and Lewandowski scored Barcelona's only goal.

Real Madrid defeated city rivals Atlético Madrid in the semi-finals, while Barça defeated Osasuna. Despite suffering some knocks in Thursday's semi-final, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Federico Valverde, and Jude Bellingham are all available for the final. Luka Modric, who withdrew on the day of the match against Mallorca, remains a major doubt for Real Madrid. Éder Militão and Dani Carvajal are both still out.

Real Madrid's expected starting lineup: Courtois; Vázquez, Asensio, Rüdiger; Mendy; Valverde, Camavinga, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappé, Vinicius Júnior.

Dani Olmo and Paulo Victor are both available for Barça, having been temporarily registered after a long-running dispute between the club and the Spanish High Council for Sport. Andreas Christensen, Marc Bernal, and Marc-André ter Stegen are all still out for Barcelona, with their biggest question being who will replace the latter in goal. Former Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny wore the gloves in the semi-final against Athletic Bilbao, but Iñaki Peña is expected to take over for the final.

Barcelona's expected starting lineup: Peña; Koundé, Cubarsi, Martínez, Balde; Casado, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski.

Real Madrid have hit form in time, winning five in a row and seven of their eight unbeaten matches. Before this, Real had lost four of their previous seven matches, including a home defeat to Barça. Recent five matches: WWWWW.

Barcelona appear to be slowly emerging from their worst form of the season, having secured back-to-back wins for the first time in 11 matches. Prior to this, the Catalan club had only won three and lost four of their nine matches. This all came after Hansi Flick won 14 of his first 16 matches in charge this season. Recent five matches: WLWLL.

In 258 encounters between the two sides, Real Madrid have won 105 times, while Barça have won 101. Prior to their 0-4 loss in La Liga in October, Real had won the previous four encounters between the two sides, including the Spanish Super Cup in January and last season's Copa del Rey match.