The historic rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona will not be completed without little introduction as the two Spanish giants meet for the second time this seasan at the Supercopa in Saudi Arabia.
El Clasico, as games between the two clubs have come to be known, is always one of the biggest occasions on the football calendar—a game eagerly anticipated for weeks beforehand before being endlessly dissected in the days and even weeks afterwards.
Today again, the two clubs will go head-to-head at the at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the second time this season.
Ahead of the match, here is your A to Z of the biggest game in world of football.
READ MORE: Barcelona Uses Rema’s Song In Video As They Arrive Saudi Arabia Ahead Of Match Against Real Betis
TIME TO WATCH: Barcelona and Real Madrid will face off in the second El Clasico of the season on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. WAT.
With the Spanish Supercopa on the line. As both sides fight for supremacy in LaLiga, the showdown between the Spanish giants will no doubt provide a morale boost for the winner as they eye domestic and European glory.
Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez is eyeing his first trophy as the club’s manager, while Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti will look to lead the club to a second consecutive win against their rivals.
THE STATE OF BARCELONA AHEAD OF THE GAME
Barcelona have struggled to put games to bed since the World Cup. Espanyol came back to draw 1-1 at Camp Nou in the first game back, before Xavi’s side gave up the lead three times against third-division Intercity in the Copa del Rey but won 4-3 in extra time. They did hold on last weekend to secure an important win at Atletico Madrid but did not kill off the game, instead digging in to hold on to a 1-0 win largely thanks to Ronald Araujo’s last-minute goal-line clearance.
It came as no surprise, then, that Barca twice surrendered an advantage against Real Betis in Thursday’s Supercopa semifinal. They eventually set up a final against Madrid thanks to goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s penalty heroics, but the usual complaints followed.
“We need to be more clinical when we are ahead and on top,” Xavi said. “We need to be more mature and control the game when we lead. That is missing at the moment.”
THE MERRY TIME IS OVER FOR XAVI
The honeymoon period is over for Xavi, which may or may not be fair. He inherited a team in a post-Lionel Messi depression, mired in financial trouble and ninth in LaLiga. He led them back into the Champions League — which they subsequently exited in the group stage this season for the second year running — and was backed in the transfer market. Robert Lewandowski was the headline signing as they spent €150 million on a number of top players, hoping success would pull them back onto their feet following one trophy — the Copa del Rey in 2021 under Ronald Koeman — in three years. As a result, there is now no more money to be spent and no more financial levers to be pulled, but the squad is not bad.
Domestically, at least, things are going well. They are top of LaLiga, three points clear of Madrid having lost just one game all season. A Supercopa win on Sunday could provide a launchpad for more silverware this season. They remain in the Copa del Rey, too.
Yet despite that, the thin line between success and failure feels more present at Barca than at other clubs. Defeats to Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in the Champions League, which saw them drop into the Europa League again, and the loss to Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu revealed flaws. Recent performances have too.
Six goals conceded in 16 LaLiga games contrasts with 18 leaked in eight cup matches to leave doubts about a defence that has struggled for consistency this season because of injuries. The lack of a reliable, natural right-back is the main problem. The debate is also served on midfielder Sergio Busquets, who made his 700th Barca appearance against Betis, and his worth at the top level now that he is 34. But who takes his place in central midfield? Frenkie de Jong is the only real option in the squad but Xavi often prefers him further forward. In attack, Lewandowski and Ousmane Dembele are difference-makers but Barca are still waiting for one of Ansu Fati, Raphinha or Ferran Torres to really grab the third forward position with both hands.
Barca, though, should not forget where they are coming from. The past three years have been tough and, but for the blemish in the Champions League, this year is a marked improvement. Performances may not always be glittering but Xavi is only 14 months into his tenure and a large part of the squad was only put together in the summer. There are positives to grasp on to.
HOW DO REAL MADRID LOOKS AHEAD OF SUNDAY’S FINAL?
Wednesday’s penalty shootout win over Valencia was a confidence boost for Real Madrid after their momentum had been slowed by a 2-1 LaLiga defeat at Villarreal last weekend, which saw them slip behind Barcelona in the title race. It came at a cost, though: Eduardo Camavinga and Lucas Vazquez were both forced off injured and the latter is ruled out for Sunday’s final, adding to the confirmed absences of defender David Alaba and midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.
Madrid’s season has largely been good, but there have been just enough wobbles — the Villarreal loss, a 3-2 defeat at Rayo Vallecano before the World Cup, a 3-2 setback to RB Leipzig in the Champions League and the sometimes-laboured nature of Wednesday’s semifinal — to produce doubts as to just how far the team can go in Ancelotti’s second season in charge.
KEY PLAYERS TO LOOK OUT FOR
PEDRI
Barca have been dependent on various players this season. Lewandowski has saved them several times with 19 goals in all competitions, Ter Stegen is nearing his best form once again and was the hero against Betis, while Araujo and Dembele have also contributed at key moments.
For Barca to play in the image they want to, though, they need Pedri at his best. He is still only 20 but is the outright first choice in midfield, ahead of Busquets, De Jong and GAVI, He has scored important goals in the past but now has the chance to deliver a defining performance in a final.
Thibaut Courtois
BENZEMA is this team’s leader, VINICIOUS,its rising star and Modric the elder statesman, but time and time again it is Courtois who gets them out of trouble. The goalkeeper cemented his status as the world’s best No. 1 with his man-of-the-match display in the Champions League final last year, and after a minor dip earlier this season as back pain impacted his performance, he was on top form against Valencia in the semifinal, saving the decisive fifth spot kick from Jose Gaya in the shootout. With Madrid’s defence looking shaky, expect Courtois to have another busy evening against Barca.
