Real Madrid vs Barcelona confirmed team news & expected line-ups | OneFootball

La Liga rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona will compete for the Supercopa de España.

The final is set to take place at the King Abdullah Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, kicking off at 7 PM (UK time), but will not be available for viewing on UK television, as no broadcaster currently holds the rights to air Spanish Super Cup matches.

Real Madrid vs Barcelona predicted line-ups

Real Madrid (4-3-3): Courtois; Vazquez, Asencio, Rudiger; Mendy; Valverde, Camavinga, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr

Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Pena; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; Casado, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski

Real Madrid vs Barcelona team news

Real Madrid is nearly at full strength. Vinicius Junior has been cleared to play in the competition despite being sent off against Valencia in La Liga last week. Although the Brazilian is facing an imminent two-match suspension, it will only apply to league matches.

David Alaba returned to the squad for Thursday’s 3-0 win over Mallorca in the semi-final. Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal are currently injured. However, Carlo Ancelotti confirmed that Aurelien Tchouameni is fine after leaving the match against Mallorca due to a clash of heads. Luka Modric missed that game because of illness but could feature in the final.

Barcelona has also received a significant boost ahead of Sunday’s match in Jeddah. Both Dani Olmo and Pau Victor have been cleared to play after Spain’s supreme sports council granted them temporary registration. The duo, who were previously in limbo, missed the 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday night but are now eligible to participate in the final.

On the other hand, Hansi Flick’s side will be without Andreas Christensen, Marc Bernal, and Marc-André ter Stegen due to injuries.

Los Blancos seek revenge in title defence

The first domestic trophy of the season in Spain is at stake. Barcelona secured victory against Athletic Bilbao, winning 2-0 in Wednesday’s semi-final, with goals from Gavi and Lamine Yamal. Meanwhile, La Liga leaders Real Madrid left it late but ultimately defeated Mallorca 3-0 on Thursday to progress.

This upcoming match is a repeat of last year’s final, in which Real Madrid triumphed 4-1. However, in a more recent encounter, Ancelotti’s team suffered a heavy 4-0 loss to Barcelona at home in October. Despite this setback, Real Madrid has shown significant improvement since then, and they’re eager for revenge and a chance to claim a third piece of silverware this season following their UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Intercontinental Cup triumphs.

Barcelona was impressive in their 4-0 victory over Real Madrid, with Robert Lewandowski (two goals), Raphinha, and Lamine Yamal all finding the net. These three players will aim to pose a threat to Ancelotti’s side once again.

“We have to consider that game; they beat us, so we have assessed what happened,” Ancelotti stated at a news conference on Saturday before the clash in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. “We started the game well but faced challenges in the second half, so we must try to replicate the good things we did and avoid the mistakes we made.

“The Clasico is even more heightened when it’s a final. We have played against Barcelona many times, and facing them in a final is always something special.”

At one point, it seemed that Barcelona would easily secure the La Liga title this season. However, they have stumbled recently, winning only one of their last seven league matches, causing them to drop to third place, five points behind leaders Real Madrid.

Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3-1 in the 2023 final, and having an additional 24 hours of rest could prove crucial, especially with Real Madrid’s concerns over several key players before this match.