Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Preview, Team News, Lineups, H2H, Prediction, Odds and Telecast
Real Madrid vs Barcelona Match Preview
Tournament – Supercopa de Espana
Date – Monday, January 15
Kick-off Time – 12:30 am IST
Venue – Al-Awwal Stadium, Saudi Arabia
Real Madrid and Barcelona will compete in the final of the Supercopa de Espana at the Al-Awwal Stadium on Sunday for their first trophy of the season. Both sides had a hard-fought victory in their respective semi-finals.
Los Blancos beat city rivals Atletico Madrid 5-3 in extra time at the Al-Awwal Stadium on Wednesday, January 10. They trailed 3-2 until the 84th minute before Dani Carvajal scored to take it to extra time where they eventually triumphed.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side are having an excellent season and sit atop the La Liga table. They also won all of their UEFA Champions League group games and will face RB Leipzig in the Round of 16.
Meanwhile, Barca defeated Osasuna 2-0 at the Al-Awwal Stadium in the Supercopa de Espana semi-final on Thursday. Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal scored for them.
Barcelona have managed to grind out results this season but haven’t been at their best. They trail Real Madrid by seven points in the La Liga table in third place. They also qualified for the Champions League Round of 16 and will have a tough test against Napoli.
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Real Madrid vs Barcelona Team News
Real Madrid have Eder Militao and Thibaut Courtois missing since the start of the season due to their ACL injuries. David Alaba is also out, having picked up an ACL injury in December. Lucas Vazquez is also recovering from a hamstring injury.
Barcelona, meanwhile, have midfielder Gavi out due to an ACL injury. Inigo Martinez and Marc-Andre ter Stegen are also out for the final. Joao Cancelo and Marcos Alonso are doubtful for the final, having not featured in the semi-final against Osasuna.
Raphina, meanwhile, picked up a hamstring injury in the semi-final and is also a doubt for the final.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona Possible Lineups
Real Madrid:
Goalkeepers: Andriy Lunin
Defenders: Dani Caravajal, Antonio Rudiger, Nacho Fernandez, Ferland Mendy
Midfielders: Fede Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, Toni Kroos, Jude Bellingham
Attackers: Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo Goes
Barcelona:
Goalkeeper: Inaki Pena
Defenders: Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, Alejandro Balde
Midfielders: Fermin Lopez, Ilkay Gundogan, Frenkie de Jong
Attackers: Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres
Real Madrid vs Barcelona Head-to-Head
The El Clasico is arguably the biggest rivalry in world football and the two teams have clashed numerous times over the years across competitions. Real Madrid, though, hold the edge in historical head-to-head in their 255 total encounters.
Real Madrid: 103 wins
Barcelona: 100 wins
Draw: 52
However, Barcelona hold the advantage in their recent meetings, having won three of their last five competitive games in all competitions. This includes their 3-1 triumph in the Supercopa de Espana final last season at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh.
Their last five results in competitive matches are:
Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid – La Liga – October 28, 2023
Barcelona 0-4 Real Madrid – Copa del Rey semi-final second leg – April 6, 2023
Barcelona 2-1 Real Madrid – La Liga – March 20, 2023
Real Madrid 0-1 Barcelona – Copa del Rey semi-final first leg – March 3, 2023
Real Madrid 1-3 Barcelona – Supercopa de Espana final – January 16, 2023
Real Madrid vs Barcelona Prediction
Real Madrid have been in incredible form this season and are unbeaten in their last 20 games across competitions. They sit atop the La Liga table despite various injury issues and now have star players like Vinicius and Tchouameni back in action.
Barcelona, meanwhile, have struggled to put up convincing performances this season and are third in La Liga. They have had some narrow wins this season but lacked the clinical edge.
Hence, we expect Carlo Ancelotti’s side to beat their arch-rivals on Sunday.
Predicted Score: Real Madrid 3-1 Barcelona
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Real Madrid vs Barcelona Odds
Real Madrid win – 2.38
Barcelona win – 3.20
Odds source – Oddspedia.com
Real Madrid vs Barcelona Players to Watch Out For
Real Madrid
For Los Blancos, the player to watch out for is Vincius Jr. The Brazilian winger was in excellent form before his hamstring injury in November. He had registered six goals and four assists in 13 games across competitions prior to that.
Coming into the final, Vinicius is still building up match fitness and has featured in two games without having any goal contribution. He will look to make a big impact in the final.
Barcelona
For the Blaugrana, the player to watch out for is Ferran Torres. The Spanish attacker has started just 13 games across competitions this season but has shown his excellence whenever he’s gotten the opportunity. He has contributed seven goals and three assists in 26 appearances this season.
With Robert Lewandowski’s dwindling form and Raphinha’s potential injury, Ferran Torres is likely to be the main threat in attack for Barcelona.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona Where to Watch
India – Fancode website/app
US – ESPN+