LIVE STREAMING: Real Madrid versus Barcelona [Click to watch]
In the Spanish Super Cup championship match tonight, Real Madrid and Barcelona will square off.
With Saudi Arabia’s “vision 2030” having already produced some memorable events, we now anticipate an El Clasico matchup in Riyadh as if a Supercopa de Espana final wasn’t already tantalising enough. After Real Madrid and Barcelona both required penalties to secure their passage to potential cup glory in their semi-final matches, lucky ticket holders and neutrals alike will hope to see another blockbuster here.
Los Blancos will be well aware of the stakes as they attempt to improve their slender H2H winning record (W101, D52, L97) and defeat their enduring opponents to win the Supercopa in what appears to be a closely contested contest. Real might potentially surpass Barcelona’s record of 13 Supercopa victories, and with Carlo Ancelotti at the helm, who was just named a candidate for FIFA’s 2022 Coach of the Year award after winning four titles since August 2021, you wouldn’t rule out them adding more hardware to the mantelpiece.
Barcelona is under pressure to launch a Xavi dynasty by winning their first title under his leadership because Ancelotti’s haul from previous season included this exact trophy. Despite having a three-point advantage over Real at the top of La Liga, Barca’s manager has admitted that the media will “kill” him if his team does not win any championships this year.
Even though Barcelona has a 3-1 H2H setback in Madrid from earlier this season to avenge, Xavi is sure to take solace in his team’s recent stellar play. Barcelona’s eight-game streak of victories in all competitions (W7, D1) is their longest under Xavi since April 2022. (15). The team from the Spanish capital, however, may benefit if history repeats itself in this uncertain game because they have won six of their last eight Supercopa matches against their longtime rivals.
Given that each of the three El Clasicos in 2022 had at least four goals, we might see the threat of two of the top goal scorers in the world of football once more: Karim Benzema and Robert Lewndowski. Lionel Messi is the only other player to have scored in five straight Supercopa matches, and Real’s Karim Benzema will square off against Lewandowski for the spotlight. Lewandoski’s semi-final goal in Barcelona’s win over Betis last time out ended a three-game “drought,” which was his longest since 2020.
Six of the previous 16 head-to-head goals (37.5%) have come in the 82nd minute or later.
Real Madrid or Barcelona: Which team wins the cup tonight?
