Barcelona v Real Madrid: Line-ups, stats and preview
Barcelona face Real Madrid in the Spanish Supercopa final on Sunday. Read our in-depth preview here.
Barcelona and Real Madrid will lock horns in the final of the Spanish Super Cup on Sunday evening, with both sides coming through their respective semi-final ties earlier this week.
Los Blancos edged past capital rivals Atletico Madrid with a 2-1 victory on Thursday, a result that came 24 hours after the Blaugrana produced a dominant 5-0 win over Athletic Bilbao.
Barcelona barely needed to get out of second gear in their semi-final, racing into a four-goal lead by half-time before easing off after the break. That performance, coupled with the additional recovery time, could prove significant heading into Sunday’s final in Saudi Arabia.
Hansi Flick’s side were ruthless in attack against Athletic, with Raphinha scoring twice, while Fermin Lopez, Ferran Torres and Roony Bardghji also found the net. Barcelona will now be aiming to lift the Spanish Super Cup for the 16th time in their history.
The Catalan giants beat Real Madrid 5-2 in last season’s final and have won four of the last five meetings between the two sides, although Los Blancos have still claimed five victories across the last nine Clasicos.
Real Madrid faced a much sterner test in their semi-final, eventually seeing off Atletico after goals from Federico Valverde and Rodrygo. Valverde’s long-range free kick opened the scoring before Rodrygo doubled the lead early in the second half, with Alexander Sorloth’s strike setting up a tense closing spell.
Los Blancos have won the Spanish Super Cup on 13 occasions, most recently in 2024 when they defeated Barcelona 4-1 in the final. While the trophy may not carry the same weight as La Liga or the Champions League, there is no downplaying the importance of a Clasico final.
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Team news for Barcelona v Real Madrid
Barcelona will again be without Gavi, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Andreas Christensen due to injury, but Flick otherwise has a strong squad available for the final.
Lamine Yamal was not risked from the start in the semi-final due to a physical issue but came off the bench in the second half and is expected to return to the starting lineup. Ronald Araujo is back in full training, although Eric Garcia is likely to continue alongside Pau Cubarsi in central defence.
Real Madrid expect Kylian Mbappe to be available after recovering from a knee injury, and the forward could return straight into the starting XI.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Eder Militao and Brahim Diaz remain unavailable, while Rodrygo, Antonio Rudiger and Raul Asencio will be assessed after picking up knocks against Atletico. Dean Huijsen is an option in defence after returning to fitness.
Expected line-ups for Barcelona v Real Madrid
Barcelona: J Garcia; Kounde, Cubarsi, E Garcia, Balde; Pedri, De Jong; Yamal, Raphinha, Fermin; F Torres
Real Madrid: Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Huijsen, Carreras; Camavinga, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius
How to watch Barcelona v Real Madrid: TV channel, online live stream
The Spanish Super Cup final between Barcelona and Real Madrid will be broadcast live on Premier Sports in the UK, with kick-off at 19:00 GMT.
Live streaming will be available via the Premier Sports Player, with coverage also accessible through affiliated streaming services for subscribers.
The stats for Barcelona v Real Madrid
- Barcelona have won four of the last five meetings with Real Madrid in all competitions
- Real Madrid have won 13 Spanish Super Cups, compared to Barcelona’s 15
- Barcelona scored five goals in their semi-final without conceding
- Real Madrid have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last six matches against Barcelona
- This will be the 263rd competitive meeting between the two clubs
Prediction
Barcelona
Real Madrid
Matches between these two sides are rarely short on goals, and Sunday’s final should follow that trend. Both teams possess the quality to win it, but Barcelona’s recent momentum and attacking sharpness could give them the edge in an open, entertaining contest.https://x.com/FCBarcelona/status/2009369629693460735https://x.com/realmadriden/status/2009397956416532955
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