Barcelona vs Real Madrid
Spain – Super Cup
Date: Wednesday, 12 January 2022
Kick-off at 19:00 UK/ 20:00 CET
Venue: King Fahd International Stadium.
It will be the first Clasico since Xavi’s hiring, and while the competition will be low on both clubs’ priority lists at this time, a win over Real Madrid would be a tremendous lift for the Catalan giants and their new manager. Barcelona is going through some strange times right now, and things got even worse this week when they extended the contract of injury-prone and much-maligned Samuel Umtiti until 2026, a deal that allowed them to clear space under their wage ceiling to sign new signing Ferran Torres.
Ferran and Pedri have both traveled to Saudi Arabia, but neither is anticipated to be fit enough to start the game. As a result, this will still be a far cry from Barcelona’s first-choice line-up, with in-form Luuk de Jong set to be given another start at the back. Despite recent selection issues, Barça’s play has improved marginally, as they have gone undefeated since losing in Munich in their final Champions League match. However, they have seldom been convincing, and they are coming off a 1-1 tie at Granada.
Real Madrid enters the Supercopa as the overwhelming favorite, having been by far the best team in LaLiga throughout the first half of the season. They were dominating at the weekend, with Karim Benzema and Vini Junior both scoring braces in a 4-1 Bernabeu thrashing of Valencia. It was the ideal answer following a shock setback at Getafe the weekend before.
While Real Madrid has had to cope with a handful of Covid outbreaks, they haven’t had the same injury concerns as their main competitors, and Carlo Ancelotti has constantly chosen something near to his strongest eleven. When it comes to identifying the best XI for Los Blancos right now, there is just one uncertainty. That’s on the right wing, where Marco Asensio, Eden Hazard, and Rodrygo are all vying for a starting spot, but none have done enough to secure it.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid Head to head :
- The latest encounter had ended in a 1-2 win for the Los Blancos.
- They are on a four-game winning streak.
- They had scored two or more goals in the last four clashes in a row.
- The last Barca recorded a win against this foe was three years back
Barcelona vs Real Madrid Prediction :
Overall, Real Madrid is the favorite to win this match. There is cause for Barcelona supporters to be optimistic once more, and it will be fantastic to see what this young club is capable of if everyone is healthy and firing. However, they aren’t there yet, and there is a significant gap between the two teams at the moment, which will be visible over the course of the next 90 minutes.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid Team News :
In the weekend’s 0-0 draw with Granada, Barcelona defender Eric Garcia was pulled out with a hamstring injury, and the former Manchester City player might be sidelined for up to five weeks.
Garcia joins Sergi Roberto and Martin Braithwaite in the hospital, although Pedri and Ferran Torres, who were previously COVID-positive, have been cleared to play with Frenkie de Jong, Ronald Araujo, and Ansu Fati.
Gavi’s ban will be carried over to his team’s next La Liga match, with Clement Lenglet ready to fill in for Garcia in the back four.
Carlo Ancelotti has stated that Mariano Diaz and Gareth Bale are Real Madrid’s main injury concerns for the semi-final, with Dani Carvajal and Luka Jovic both healthy and ready to play.
If Carvajal is declared healthy enough, he might replace Lucas Vazquez in the starting lineup, with the rest of Ancelotti’s backline staying unaltered.
The former Everton manager is unlikely to make many changes from the team that defeated Valencia, with Federico Valverde – who famously tugged Alvaro Morata down when he was clear through on goal in the 2020 final – starting on the bench.
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Dest, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; Gonzalez, Busquets, Gavi; Dembele, De Jong, Depay
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Mendy; Kroos, Casemiro, Modric; Asensio, Benzema, Vinicius Jr
