Who: Real Madrid vs Barcelona
What: Spanish Super Cup final
Where: King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
When: 10: 00pm (19: 00 GMT) on Sunday
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Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said his players can avenge their thrashing earlier this season by Barcelona by winning the Spanish Super Cup on Sunday, but only if they avoided making the same mistakes.
Hansi Flick’s Barcelona routed Los Blancos 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu in October in LaLiga, although a slump before the winter break helped Real Madrid overtake them at the top of the table.
“We have to think about that game obviously, they beat us, we had a clear evaluation of what happened,” Ancelotti told a news conference Saturday before the clash in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
“We started the game well, then had problems in the second half, so we have to try and repeat the good things we did and avoid the mistakes we made.
“The Clasico is even more pressured when it’s a final, we’ve played a lot against Barcelona and playing a final against them is always something special.”
Can Madrid find a balance for Mbappe, Bellingham and co?
Madrid, who beat Mallorca 3-0 in their semifinal on Thursday, are still searching for a balance between attack and defence in their game after the arrival of French superstar Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain last year.
Along with Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo Goes, the four players give Madrid a significant edge going forward but can hurt the team if they are not focused defensively.
“[In recent Clasicos] individual quality has prevailed over team balance,” continued Ancelotti. “An important aspect [in the final] will be balance and collective work – defending.
“If you defend well, there’s more chance of winning.”
Ancelotti previously said his worst memory from a successful 2024, in which Madrid won LaLiga and the Champions League, was the beating by Barcelona.
“We’re close to another trophy, we’re thinking positively, but we know that in football anything can happen, above all when the opponent is strong and competes well like Barcelona,” added Ancelotti, whose side have won both the European Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup already this season.
“Our team has improved, nobody can argue with that. A defeat wouldn’t be good, but the team is not going backwards, it will keep moving forwards.”
Will Barcelona bring the temporarily reprieved Olmo in for Gavi?
Barcelona midfielder Dani Olmo will be able to play after the Catalans were controversially granted a temporary licence for him by Spain’s National Sports Council (CSD).
The Spanish international’s clearance came too late on Wednesday for him to play a part in the Catalan club’s 2-0 semifinal win against Athletic Bilbao.
“Olmo will play and we have to minimise his quality,” said Ancelotti, who has resisted giving his opinion about the case which has aggravated Spanish football.
Flick, who replaced Barca playing legend Xavi as coach at the end of last season, said Olmo was ready to play but suggested he might not start after Gavi shone in the semifinal against Athletic Bilbao in the attacking midfield role.
“Gavi had a great performance against Athletic, he’s got confidence … I think he’s is going to play, but I am not 100-percent sure of who will play,” said Flick.
The Super Cup offers the German coach his first chance at silverware since arriving at Barcelona.
“If we win, we will have more confidence for the rest of the season,” added Flick. “Winning the game would be something really big for everyone.”
What is the Supercopa de Espana?
The Supercopa pits together the winners and runners-up of both the Spanish domestic league, LaLiga, and Spain’s domestic cup competition, Copa del Rey.
Although first played in 1982, between the league and cup winners alone, it was expanded to four teams in 2020.
Real Madrid are the current league champions, with Barcelona finishing second, while Athletic Bilbao are the cup holders, having defeated Mallorca in last season’s final.
Where will the Spanish Supercopa final be played?
This year’s Supercopa is being staged in Saudi Arabia with all three matches staged at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah.
The venue, which plays host to the Saudi national team and will be part of the 2034 World Cup, has already hosted the two semifinals.
