All that remains is to win the semi-finals.
Spaniards earn money in Saudi Arabia
The semi-finals and finals of the Spanish Super Cup will be held in Ronaldo’s home country. Although the Italian experiment was not successful, the stands of the away matches of the Serie A clubs were not full, Real Madrid and Barcelona hope to attract more spectators. Mbappé and Lewandowski could face each other on Sunday if the favorites do not let down the football public in the semi-finals. Today, the Catalans start, they have a more difficult opponent – Athletic. Former Barcelona coach Valverde has a great team. Although it is difficult to follow the leaders of La Liga, the Basques occupy fourth place, two points behind Flick’s team. Hansi has given points in the last rounds. We played Athletic in August, when we were in good shape, Yamal and Lewandowski won 2-1.
In Saudi Arabia, both can enter the field. Good news for the Catalans. Only goalkeeper Ter Stegen is hospitalized. Let’s see who will be sent to the goal, because there is a choice between the young Pena and the experienced Szczesny. The smoker has recovered and made his debut in Barcelona. We expect the usual lineup, even Olmo in the lineup. But it is not a given that Dani will enter the field. You can play Gavi and Casado in the center and use Pedri in ten positions. Flick has had many failures, the German understands the importance of the match against Athletic. There is only the option of winning, the other options are not taken into account. Just a year ago, the Basques had already beaten Barcelona in the Spanish Cup. Valverde did not participate in the last Super Cup, but Ernesto will certainly not refuse the new trophy. The enemy is serious.
Real Madrid’s opponents are a little simpler. They will play Thursday against Mallorca. There is good news: Alaba is out of the infirmary. The defender took some time to get back into shape and is now in the lineup. There is no Carvajal and Militao, together with Vallejo they constitute the list of defeats of Real Madrid. Mallorca beat the favorites two years ago. And in August, they took points from Ancelotti when Mbappe misunderstood the set-piece and missed the man he was guarding. The 1:1 draw showed the coach of last year’s Copa del Rey finalists that even against such a formidable opponent, you can play for the result. But only on a bad night for Real. The class difference is too great. In theory, Mbappe, Vinicius and Rodrigo should have no problem against the sixth Primera team. If Barcelona reaches the final, it will be the Clasico.
Ancelotti and Flick perplexed by new season
Carlo won five cups last year. But even the most loyal Real Madrid supporter will not say that his team spent the year in a balanced and always satisfied manner. Flick makes a good start, but the German has the bad habit of losing control after a strong opening. And that’s what happened. Barcelona is not as successful as in the hot season. It’s not hot in Saudi Arabia at the moment, football time. It may rain on Sunday, but top footballers shouldn’t be afraid of the humidity. Ronaldo signals that it is difficult to play in the land of the sheikhs, but not in January. Ancelotti and Flick must learn from their mistakes. Coaching errors are visible. Carlo has long been trying to integrate Mbappé into the schemes, who refuses to play a pure “nine”, because Kylian is more comfortable working with an inclination on the left flank, where the place is occupied by Vinicius.
The Brazilian was disqualified from the championship, but in the Super Cup he will be able to face Mallorca in the semi-final. He will try to do his best, as he will miss La Liga matches. Ancelotti is lucky with Camavinga’s versatility; the midfielder helps Valverde in the waiting area. And the obedient Tchuameni took his place in the center of defense. Carvajal is replaced on the right by the experienced Vazquez. Carlo was lucky that Lucas did not leave Real Madrid, where he does not have stable playing experience and will have Alexander-Arnold as a competitor next season. Real Madrid is full of people who know how to wait for gifts from their opponents, as was the case with Bellingham at the end of the match against Valencia. But let’s remember that until Vinicius was sent off and veteran Modric did not save a goal after coming on, the season favorite was in danger of losing to lowly Los Ches.
Flick also has problems, regardless of the opponent’s level. The defeat against Atlético Madrid was the coach’s sixth this season. We missed a counterattack with a pass to the new striker Serlot. Athletic have the Williams brothers in front of them, they are not weaker than the Norwegian. The opponent knows the Catalans very well. For Flick, the match against Valverde is unlikely to be a walk in the park. Athletic have not lost in 15 matches in all tournaments. Even if they do not have the opportunity to buy valuable players in bulk, because they only need the Basques, the Bilbao team is dangerous. They score few goals, but they are patient guys. In addition to the Williams, attacking midfielder Sunset stood out. It is a pity that he is injured. But on the pitch is Simon, the European champion and Athletic’s main goalkeeper. Barcelona can’t relax, they were unlucky with their opponents in the semi-finals.
The new Clasico will be marked by revenge
If Real progress further, the Clasico will take place anyway. The game against Athletic is also called that, because the clubs have never left the Primera. But Carlo’s game against Hansi is more fun. In the last series, the Catalans won 0:4 at the Santiago Bernabeu. President Pérez does not forget these mistakes, just like Ancelotti. Even if Barcelona was more fun back then and Real suffered more often, these nuances will not be important. The Madrid club, if Barcelona plays against them in the final and not against Athletic, has only one task: revenge. Heavy defeats were rare in the Spanish capital. The Catalans know how to come together for the Clasico, but Ancelotti has a more experienced team with a considerable number of nice players.
Mbappé became Real Madrid’s best player in December. He also needs the first Clasico goal. No offense to Valverde and Arrasate, another Basque coach from Mallorca, the football world will not refuse Real Madrid’s extra match against Barcelona in January. Especially in the final, where there will be a winner of the trophy. The Spanish Super Cup has definitely become more interesting in the new format. Real Madrid have won three times in recent years and Barcelona have won the trophy once. Athletic also won, but Mallorca had not reached the final for over twenty years. It’s good that the teams had a rest during the Christmas holidays. The reserves recently played in the Copa del Rey; they will devote all their strength to fighting in the desert.
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