JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Real Madrid and FC Barcelona go head-to-head in the second 'Clasico' of the year when they play the Spanish Supercup final in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah on Sunday.
Madrid beat Mallorca 3-0 on Thursday to book its ticket against Barcelona, who won 2-0 against Athletic Bilbao 24 hours earlier to assure its place in the showpiece match.
The last meeting of the two traditional rivals in the Spanish game was at the end of October 2024 when Barca thrashed Madrid 4-0 in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Things have changed since then with Real Madrid improving its form in December and the start of this year, with Kylian Mbappe adapting to the club and Jude Bellingham returning to his best level, while Barca paid the price for its high-energy press towards the end of 2024, with a series of defeats that have seen it drop to third in La Liga.
The good news for Barca coach Hansi Flick is that he will be able to count on Dani Olmo and Pau Victor after the Spanish government's Superior Sports Council allowed them to be registered.
Lamine Yamal showed on Wednesday that he has recovered from the ankle injury that saw him miss the end of 2024, while Ronald Araujo is also available despite stories linking him with a move to Juventus and midfielder Gavi has now fully recovered to continue his on-off feud with Vinicius Jr.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has a couple of doubts ahead of the final, after Aurelien Tchouameni was substituted after a clash of heads on Thursday and replaced by Raul Asencio. Meanwhile, Bellingham looked to be feeling his hamstring towards the end of the same game and although he should be able to start, he may not play 90 minutes as a precaution, especially with Madrid having a packed two months ahead of it.
The two sides met in the 2024 Supercup final which saw Madrid win 4-1 and after October's clash, this meeting will show how both teams have evolved since then. ■
