Real Madrid vs Barcelona
Xavi knows that winning silverware is required to validate their campaign this season, and now they’re one step away from doing so here in the Spanish Super Cup.
Barcelona are fresh from a tight win against Real Betis in the semi-finals, and they have one more roadblock to hurdle in Real Madrid, who are also coming off a tough victory against Valencia.
The latest edition of El Clasico will take place at a neutral venue, as football fans from Saudi Arabia will get the privilege to see their favourite La Liga stars put on several Spanish Super Cup 2023 highlights.
The El Clasico rivalry is widely regarded as one of the biggest football rivalries ever. And with the Spanish Super Cup crown and bragging rights on the line, we expect nothing less come Sunday night.
Talking Points
Real Madrid’s current form is a concern
Real Madrid had to dig deep against Valencia in the Spanish Super Cup semi-finals. Karim Benzema took the lead for Los Blancos via a penalty when he was pulled down by Eray Comert, but they were never comfortable throughout the night.
Valencia levelled in the opening seconds of the second half through Samuel Lino, and they gave the reigning Spanish Super Cup champions problems throughout regulation.
The game went to penalties, and it took a couple of poor misses from Jose Gaya and Eray Comert for Los Blancos to advance to the finals.
It was basically a frustrating evening for Real Madrid since Valencia were the underdogs. It’s clear that they’re still reeling from their 2-1 defeat to Villarreal over the weekend.
Los Blancos’ defence has dropped off this term, and it showed in this game, as Edinson Cavani and Toni Lato were particularly effective for Valencia. Cavani tested Thibaut Courtois with his first-half header, while Lato was the one who teed up Samuel Lino for the equaliser.
Carlo Ancelotti won’t have much time to figure out how to stop Barcelona, but he’ll have to maximise what he’s got as Eder Militao, Lucas Vazquez, Eduardo Camavinga, David Alaba, and Aurelien Tchouameni are all nursing knocks.
Old reliable stepping up for Barcelona
Marc-Andre ter Stegen was the hero for Barcelona on Thursday against Real Betis. Despite conceding two late goals by Los Verdiblancos, ter Stegen had several saves and was the star during the subsequent penalty shootout.
Barcelona actually started well, but they lost ground to Real Betis after Pedri’s 23rd-minute goal was disallowed by the VAR. When Real Betis were aggressive, ter Stegen made fine saves against German Pezzella, Rodrigo Sanchez, and Luiz Henrique, and another after halftime from Juan Miranda.
And then during the penalty shootout, he also blocked the efforts of Juanmi and William Carvalho to ice the game.
Robert Lewandowski gave Barcelona the lead five minutes before halftime, but they were pegged back by Nabil Fekir. Ansu Fati almost won it for the Blaugrana, but Lorenzo Moron replied with a goal of his own.
Barcelona are still undefeated this term when Lewandowski scores, so he must be on the scoresheet once more. And ter Stegen should have another solid outing between the sticks against Real Madrid.
History
The El Clasico has been going on for more than a century now. Prior to Sunday, Real Madrid and Barcelona had squared off 250 times across all competitions (excluding friendlies).
Real Madrid lead the overall head-to-head series with 101 wins, while Barcelona have won 97 times and drawn 52 times.
The last time that these two Spanish giants met in the Spanish Super Cup final, Real Madrid beat Barcelona 5-1 on aggregate back in the 2016–17 season.
In the Spanish Super Cup, Barcelona have 13 trophies, whereas Real Madrid are right behind them with 12. Los Blancos are the reigning titlists, having won two of the past three seasons.
Betting Tip
Based on recent form, Barcelona should be able to win this one because they have yet to lose a game in all competitions so far this year. However, the outcome of El Clasico matches is normally difficult to predict, and this one is no exception.
And since it’s hard to choose who will win the final between the Blaugrana and Los Blancos, we’ll instead look at the possible goal total for this matchup.
In their four encounters last year, three of those yielded at least four goals, so the SBOTOP Spanish Super Cup 2023 odds are looking at another high-scoring affair on Sunday. Total Goal 2-3 @ 1.95 is your safest bet, while Over 2.50 @ 2.50 @ 2.17 is also an option.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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