Preview: Barcelona vs Real Madrid - prediction, team news, lineups

Barcelona and Real Madrid will lock horns in the final of the Spanish Super Cup on Sunday evening, with both sides navigating their way through their respective semi-final ties.

Los Blancos edged past capital rivals Atletico Madrid courtesy of a 2-1 success, with that match coming 24 hours after the Blaugrana's 5-0 win over Athletic Bilbao.

Match preview

Barcelona did not need to get out of second gear against Athletic on Wednesday, with the Catalan giants four goals ahead at the interval, and the fact that they will have had longer to recover for this match could be a crucial factor on Sunday night.

Hansi Flick's side were sensational in the semi-finals, with Raphinha netting twice, while Fermin Lopez, Ferran Torres and Roony Bardghji were also on the scoresheet, and the Catalan side will now be bidding to win the Spanish Super Cup for the 16th time.

Barcelona beat Real Madrid 5-2 in last year's final, and the La Liga champions will bring a nine-game winning run in all competitions into this match.

Flick's team have not actually lost a domestic match since the 2-1 reverse to Real Madrid in La Liga at the end of October, and the two giants of Spanish football are now preparing to lock horns for the 263rd time in history this weekend.

Barcelona have actually won four of their last five matches against Real Madrid, although Los Blancos have been victorious in five of their last nine meetings.

Real Madrid were involved in a much more testing semi-final against Atletico on Thursday night, with Xabi Alonso's side running out 2-1 winners in the last-four affair.

Federico Valverde's stunning long-range free kick had sent Real Madrid ahead before Rodrygo doubled the advantage early in the second period, but Alexander Sorloth had one back for Atletico just before the hour, which made it an uncomfortable finish for Los Blancos.

Real Madrid have won the Spanish Super Cup on 13 occasions, with their last success in the competition coming in 2024, beating Barcelona 4-1 in the final.

Los Blancos currently trail Barcelona by four points in the La Liga table, while both sides are searching for glory in the Champions League and Copa del Rey this season.

The Spanish Super Cup is not a defining trophy when it comes to Real Madrid and Barcelona, but there is no downplaying the importance of any match between these two sides.

Barcelona Spanish Super Cup form:

Barcelona form (all competitions):

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Real Madrid Spanish Super Cup form:

Real Madrid form (all competitions):

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Team News

Barcelona will again be without the services of Gavi (knee), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (unspecified) and Andreas Christensen (knee) due to injury, but the Catalan outfit are otherwise in strong shape for the latest instalment of El Clasico.

Lamine Yamal was not declared fit to start against Athletic due to a physical issue, but the teenager came off the bench in the second period of the match and is now expected to return to the starting side this weekend.

Ronald Araujo has a chance of returning to the squad, as he is back in full training with the Catalan side, but it is likely to again be Eric Garcia alongside Pau Cubarsi in the middle.

Marcus Rashford, Robert Lewandowski and Bardghji could be the attackers to miss out on starting roles, demonstrating the strength of Flick's forward options.

As for Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappe is linking up with the squad after recovering from a knee injury, and the Frenchman could come straight back into the starting side on Sunday.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (thigh), Eder Militao (hamstring) and Brahim Diaz (AFCON) are absent, while Rodrygo (knock), Antonio Rudiger (knee) and Raul Asencio (thigh) need to be assessed after picking up problems against Atletico.

Dean Huijsen was on the bench against Atletico after recovering from an injury of his own and could now be introduced into the side as a replacement for Rudiger, with Asencio thought to have a strong chance of being available for selection.

Barcelona possible starting lineup:

J Garcia; Kounde, Cubarsi, E Garcia, Balde; Pedri, De Jong; Yamal, Raphinha, Fermin; F Torres

Real Madrid possible starting lineup:

Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Huijsen, Carreras; Camavinga, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius

We say: Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid

Matches between these two teams are always special, and we are expecting more goals during Sunday's Spanish Super Cup final. Cases can obviously be made for either to win it, but we believe that Barcelona will shade an entertaining contest to lift the trophy.