Real Madrid – Barcelona

Real Madrid and Barcelona should produce a productive final

On Sunday, 14 January, the big battle between Real Madrid and Barcelona will take place in Saudi Arabia. The grands clasico will determine the winner of the Spanish Super Cup. Madrid have the status of unqualified favourites. Real had the hardest emotional duel with Atletico in the semi-finals. It turned out to be a very bright ending. Ancelotti's team was close to defeat, but eventually snatched a 5-3 victory. Real acted with a tangible advantage. In attack, the team now has virtually perfect co-operation even without a classic striker. Vinicius returned to the line-up and added colour to the attack. Rodrigo is in almost the best form of his career. Jude Bellingham continues his successful stretch. Real's weakness before the final is the defence and goalkeeper line. Kepa once again proved that he is incapable of playing consistently. The Spaniard made a ridiculous mistake against Atletico. The goalkeeper doesn't even have a series of confident matches even close. It is possible that Lunin will come out in the final at all. The Ukrainian did not allow such disruptions. There are also difficulties with the defenders. The Rüdiger-Fernandez pair is an abnormal emergency combination for Real Madrid. The club did not even close to count on such a union. Tchouameni is also a possible option here. Barcelona have much bigger problems. The Catalans played a rather grey match against Osasuna. The midfielder didn't look defeated until the final minutes. Barcelona did not dominate the game. At the expense of individual skills they managed to solve the issues with reaching the final, but it is doubtful that the Catalans will be able to play according to their tactics in the decisive match. Traditionally, there were no injuries. Barcelona lost Rafinha. The Brazilian does not bring any significant benefit, but the squad is already far from optimal. Barcelona, like Real Madrid, have problems with the goalkeeper. You can always expect an unpleasant surprise from Peña. In the centre of the pitch they have an experimental combination, while in attack they need to bring on junior Lamal from the start. Bookmakers rightly have Real as favourites. Madrid have the game in hand and a winning percentage in key matches under Ancelotti. More curious are the odds on the total. Here the line expects cautious football, but you can argue with that. Both teams have unstable goalkeepers and huge problems in defence. It is doubtful that in the final the opponents will act from defence. That said, speed remains the trump card of both Barcelona and Real Madrid. One goal can open up the game. The opponents now have a series of four consecutive matches on a total more. Three goals is a realistic goal for the giants for the final.