Real Madrid vs Barcelona prediction: SPAIN: Super Cup betting tips on match 2023-01-14 19:00.
As if a Supercopa de España final wasn’t already tantalising enough, we now await an El Clásico showdown in Riyadh, with Saudi Arabia’s ‘Vision 2030’ having already provided some memorable moments. Lucky fans holding a ticket, and neutrals alike, will hope to see another blockbuster here after both Real Madrid and Barcelona needed penalties in their semi-final contests to seal their route to potential cup glory.
Los Blancos will be all too aware of what’s at stake here as they look to extend their narrow winning H2H record (W101, D52, L97) and claim the Supercopa crown against their eternal rivals, in what is a finely balanced affair on paper. Real also have the prospect of equalling Barcelona’s record for the most Supercopa wins (13) and considering they are led by Carlo Ancelotti, who has just been nominated for FIFA’s 2022 Coach of the Year award after winning four trophies since August 2021, you wouldn’t put it past them adding more silverware to the mantelpiece!
Ancelotti’s haul includes this very trophy last season, so the pressure is on Barcelona to kick-start a Xavi dynasty by securing their first piece of silverware under his stewardship. Despite a three-point lead over Real at the summit of La Liga, Barça’s boss is perhaps feeling the tension ahead of this final, stating that if there are no titles this season the media will ‘’kill’’ him.
There’s a 3-1 H2H loss in Madrid earlier this season to avenge too, but Xavi is bound to find some comfort in his side’s recent sparkling form, with Barcelona’s eight-game unbeaten run in all competitions (W7, D1) their best in his reign since April 2022 (15). However, if this unpredictable matchup sides with history once more, it could favour the side from the Spanish capital as they’ve come out on top in six of their eight Supercopa ties against their old foes.
Key battle: Considering each of the three El Clásico’s in 2022 saw at least four goals, we could once again witness the menace of some of the best pound-for-pound goal-getters in world football. Enter Karim Benzema and Robert Lewandowski. Real’s Benzema is only the second player to score in five successive Supercopa games after Lionel Messi and he’ll battle for the limelight against Lewandowski, whose semi-final goal in Barcelona’s win over Betis last time out ended a three-game ‘drought’ – his longest since 2020!
Hot stat: Six of the last 16 H2H goals (37.5%) have arrived after the 82nd minute!