Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Three key battles to keep an eye on | OneFootball

Real Madrid have their first chance of winning a trophy in 2025 awaiting them as they face FC Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final in Jeddah.

Being an El Clasico, there is no doubt that this is going to be a crunch match for the two sides, as they both will be doubtlessly looking for a win. The Merengues are the current title holders, as they won the final last year over Barcelona, after losing the final to them in 2023.

The last time the two sides met one another was at the end of October when Hansi Flick’s men ran rout at the Santiago Bernabeu and beat their heated rivals with a 4-0 scoreline. Robert Lewandowski scored 2 goals in that game, while Raphinha and Lamine Yamal also got 1 goal each.

That was the time when the German coach’s incredible start to life at Barcelona reached a climax. In the following weeks, his side proved to be significantly less decisive and had already lost their top spot on the La Liga table by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid have gradually improved their form and performances, and currently stand at the top of the league table. Thus, this match is expected to be significantly different from the last El Clasico.

Still, irrespective of their forms, there is enough quality in both of the teams to turn the match in their favour. Thus, there will be several key battles in this match to keep an eye on, but the three most exciting ones are going to be the following:

Vinicius Junior vs Jules Kounde

Over the last few years, Vinicius Junior has clearly proven his credentials as a big game player, and although he is not always effective, he is always particularly charged to face FC Barcelona. Only in the last year’s Spanish Super Cup final, he scored a hat-trick against the Blaugranes to get his side a 4-1 victory.

This year, he has been rather hot and cold up to now, but with the upcoming game against the Catalans, he will once again ensure he can prove to be the difference-maker for his side.

However, to make his mark on the game, the Brazilian will have to get the better of a highly skilful and seasoned defender, Jules Kounde. The Frenchman has been Flick’s starting right-back this season and has started 17 of the 19 league games for his side up to now.

The Barcelona defender has been up to his defensive standards this season, making 3.3 ball recoveries every game and getting dribbled past only 0.6 times. Thus, this will not only be a highly entertaining battle but also one that can have a decisive impact on the outcome of the game.

Jude Bellingham vs Marc Casado

After a somewhat slow start to the season, the English midfielder Jude Bellingham has once again started showing the incredible form that he showed in his first season at Real Madrid. He was decisive for the Merengues in the semi-final against Mallorca, as he scored the opening goal in the second half.

He has already scored 7 goals in La Liga up to now, and after his goal against Mallorca, he will be looking to add more to his Spanish Super Cup goal tally with more goals against an opponent on whom he piled up a lot of misery in the last season.

In this upcoming game on Sunday, he will be facing off with a young midfielder who has made his way into the FC Barcelona first team from the youth ranks, i.e., Marc Casado. The La Masia graduate has clearly proven his ability to perform at the highest level with a club a big European club.

However, he will have a significant challenge on his hands as he faces one of the best midfielders in Europe. Still, he will be fully committed to getting the best of his Real Madrid counterpart, and thus this battle is expected to be a highly entertaining one.

Raphinha vs Lucas Vazquez

The Brazilian winger Raphinha has been the most improved player for the Blaugrana side this season, and he has clearly benefitted from the arrival of Hansi Flick. This season, he has already scored 17 goals and 8 assists in total and he was one of the main protagonists for the Catalans as they beat Real Madrid in the last El Clasico in October.

As was the case in that match, he will once again be facing Lucas Vazquez on the right wing, as the starting Merengue right-back, Dani Carvajal, is absent for this game with his long-term injury.

While he has been quite good going forward, the Spaniard has left a lot to be desired while defending against top-class wingers. However, he is expected to take the captain’s armband for this game and thus will be fully committed to ensure he does not make any mistakes and does not allow Raphinha the freedom to marauder on his wing as he did in their last encounter.