Supercopa de Espana holders Real Madrid returned to the competition’s main event in Jeddah after beating Mallorca 3-0 on Thursday night.
The Canary Islanders were as expected stubborn in the semi-final and could have easily gone ahead before Jude Bellinghamwhich was a full-on goal by Zinedine Zidane opting for the tucked-in shirt aesthetic, opened the scoring after a scramble in the Mallorca penalty area.
A consolation for the 13-time domestic Super Cup champions followed, and they will equal Barcelona’s 14 successes in the competition if they retain their crown this weekend.
Here’s how Madrid could oppose their rivals in Clasico.
GK: Thibaut Courtois – Mallorca’s ineffective work in front of goal meant Courtois he didn’t have to work too hard for a clean sheet on Thursday. The Belgian will expect a busier outing here.
RB: Lucas Vazquez – Raul Asencio could feature as a substitute at right-back during the second half of the season, but Carlo Ancelotti will stick with veteran Vazquez on Sunday.
CB: Aurelien Tchouameni – The Frenchman is a fresh injury concern heading into the final, but there is hope that Tchouameni will be fit to start. He has seemed at ease since breaking into Madrid’s backline.
CB: Antonio Rudiger – David Alaba is back in the matchday squad on Thursday and the Austrian could still have a big part to play this term. However, the classy left-back will not be replacing Rudiger on Sunday.
LB: Ferland Mendy – Ancelotti has Fran Garcia as an option if he wants to rotate at left-back, but would prefer to have the more robust Mendy against Lamine Yamal.
CM: Eduardo Camavinga – Camavinga has improved a lot this season and is becoming an indispensable figure in Madrid’s midfield.
CM: Federico Valverde – Ancelotti has at least managed Valverde’s minutes in recent outings which should allow him to start against again Barcelona. After playing half-time in Madrid’s Copa del Rey win over Minerva, the Uruguayan international played 75 minutes on Thursday.
RM: Rodrygo – The Brazilian capped off a memorable birthday by scoring Madrid’s third in the semi-final, and should be included in the XI again despite Brahim Diaz and Arda Guler being in contention.
AM: Jude Bellingham – The goals keep coming for the England star after a slow start to the 2024/25 season, with Ancelotti returning Bellingham to the free role he thrived from last season. Barca’s excellent midfield pivot has a big task ahead of him.
LM: Vinicius Junior – Vini Jr can’t seem to stay away from controversies right now. Following his sulky dismissal against Valencia, the Brazilian clashed with Mallorca’s Pablo Maffeo on Thursday. The pair have a history dating back to the 2020/21 season. after Maffeo was sent off following a nasty tackle on the Madrid superstar.
ST: Kylian Mbappe – Task one for Mbappe on sunday: stay away! The France star was caught offside eight times in October’s El Clasico – the most in a major European league game since December 2013.
READ THE LATEST REAL MADRID NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND GOSSIP
