At 3 a.m. Beijing time on Friday, the semifinals of the Spanish Super Cup, Barcelona vs Osasuna. Barcelona, as the defending champion, fired the first shot on the road to defending the title. If Osasuna are eliminated, Barcelona will reach the final and compete with Real Madrid for the title.
The defending champions debuted, and Barcelona headed for the final
One year ago, in the Spanish Super Cup, Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3-1 in the final and won the Spanish Super Cup for the 14th time. Winning the Spanish Super Cup is also Xavi's first title in charge of Barcelona. One year later, Barcelona are looking to lift the trophy again.
For Barcelona, which is in financial difficulty, participating in the Spanish Super Cup can make a lot of money. Saudi Arabia gave the Spanish Football Federation 40 million euros, and the Football Association gave half of it as the team's participation bonus. Real Madrid and Barcelona have an appearance fee of 6 million euros, Atletico Madrid 3 million, and Osasuna 1 million. If you win the championship, you can get a prize of 2 million, and the runner-up will have 1 million.
For Barcelona, as long as Osasuna is eliminated, the guaranteed bonus is 6 million. Reaching the final of the Spanish Super Cup will be followed by a national derby on January 14, with Barcelona and Real Madrid battling it out at the KSU Stadium – a script that the Saudis would like to see.
With an overwhelming advantage, Barcelona has only lost 1 game against Osasuna in the past 12 years
Osasuna were runners-up in last season's Copa del Rey and qualified for the Spanish Super Cup for the first time in their history. According to Barcelona's official statistics, since 2012, Barcelona has only lost 1 game against Osasuna: in La Liga in July 2020, Barcelona lost 1-2 at home to Osasuna. In addition to this upset, Barcelona have beaten their opponents many times, such as an 8-0 score in 2011, a 7-0 victory in 2014 and a 7-1 victory in 2017.
Xavi shouted the slogan of winning the championship: hope is the turning point
Barcelona's squad for Riyadh includes three injured players: Cancelo, Inigo Martinez and Pedri. Whether they will be able to play or not is subject to the approval of the team doctor at the last minute. For the Spanish Super Cup, Barcelona coach Xavi is determined to win: "We have a lot of respect for Osasuna, but winning the Spanish Super Cup could be a turning point in the season, like last year's victory. We are very much looking forward to winning the championship. ”
Barcelona expected starters (433): Peña/Kounde, Christensen, Araujo, Balde/Roberto, Gundogan, De Jong/Raphinha, Lewandowski, Ferran Torres