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Barcelona embark on a new adventure tonight when they face Athletic Club in the semi-final of the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.
In the competition, revised as a four-team knockout tournament, Barcelona, Athletic Club, Real Madrid and Mallorca are fighting for titles this season and the Catalans were seen as one of the favourites.
However, their recent drop in form leaves their chances unclear as they must fight for two wins in as many games to secure the crown.
Hansi Flick’s team is coming off a victory over Barbastro in the Copa del Rey, but with most of the veteran players resting that night, tonight’s match will be the first full match for the team. blaugrana leaders. After all, the stakes are high.
On that note, Barça Universal Brings you three talking points before Barcelona vs Athletic Club.
A special competition
The Spanish Super Cup is, in fact, a glorified tournament considering that it offers teams the opportunity to win a trophy in just two matches. The new format has turned it into something of a marketing gimmick, but its prestige remains intact.
Traditionally designed to crown last season’s king of Spanish football, Barcelona would not have been at the event if it had still been held in the old format. Now, however, they are as close to a trophy as they have been this season.
The Catalans hit rock bottom at the end of last year and have been looking for something to hold onto ever since. The victory in the Copa del Rey helped, but not as much as the Spanish Super Cup.
For a team that just a few months ago looked like the best team in Europe, Barcelona now need all the momentum and confidence they can get and winning the event in Saudi Arabia will be a huge help on that front.
Getting past Athletic Club and possibly Real Madrid first on the way to that victory would make it even more special.
The event is therefore more than a two-match race to success for Flick and company, who have proven their quality on multiple important occasions this season.
Will Lamine Yamal start?
Barcelona’s fortunes with and without Lamine Yamal on the field are markedly different and it is quite clear why the youngster is so integral to the Catalan set-up.
Yamal’s pace and guile on the flank, his ability to outrun defenders with ease and select passes that few can imagine make him a major X-factor in the Blaugrana camp, and his presence was sorely missed at the end of last month. .
Barcelona fared well against Atlético Madrid for most of the match, but one would imagine they would have sealed the result much sooner had the teenage star been on the pitch.
Speaking to the media before the Super Cup semi-final, the coach confirmed that Yamal is ready to participate that night. The question, however, is to what extent he will be involved.
If the teenage phenom is able to emerge from the start, Barcelona will have a huge added advantage against Athletic Club, especially given his ability to lead the counterattack. At the same time, however, it is imperative that you take no more than 100% risk.
The registration enigma
Although not much is said publicly, it is clear that the non-registration of Pau Víctor and Dani Olmo has had a significant impact on the atmosphere in the locker room.
Internal tensions at the club are rising and with frustration growing over whether the duo will be able to feature again this season, the bubble burst last night when Raphinha gave his public verdict and expressed his disappointment.
Olmo and Víctor have traveled with the team for the Spanish Super Cup but their participation is still in doubt, even for a possible final.
It remains to be seen if the final verdict on their registration will be known during the next tournament and if they will be available to play in any capacity. However, it is clear that the focus is as much on the controversy as on the tournament itself.
