Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Jan 10 (IANS) Barcelona and Real Madrid will meet again in the Spanish Super Cup final in Jeddah on Sunday, the fourth straight time the rivals have contested the showpiece since the competition adopted a four-team format in 2020 and moved to Saudi Arabia.

The match is also a repeat of last season’s Copa del Rey final, which Barcelona won 3-2 after extra time in April. Real Madrid won the first meeting between the sides this season 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu in October.

Barcelona arrived in Saudi Arabia as La Liga top-scorer with a four-point lead over their main rival, while questions remain over the future of Xabi Alonso as Real Madrid coach, reports Xinhua.

Alonso’s side beat Atletico Madrid in the second semifinal, but Atletico was the better team, and only poor finishing and the goalkeeping of Thibaut Courtois kept Atletico at bay.

Barcelona are unlikely to be as wasteful if presented with similar chances, especially with Lamine Yamal fresh after playing only the closing minutes of his side’s comfortable win over Athletic Bilbao.

Real Madrid had to dig deep to beat Atletico, and both sides looked exhausted after the semifinal, which also left Alonso’s team with 24 hours less to recover than Barcelona.

Alonso also has injury concerns. Central defender Antonio Rudiger is likely to miss out with a knee problem, while Rodrygo, who scored the second goal on Thursday, is doubtful with a muscle issue.

That means either Dean Huijsen or Aurelien Tchouameni is likely to partner with Raul Asencio in central defence. There is also uncertainty over whether Kylian Mbappe will be available.

Real Madrid’s top scorer missed the semifinal with a knee injury but travelled to Jeddah after the game. In his pre-final press conference, Alonso refused to rule out Mbappe starting, but said the club would not take unnecessary risks with an important player.

Even if Mbappe does not play, his presence in Jeddah will raise expectations among Real Madrid fans and could create uncertainty for Barcelona. Last season, Barcelona beat Real Madrid 5-2 in the corresponding fixture, and Alonso will be determined to avoid a repeat.

–IANS

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