Real Madrid will lock horns with Athletic Bilbao in the final of the Supercopa de Espana at the King Fahd International Stadium in Saudi Arabia on Sunday evening.
Los Blancos registered a 3-2 win over arch-rivals Barcelona after extra-time in the semi-finals to advance to the finals, while the holders Athletic Bilbao tasted 2-1 success over Atletico Madrid.
Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid have already beaten Athletic Bilbao twice this campaign, winning both their La Liga clashes in December which will slightly give them the edge heading into the Spanish Super Cup finals.
Real Madrid Team News
Gareth Bale and Mariano Diaz didn’t travel with the Real Madrid squad to Saudi Arabia through injury, and David Alaba is unlikely to play against Athletic Bilbao after missing the El Clasico on Wednesday evening with a hamstring problem.
👊 SPANISH SUPER CUP FINAL DAY! 👊
🕰️ 19:30 CET#Supercopa pic.twitter.com/fkj52eOwKe— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) January 16, 2022
Meanwhile, Carlo Ancelotti has suffered a big blow ahead of the finals after Dani Carvajal tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday.
Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs Athletic Bilbao (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper
Thibaut Courtois is a sure-shot starter in goal. The Belgian shot-stopper often comes up with big saves in big games and Real Madrid can rely on his experience on Sunday.
Defence
With David Alaba unlikely to recover from a hamstring issue in time, Nacho Fernandes is set to keep his place in the Real Madrid lineup.
The Spaniard is good enough to start in such a big game alongside Eder Militao, but the defensive duo cannot afford lapses in concentration against a pacey Athletic Bilbao side.
Predicted Real Madrid Lineup vs Athletic Bilbao
Dani Carvajal will be a massive miss for Ancelotti’s side. In the Spaniard’s absence, Lucas Vazquez will deputise as the right-back in the Real Madrid lineup.
Ferland Mendy will start on the other side of the backline and the Frenchman will look to get forward and join in Real’s attacks as much as possible against Bilbao.
Midfield
The stability and balance Casemiro provides to the Real Madrid side is massive. His selection at the base of the midfield trio is a no-brainer, with Toni Kroos and Luka Modric aiming to control the game with their passing and game-reading skills.
The midfield trio of Kroos, Casemiro and Modric are seasoned campaigners and winners, so Ancelotti is highly unlikely to look beyond them in the Supercopa de Espana final.
This means Federico Valverde has to settle for a place on the bench again, even if he scored the winner against Barcelona in added time on Wednesday.
Attack
Marco Asensio failed to produce a strong performance in the semi-finals against Barcelona, and with his form dipping in recent matches, Ancelotti could drop him from the Real Madrid lineup for Rodrygo.
Vinicius Jr. had himself a day against Barcelona 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/qY7HB0UBk3
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 13, 2022
The young Brazilian has stepped up and delivered in big games this season, meaning Ancelotti will not have any hesitations to start him on the right-wing.
Vinicius Jr. was untouchable against Xavi’s Barcelona, demonstrating why he has been one of the best players in all of Europe at the moment. The speedy Brazilian will be eager to deliver a match-winning performance in the finals.
Up front, Ancelotti just cannot look beyond Karim Benzema, who has 17 goals in 20 La Liga games this season.
