Real Madrid vs Barcelona LIVE: El Clasico team news and line-ups ahead of Spanish Super Cup final

The fans should expect the unexpected when Real Madrid face Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final tonight, Real coach Carlo Ancelotti said after his team outclassed Mallorca in the semi-finals.

Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo scored second-half goals to help Real to a 3-0 win over Mallorca after Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 in the other last-four clash.

“El Clasico has been unpredictable lately,” Ancelotti told reporters on Thursday.

“There were games we won easily, like the 4-1 last year in the Super Cup. We also won 4-0 twice in Barcelona while they beat us 4-0 at the Bernabeu.

“It’s hard to think what kind of game the next one will be. It will be entertaining because there is quality on the pitch. And obviously we want to end up being better than Barcelona.”

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick praised Ronald Araujo’s resilience ahead of Sunday’s Spanish Super Cup final, highlighting the defender’s recovery from a long-term hamstring injury and dismissing rumours about his future at the club.

Barca, the most successful Super Cup side with 14 trophies, are preparing to meet Real Madrid in the second Clasico of the season in the final being played in Saudi Arabia.

Flick addressed the return of Uruguayan Araujo, who has recently recovered from a serious long-term injury and has been the subject of speculation that he wants to leave the club.

“Ronald is back stronger than ever. He’s an excellent option for us, very professional, and ready to play. I don’t pay attention to the rumours. I’m just happy to have him on my side.” Flick told reporters on Saturday.

“I have told the team: there is only outside noise, you have to be cohesive and strong. It’s a great season, we’ve done well in general.

“We have to be focused. We played well for the club and we can do better. It’s what we want.”

And here are Carlo Ancelotti’s men:

Here’s the Barcelona line-up:

Real Madrid‘s humiliating 4-0 home loss to Barcelona in October still haunts the club as the rivals prepare for their second Clasico of the season in the Spanish Super Cup final tonight.

LaL iga leaders Real recovered from that setback and are on a five-match winning streak ahead of defending the Super Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, but coach Carlo Ancelotti is cautious.

“We have to think about what happened in the first game because they beat us (in LaLiga),” Ancelotti told reporters on Saturday as he looked forward to Real‘s second cup final in a month, having won the Intercontinental Cup in December.

“We’ve made a pretty clear assessment, so we’ll have to repeat the good things we did and avoid the mistakes. A Clasico is always a Clasico, but a final puts a bit more pressure on you.”

Ancelotti has all the players who travelled available for the final including England midfielder Jude Bellingham, who experienced some muscle issues during the semi-final where he scored the first goal in a 3-0 win over Mallorca.

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick is “really happy” after the club were “granted a precautionary measure” for the registrations of Dani Olmo and Pau Victor.

Olmo joined Barca from RB Leipzig in August for a reported 60million euros (£51million), but the Catalan club could only register him for the initial stage of the season due to difficulties meeting LaLiga’s wage restrictions.

Victor has also been involved in the ongoing registration issues and Barcelona had a bid to register both players rejected by LaLiga and the Spanish football federation (RFEF) last Saturday.

The wives of two Mallorca players say they were harassed by local fans after a Spanish Super Cup game played in Saudi Arabia that ended in a victory for Real Madrid.

Cristina Palavra, wife of Mallorca midfielder Dani Rodríguez, told a Spanish television reporter that she and the spouse of goalkeeper Dominik Greif were targeted by a group of men upon leaving the King Adbullah Sports City stadium on Thursday.

Saudi Arabia’s record on women’s rights will be front and centre of scrutiny by many countries in the buildup to the 2034 World Cup that FIFA awarded the country last month.

Good evening. Yes, welcome along to the final of the Spanish Super Cup, and a meaningful-ish meeting of old rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid in Jeddah, with (admittedly minor) silverware on the line. Kick off is at 7pm GMT.