Supercopa de Espana semifinal preview

We’re into the final stages of the Supercopa de Espana, with four teams set to go head-to-head in January for a chance to compete in the showpiece event.

Barcelona are hoping to successfully defend the crown for the first time since they won the competition three times in a row between 2010 and 2013.

The Blaugranas will take on Athletic Club on January 7 in a rematch of matchday 13, while Real Madrid visit Wanda Metropolitano to take on capital rivals Atletico Madrid on January 8.

Perennial challengers Barcelona and Madrid are the betting favourites to go head-to-head in the final, having done so in the last three consecutive years. For those looking to bet on the event but are going to be travelling during the holidays, you can download betway app to track the odds and place your bets online, on the move.

Atletico and Athletic Club were the last two teams to buck the trend over the last six years, but setting up a final without La Liga’s top two clubs will be a huge task that hasn’t been achieved in over two decades.

Barcelona vs Athletic Club

These two sides have already given fans a preview of what to expect when they renew hostilities in January, and the odds are heavily stacked in favour of the reigning La Liga champions.

Barca were convincing winners when these two sides locked horns over the weekend, with Hansi Flick’s side commemorating the reopening of the iconic Spotify Camp Nou with a comprehensive 4-0 victory.

It only took the reigning champions four minutes to open the scoring through Robert Lewandowski.

Ferran Torres helped seal the thumping victory with a stunning brace on either side of a well-taken finish from the in-form Fermin Lopez.

Athletic are a far cry from the team that qualified for the Champions League last season and will once again struggle to keep Barca’s free-flowing attack at bay.

There’s plenty of time for Ernesto Valverde to come up with a formula that helps Athletic pull off a massive upset against his former employers in the Supercopa de Espana.

However, Barca’s dominant record against Athletic suggests their rematch in the Spanish League Cup could be another routine outing for the Blaugranas.

Barca are unbeaten in their last five meetings with Athletic in all competitions (W4, D1). They’ve won four in a row and kept a clean sheet in each of the last three.

Athletic’s last victory against Barca came in the Copa del Rey, and they’ve come out on top in two of their previous four battles with the Blaugranas in the Supercopa de Espana (D1, L1).

That record will give them hopes of edging Barca in a one-off contest, but the Blaugranas ran out 2-0 winners in their last meeting in this competition.

Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid

Atletico will be looking to win three games in a row against Madrid in the eagerly anticipated Supercopa de Espana semi-final derby at the Metropolitano Stadium.

Diego Simeone’s side have shaken off a rocky start to the season and are now just four points off table toppers Madrid, who have dropped off form in recent weeks.

Loc Colchoneros have already left a telling mark on their fierce rivals this season, clinching a remarkable 5-2 victory when both sides locked horns on matchday seven.

Having seen goals from Kylian Mbappe and Arda Guler overturn an early opener from Robin Le Normand, Atletico managed to get themselves level on the stroke of half-time through Alexander Sorloth.

They then turned up the heat in the second half as a brace from Julian Alvarez and a stoppage-time goal from Antoine Griezmann wrapped up a convincing win for Simone’s side.

Having picked up a 1-0 win in their Champions League last 16 second leg, the Supercopa de Espana will give Atletico a rare chance to get three consecutive wins against Madrid for the first time ever.

Meanwhile, there seems to be an upheaval at Madrid with bombshell news about a potential revolt against Xabi Alonso coming after back-to-back La Liga draws.

That drop off has allowed Barca to close the gap to one point, and unless their situation improves in the coming weeks, Atletico could make history on January 8 in more ways than one.