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Real Madrid and Barcelona meet in Riyadh on Sunday for the Spanish Super Cup final with Xavi's men chasing their 14th title and Los Blancos looking to equal Barca's 13. The Blaugrana edged Real Betis on penalties while the European champions beat Valencia CF to advance also via spot kicks. Carlo Ancelotti's men are defending titleholders while Barca last won it in 2018 and although this is usually nowhere near being considered a priority, the fact that it is a Clasico encounter immediately gives it greater importance on both sides.

"I see Real as very, very strong," said Xavi pre-game. "Psychologically, they are at an advantage as they have played in more finals so have more experience. We have to show our ambition and that we are hungry to finally win a title. That is what we are here to do and we are 90 or 120 minutes away from potentially doing so."

"I liked the pitch," said Ancelotti of Xavi's criticism of the surface. "It is a subject which has created controversy over the years and I do not want to say what I originally wanted to say. The pitch might be a little hard, but you can still play good soccer on it."

Here's our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:

How to watch and odds

  • Date: Sunday, Jan. 15 | Time: 2 p.m. ET
  • Location: King Fahd International Stadium -- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • TV: ABC | Live stream: fuboTV (try for free)
  • Odds: Real +163; Draw: +260; Barca +150 (via Caesars Sportsbook)

Team news

Real: Aurelien Tchouameni and David Alaba did not travel to Saudi Arabia due to calf issues while Alvaro Odriozola had muscle problems which prevented him from playing any part against Valencia. Lucas Vazquez, Eduardo Camavinga and Eder Militao all took knocks and were substituted with only the Frenchman likely to be able to feature here. Dani Carvajal and Ferland Mendy could start with Luka Modric also coming in from the off.

"I saw Cristiano Ronaldo and he is happy and motivated," said Ancelotti of the Portuguese superstar's visit to Real's training session ahead of the game. "He likes the place and the country. I think that he is doing fine and has made the right decision to come here."

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Barca: Xavi has no major availability issues to consider, but should still make some changes from the team which overcame Betis. Andreas Christensen and Alejandro Balde could come in while Sergio Busquets and Ansu Fati might get starts with Raphinha and Gavi the most likely players to make way. Ferran Torres, Marcos Alonso and Franck Kessie could also feature at some point.

Prediction

This one could go all the way to penalties considering how the two semifinals played out but I can see Real just edging this one by a goal. Pick: Real 2, Barca 1.