On Sunday, January 15, at the King Fahd International Stadium in Saudi Arabia, Real Madrid and Barcelona will face off in the Spanish Super Cup final.
Los Blancos have performed admirably, and their 4-3 victory over Valencia in a penalty shootout in the semis on January 11 gives them confidence heading into the final.
This season, Barcelona has unquestionably been one of the most remarkable teams in Europe. Their 4-2 penalty shootout victory over Real Betis in the semis gives them a good boost of confidence heading into this highly regarded final.
In light of this, the three most important individual conflicts that could influence this encounter’s outcome will be examined in this article.
Let’s look at them now without further ado.
#3 Ousmane Dembele versus Ferland Mendy
The Frenchman has been innovative in the attack, and his contributions have been crucial for Xavi Hernandez over the past few months.
In the current 2022-23 campaign, Dembele has made 23 appearances and contributed 14 goals. Similarly, he has had the most assists for Barcelona this season (7).
Mendy will need to be defensively alert if he wants to keep Dembele out of his sights on the flank because of his impressive ability to outrun his opponent.
Mendy, on the other hand, is incredibly quick and has remarkable defensive intuition. In this encounter, it will be interesting to see if he can silence Dembele.
#2 Karim Benzema versus Ronald Araujo
The Frenchman is arguably the best La Liga striker, and despite suffering injuries in recent months, his contribution to the attack has been significant.
Benzema has made 14 appearances and contributed 10 goals. Benzema’s ability to properly collaborate with his team’s other attackers is one of his distinctive qualities. It is difficult to keep track of his movements in the penalty box because he is also very effective in the air.
When Araujo takes on Benzema, he is going to have a tough time. However, Araujo’s ability to win the ball and his defensive positioning is tremendous. In this highly anticipated matchup, it will be interesting to see if he can prevent Benzema from scoring from behind the net.
#1 Robert Lewandowski vs. Antonio Rudiger
The Polish international is arguably one of the best strikers who have played so far in the 2022-23 season, and his attacking intuition is outstanding.
In his 20 appearances, Lewandowski has contributed 22 goals. Similarly, the 34-year-old is Barcelona’s top scorer and top scorer in La Liga.
Because it is difficult to win the ball from Lewandowski in the opposition’s box, his ability to put the ball in the back of the net is unparalleled.
Rudiger will have a difficult time keeping track of his movements during the attack. Rudiger, on the other hand, is tough and sensible in defense. The Real Madrid defender’s ability to control Lewandowski in this game will be fascinating to watch.