he first Spanish Super Cup semifinal clash between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid provided us with splendid offensive football, eight goals and the deserved triumph of Carlo Ancelotti’s side. Now, it’s time for another one, with Barcelona and Osasuna in the starring roles.Everyone in Saudi Arabia, where this competition is taking place, and worldwide expect to see El Clasico in the final.Two Madrid giants share eight goals in Saudi Arabia – and Los Blancos are more than happy with the outcomeHowever, Barcelona are struggling with form for quite some time, and their last encounter against Osasuna in La Liga saw a hard-fought 2-1 late win. And it was just one of many of Blaugrana’s traumatic victories after digging dip to grab all three points, as Xavi’s slot has been unable to find smooth ways of imposing domination. They’ve chained 19 consecutive wins by the minimum and have lost their defensive strength on the way.##NAJAVA_MECA_7788984##A year ago, Xavi’s men led La Liga with a five-point lead over Madrid but fell out of the Champions League in the group stage. Then they arrived in Riyadh to win the first title of the ‘Xavi era’, and they achieved it, suffering in the semifinals against Betis but beating Real Madrid in the showdown (3-1). Xavi reveals the reason for Barca’s poor formThe Barca boss wanted to avoid giving clues about the team he would field against Osasuna. The considerable doubt is Pedri, who trained again yesterday with his teammates but is expected to be on the bench and come on if there’s a need for him in the later stages of the tie.SPANISH SUPER CUP – SEMIFINALSWednesday Real Madrid – Atl.Madrid 5-3 (2-2) AET/Rudiger 20, Mendy 29, Carvajal 85, Savic 116 og, Diaz 120+2 – Hermoso 7, Griezmann 37, Rudiger 78/Thursday 22.00: (1.40) Barcelona (5.30) Osasuna (8.00)***odds are subject to change***
