The second semifinal of the Spanish Super Cup will feature the teams of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. The two giants will be looking to book a place in the final on Sunday where the winner will face Real Madrid for the trophy.
This betting preview will focus on both sides and their chances, as well as the odds of the leading bookmakers on the market.
It must be mentioned that the match will be played in Saudi Arabia, so none of the sides will have the home advantage. And yet, the expectations are that Barcelona will have significantly more supporters in the stadium.
The reigning champion Barcelona is once again leading the Spanish La Liga and looks like the favorite for the trophy. And yet, the team has been far from its best so far this term. The defense is a huge concern and we saw that on display in the city derby against Espanyol in the weekend.
Barcelona shipped two goals against a club that is last in La Liga. On the bright side, Leo Messi has been excellent and the attack is working well.
Furthermore, Barcelona hasn’t lost against Atletico Madrid in the past several seasons. The last defeat came way back in 2016 in the Champions League.
It’s interesting to see how Ernesto Valverde replaces the suspended Frenkie de Jong in the middle of the park. I believe we will see Arturo Vidal in the starting lineup, as the Chilean’s battling style should be useful against Atletico Madrid.
As always under Diego Simeone, Atletico Madrid has been relying heavily on a strong defense this season. The team has conceded the least goals in La Liga and loves knockout formats like this one.
I expect to see a tight formation that’s designed to deny Barcelona any space and potentially, hit hard on the counter.
The bad news is that Diego Costa is out of this game after undergoing a hernia surgery in November, while Lemar and Koke are doubtful. That would hurt Atletico’s chances to find the net.
As you would expect, Barcelona is the favorite according to the bookmakers and you can get a price of 10/11 for Messi and co to win here. The odds for under 2.5 goals are the same and that looks like the better choice.
Atletico Madrid will try to keep it tight for most of the match and Barcelona will struggle to find any space. There shouldn’t be many chances in this one, so the under looks like the best pick.
Final pick: Under 2.5 Goals
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