Barcelona vs. Real Madrid (1/15/23): How to watch Spanish Super ...

It is Championship Sunday in Saudi Arabia.

Spain’s most storied clubs and fiercest rivals will play one another Sunday in the Super Cup final in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Both needed penalty shootouts to edge their opponents in the semifinals; Real Madrid beat Valencia and Barcelona topped Real Betis.

Game time is 2 p.m. ABC and ESPN Deportes will start their coverage at 1:30 p.m. for a match that will be live-streamed on fubo TV (try 7 days for FREE) and DirecTV Stream.

Much attention will be centered around Madrid’s Karim Benzema, who was prevented from playing for France at the World Cup in Qatar due to injury.

“What happened at the World Cup is in the past,” he told reporters Saturday. “The most important thing is tomorrow’s game. I’m ready, and I feel good in my mind and body. I’m focused solely on tomorrow’s game.”

• LIVE STREAM THE SPANISH SUPER CUP ON fubo TV (FREE 7-day trial) and DirecTV Stream.

Benzema reached the peak of his long and successful career last season when he led Madrid to a Champions League-Spanish league double. But leg injuries have limited his availability since then.

The striker, who turned 35 in December, is aiming for title No. 24 with Madrid.

If Carlo Ancelotti’s side wins, it will be their second title of the season after winning the UEFA Super Cup against Eintracht Frankfurt. They could also equal Barcelona’s record 13 Spanish Super Cup trophies. It’s a matchup with enough hype to prompt Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored a Madrid club record 450 goals, to visit his old team Friday to show them his support following his move to Saudi Arabian soccer.

As far as an injury toll, Aurelien Tchouameni and David Alaba did not travel to Saudi Arabia due to calf issues while Alvaro Odriozola had muscle problems that prevented him from playing any part against Valencia. Absences could open up starting roles for right-back Dani Carvajal, left-back Ferland Mendy and midfielder Luka Modric.

There’s definitely more pressure on the other side, where coach Xavi Hernández’s Barcelona is attempting to win its first title since the 2021 Copa del Rey under former coach Ronald Koeman. That was Lionel Messi’s 35th and and final title with Barcelona before leaving for Paris Saint-Germain.

Xavi continues to face some skepticism as he tries to build his reputation as a coach. So far, the team has yet to perform to its level of talent after mortgaging its future last summer to bring in Robert Lewandowski and others.

While Barcelona enters healthy, you might see Xavi tinker with his lineup. Defensively, this team has struggled, and while Lewandowski and Ousmane Dembele give it a strong one-two punch, a third reliable scorer remains difficult to find.

The Super Cup used to be between the Spanish league champion and the Copa del Rey winner, but that changed several years ago. Now the runners-up in both competitions also participate in a Final Four tournament that was taken to Saudi Arabia in a lucrative deal for the Spanish federation. Madrid enters as the league champion and Barcelona as the league runner-up.

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