This week, last season’s top four La Liga teams head to Saudi Arabia for the Spanish Super Cup Semifinals and Final. Real Madrid and Barcelona have met in the Final for three straight seasons. This time around, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Club will be looking to change that.
On Wednesday, at 2:00 pm EST, defending champions Barcelona take on Athletic Club in Jeddah. Then, it’s a Madrid Derby at King Abdullah Sports City at the same time on Thursday. Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid will renew their rivalry in the Middle East.
Ahead of the Spanish Super Cup Semifinals, we’ll preview the matches and share our best bets. Plus, we’ll take a closer look at the outright odds and pick our champion, as the two Semifinal winners will meet on Sunday.
Spanish Super Cup Semifinals: Barcelona vs Athletic Club – Wednesday, 1/8, 2:00 pm EST
Barcelona (-196) enter the 2026 edition of the Spanish Super Cup as the most successful team in the history of the competition. Barça defeated Athletic Club 2-0 in last season’s Semifinal. Then, they picked up a thrilling 5-2 victory over Real Madrid in the Final.
Entering this match, Barcelona are in great form, with eight consecutive wins in all competitions. Each of their previous four victories has come by a 2-0 scoreline, with Joan Garcia impressing in goal. Meanwhile, Athletic Club (+475) have been frustratingly inconsistent as of late.
The Bilbao side have won only one of their previous five games, while averaging just 0.6 goals per game. While Barcelona transfer target Nico Williams is undoubtedly a dangerous player, Athletic Bilbao don’t have a consistent goal threat. No Athletic Club player has scored more than five goals this season.
On the other hand, Barcelona’s Ferran Torres, Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, and Raphinha have all scored at least seven times this season in La Liga alone. Barcelona have scored at least two goals in each of the eight games on their winning streak.
During this stretch, Barcelona have been getting goal contributions from unlikely sources, such as Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen, as well as the usual suspects. Barcelona simply have way more attacking quality than Athletic Club, and I expect that will show today.
Athletic Club have struggled heavily against Barcelona recently. They are on a four-game losing streak against the Catalan club. Barcelona defeated Bilbao 4-0 back in November, and the last three games of this fixture have been decided by a two-goal margin or more.
Expect more of the same today and bet on Barcelona -1.5 at +115 odds.
Best Bet: Barcelona -1.5 (+115)
Spanish Super Cup Semifinals Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid – Thursday, 1/9, 2:00 pm EST
Real Madrid (+137) will be without Kylian Mbappe for Thursday’s Semifinal match against rivals Atletico Madrid (+175). Regardless, El Derbi Madrileño tends to be a very high-scoring fixture. Both teams have scored in 11 of the last 12 meetings.
When these teams last met in September, Atletico Madrid scored five goals on Los Blancos. Julian Alvarez scored a brace in Los Colchoneros’ 5-2 victory. He also has four goals in five appearances in this fixture.
Heading into this one, both teams have been in solid enough form. Atletico Madrid drew 1-1 against Real Sociedad in their most recent La Liga match. Before that, Diego Simeone’s men put together a four-game winning streak.
Without Mbappe (knee), Real Madrid managed a dominant 5-1 victory over Real Betis on Sunday. Gonzalo Garcia became the youngest player to score a perfect La Liga hat-trick in the 21st century. It’d be surprising if the 21-year-old doesn’t start for Real Madrid here.
Real Madrid are on a four-game winning streak, but have conceded in three of those games. Notably, the last time these teams met in the Spanish Super Cup Semifinals, eight goals were scored. Real Madrid picked up a 5-3 extra-time victory in that match.
Still, Atletico have won the last two meetings overall, and have only lost one of the last six. This is going to be a hard-fought match, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there are quite a few goals. Over 3.5 goals (+160) is one option.
However, the best bet on the odds board is a draw (+260). Five of the last eight 90-minute matches between these teams have finished tied. If the score is tied after regulation, the match will go directly into penalties.
Best Bet: Draw (+260)
Outright Odds/Prediction
Unsurprisingly, Barcelona (+115) are the favorites to win this competition. For one, they’re in the best form of any of the four teams in the competition. They also have a favorable Semifinal matchup.
While Barcelona should emerge from their match against Athletic Club (+850), it’s anyone’s guess what happens in the Madrid Derby. Real Madrid (+220) are undeniably weaker without Kylian Mbappe. Plus, they have already lost to Atletico Madrid (+375) this season.
There may be some value in betting on Atletico Madrid to win. However, their last Spanish Super Cup trophy was in 2014. They also tend to struggle quite a bit against Barcelona. Barça have won eight of the last 10 meetings, with one draw and a solitary loss.
Honestly, I’d take Barcelona all the way up to -125 here. Bet on Hansi Flick’s men, who seem to be taking it seriously, to win the Supercopa de España for a third time in four seasons.
Best Bet: Barcelona to Win Supercopa de España (+115)
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