The journey towards the first piece of silverware of the season in Spanish soccer begins on Wednesday night in Saudi Arabia, as Barcelona face Athletic Club in the Super Cup semifinal aiming to defend their crown.
Few teams on the planet are playing much better than Barcelona at the moment. Hansi Flick’s side defeated a gritty Espanyol in the first Catalan derby of the season last time out, clinching their 10th straight victory against domestic rivals.
Contrastingly, Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic Club can’t seem to find their groove after an impressive 2024–25 season that saw them qualify for the Champions League. The Basque team are eighth and 25 points back of Barcelona in La Liga, but they hope that a strong showing in Saudi Arabia can kickstart their season at the halfway point.
Although Athletic have difference-making talent, Barcelona are unquestionably the overwhelming favorite to advance to Sunday’s final. The Catalans dominated Spanish soccer during Flick’s second season, and the expectation is to sustain that level of success for the second year in a row.
Here is Sports Illustrated’s guide to Barcelona vs. Athletic Club in the Spanish Super Cup semifinal.
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Barcelona vs. Athletic Club Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
Current Form (All Competitions)
|
Barcelona |
Athletic Club |
|---|---|
|
Espanyol 0–2 Barcelona – 03/01/26 |
Osasuna 1–1 Athletic Club – 03/01/26 |
|
Villarreal 0–2 Barcelona – 21/12/25 |
Athletic Club 1–2 Espanyol – 22/12/25 |
|
Guadalajara 0–2 Barcelona – 16/12/25 |
Ourense 0–1 Athletic Club – 18/12/25 |
|
Barcelona 2–0 Osasuna – 13/12/25 |
Celta Vigo 2–0 Athletic Club – 14/|12/25 |
|
Barcelona 2–1 Eintracht Frankfurt – 09/12/25 |
Athletic Club 0–0 PSG – 10/12/25 |
|
Country |
TV/Live Stream |
|---|---|
|
United States |
ESPN 2, ESPN App, ESPN Deportes, fuboTV |
|
United Kingdom |
TNT Sports 1, discovery+, discovery+ App |
|
Canada |
Not Televised |
|
Mexico |
Sky Sports, Sky+ |
Barcelona arrive in Saudi Arabia with Flick’s squad as healthy as they’ve been all season, with Gavi and Andreas Christensen currently the only players in Barcelona’s formerly congested treatment room.
Flick’s preferred back four that he’s predominantly used over the past two months will remain unchanged, as the Catalans have collected four consecutive clean sheets after a dreadful defensive start of the term.
In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if only a handful of tweaks are made to the XI that took the pitch in the Catalan derby at the weekend. Pedri could make his first start since Dec. 13, featuring alongside Eric García in the double pivot and relegating Frenkie de Jong to the bench.
Up top, Fermín López looks poised to replace Marcus Rashford, allowing Raphinha to slide to the left wing. Robert Lewandowski has tormented Athletic Club in recent matchups and after scoring against Espanyol, he could earn his first start following four straight games on the bench.
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Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Athletic Club (4-2-3-1): García; Koundé, Cubarsí, Martín, Balde; García, Pedri; Yamal, Fermín, Raphinha; Lewandowski.
Unlike Barcelona, Athletic Club must deal with a number of absentees. Beñat Prados, Maroan Sannadi and Unai Egiluz already missed the clash against Barça in November, but the unavailability of now injured Aymeric Laporte and Yuri Berchiche plus the suspended Yeray Álvarez further compromises the side.
Nevertheless, Iñaki Williams is poised to feature for Athletic Club after missing the most recent meeting against Barcelona, starting on the right wing with younger brother Nico aiming to wreck havoc down the other flank against the team that desperately wanted to sign him in years gone by.
Dani Vivian had a night to forget against Barcelona not two months ago and will be eager to redeem himself commanding the backline. The same can be said about attacking midfielder Oihan Sancet, who was sent off at the Camp Nou for a nasty challenge, condemning Athletic to play undermanned for the last 30-plus minutes.
With plenty of calls recently for Joan García to become Spain’s goalkeeper ahead of the 2026 World Cup, Unai Simón will be motivated to showcase why he remains Luis de la Fuente’s top choice between the sticks for La Roja.
Athletic Club predicted lineup vs. Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Simón; Areso, Vivian, Paredes, Boiro; De Galarreta, Jauregizar; Williams, Sancet, Williams; Guruzeta.
The noticeable gap in overall quality between the both sides plus the recent form showcased suggests Barcelona should be able to navigate their way to the final.
Athletic have weapons that could harm Barcelona’s backline, but with even with a makeshift midfield, Flick’s men were able to dominate against Valverde’s side back in November, dictating proceedings from the starting whistle onwards.
Barcelona’s clinical nature under Flick is common knowledge at this point, and with a handful of alternatives also on the bench, it’s almost impossible to envision Athletic’s undermanned defensive unit being able to contain the onslaught.
The Blaugrana will dispatch Athletic Club in the semifinal for the second year in a row to get within 90 minutes of their first piece of silverware of the season.
