How many times has Barcelona won the Spanish Super Cup?

We will have a Clásico in the final of the Spanish Super Cup 2023 after all, with conspiracy theorists popping up here and there on social media to claim that the RFEF have got their way in the end…! With Real Madrid and Barcelona both progressing to the Sunday’s showpiece via penalty shootouts, however, it could quite easily have been Valencia and Real Betis squaring up at King Fahd Stadium on Sunday.

Separated by just three points at the top of LaLiga, Los Blancos and La Blaugrana will fight it out directly for yet another trophy, although the last time they met in any kind of final came all the way back in the 2013-14 season, when Gareth Bale scored the winning goal – that goal – in the Copa del Rey final in April 2014.

The final on Sunday 15 January kicks off at 10pm local time in Saudi Arabia, that’s 2pm ET and 11am PT. We will bring you live coverage of the game right here on AS USA.

You may have noticed a recent piece on how many ‘major’ trophies the two clubs have won – I won’t spoil it for you but it’s a close-run thing – which doesn’t actually include the Spanish Super Cup. Whether it should or not might be up for debate but one thing that isn’t is that both will be desperate to get (another) one over on their bitterest rivals in Riyadh, regardless of the fact that it’s not a Champions League final or a LaLiga decider.

How did Barcelona reach the Spanish Super Cup 2023 final?

As mentioned, both semi-finals really could have gone either way. Barça twice led against Real Betis on Thursday but were twice pegged back, once inside 90 minutes and once in extra-time. Although Barça edged it in terms of chances, they had to go to penalties to see off Los Verdiblancos, with goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen the hero in the shootout, saving twice from Juanmi and William Carvalho, which allowed Pedri to seal his team’s spot in the final.

How did Real Madrid reach the Spanish Super Cup 2023 final?

The opening 20 minutes of the semi-final suggested Real Madrid would have few issues in dispatching Valencia, even though they had failed to score in that time. However, a spirited display from Rino Gattuso’s side saw them equalise seconds after half-time following Karim Benzema’s penalty five minutes before the break. But Real Madrid simply did Real Madrid tend to do: win even though they’ve done relatively little to impress. A perfect record in the penalty shootout, coupled with Thibaut Courtois’ save from José Gayà, booked their place in the final.

Barcelona team news for the Spanish Super Cup 2023 final

Xavi is thought to be considering a move to a 4-4-2 system with four central midfielders rather than his ‘usual’ 4-3-3 formation. Frenkie de Jong and Ousmane Dembélé are expected to be fit despite being forced off in the second half against Betis.

Real Madrid team news for the Spanish Super Cup 2023 final

Carlo Ancelotti will be forced into making a change at right-back as Lucas Vázquez is set for over a month out with an injury suffered against Valencia. Young Real Madrid Castilla starlet Vinícius Tobias could be his replacement. Eduardo Camavinga also picked up a knock in the semi-final although Luka Modric should come back into the team anyway, even if the Frenchman is fit. Neither David Alaba nor Aurélien Tchouaméni were included in the squad for the tournament because of fitness issues.

How many times have Barcelona won the Spanish Super Cup?

No team has won the Spanish Super Cup on more occasions than Barcelona, who have lifted the trophy 13 times since its creation in 1982. The bad news is that Real Madrid, currently on 12 wins, will draw level with the Catalans if they emerge victorious in Riyadh on Sunday. The other bad news is that Barça have yet to win the competition since the move to the ‘final four’ format in 2019; Real Madrid have won it twice in that time, including last year.

Barcelona last lifted the Spanish Super Cup in 2018, when, as league and cup winners, they defeated Copa del Rey runner-sup Sevilla in a one-off game in Tangier in Morocco. Previous finals had always been over two legs; Bareclona and Real Madrid met in those on seven occasions, with Los Blancos boasting a 6-1 record in those ties.

Barcelona’s 13 Spanish Super Cup victories: 1983, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018.