Apparently irrelevant friendlies are somewhat less irrelevant when Barcelona are playing Real Madrid. (Ed note: they’re still entirely irrelevant, though. We’re all going to die! How’s that for perspective?) Anyway, Barcelona are hosting Real Madrid in the Spanish Supercup after a 2-2 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg. Expect overreactions to anything that happens.
Expect Weakened Barcelona Defense - Managing Madrid
Also, according to Gabe Lezra of Managing Madrid, expect a weak Barcelona defence:
No matter the signings (over €70 million in total), Barcelona is still weak in defense: with all likelihood, they will start either Mascherano, Abidal, or Busquets at one of their CB spaces next to Piqué. In doing so, they will lose the speed, tenacity, and wherewithal that Puyol brings to their CB pairing--essentially, for Madrid fans, they will be vulnerable.
If Madrid can convert the opportunities that they failed to hammer home in the first match, then they will be well placed to take a positive result away from the Camp Nou. But if they fail to convert, they will pay: remember, Barça only need a tie by less than 2-2 to win the (irrelevant, but highly sought after) Supercopa de España.
In other words: Madrid will get chances and probably need to finish them in order to come away from the Camp Nou with a shiny piece of worthless metal. I am shocked by this news. When even Madrid fans are calling a match irrelevant, it really really reaaaaaally doesn’t matter.
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