Barcelona vs Athletic: Flick's team goes for another Super Cup final

FC Barcelona faces Athletic Club this Wednesday, January 07, at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Arabia, (20:00 CEST) for the semifinal of the 2026 Spanish Super Cup. In the second official match of 2026, Hansi Flick's team aims for their fourth consecutive final in the tournament, of which Barça is the all-time record winner with 15 titles.

• 📺 Where and when to watch the match on TV: channels broadcasting Barcelona-Athletic LIVE WATCH

The Blaugrana team comes from defeating Alavés, Atlético, Betis, Eintracht, Osasuna, Guadalajara, Villarreal, and Espanyol in what is, for now, their best winning streak (8) of the season. Facing them will be an Athletic team that has only won 1 of their last 5 matches in all competitions and was already thrashed by Barça on November 22 (4-0)

Last season, Flick's team also defeated the Basque side in the Super Cup 'semis' (0-2) and, since the German coach arrived on the Barça bench, the Catalans have a perfect record against the 'lions' (4) with **a balance of 11 goals for and only 1 against**.

• 👉 Lineups: Possible starting XIs for FC Barcelona and Athletic Club: SEE

Barça goes for its fourth consecutive final in the Spanish Super Cup

Back in Arabia, Barça defends the crown won last year against Real Madrid (2-5) and goes in search of their fourth consecutive final. In the last four editions of the tournament, there has been a Clásico in the final, with two wins for the Blaugranas and one for the 'Merengues' (2023).

The *culés* arrive in great form, with only two players out due to injury (Gavi and Christensen) and four consecutive clean sheets, three of them achieved by Joan García. Furthermore, seven of Barça's eight consecutive victories were by a two-goal margin, with the exception of the win against Eintracht (2-1)

• *Champions League/Copa del Rey Match
• S: Stadium
• L: Local
• V: Visitor

Ernesto Valverde's team, on the other hand, has had many performance problems in 25/26. Offensively, **the Basques have barely scored 22 goals in 26 games**, 47 fewer than Barça in the same number of matches (69).The last time Athletic scored more than one goal in a match was on November 1st, in the defeat against Real Sociedad (3-2). The 'Lions' will also be without several important defensive players, accumulating up to five injury absences

Flick will make few changes for the semi-final against Athletic

Fermín López during Barça-Athletic (4-0)

For Barcelona, the Spanish Super Cup arrives at a moment of calm regarding the team's physical condition. Ronald Araujo has returned to training and traveled with the team to Jeddah, although the 'charrúa' has little chance of playing on Wednesday. 

Similarly, **Pedri González** and Dani Olmo are fully recovered from their muscular problems. The Canary Islander should return to the starting XI in the Super Cup 'semi', accompanying Eric García or Frenkie de Jong in midfield. **Fermín López** would also return to the starting lineup as an attacking midfielder.

In attack, the only doubt is the presence of **Ferran Torres or Robert Lewandowski** as the main forwards. **Raphinha** and Lamine Yamal will be the wingers, although the '10' raised alarms on Tuesday after missing the pre-match training session.

The Mataró player trained separately due to a stomach problem, but he will have no issues playing against Athletic. **The rest of the team is set in stone**, with Joan García in goal and a defense made up of Jules Koundé, Pau Cubarsí, Gerard Martín, and Alejandro Balde.

• ℹ️Call-up: The players called up by Hansi Flick for the Spanish Super Cup SEE

Athletic seeks to pull off a shock in Jeddah against a superior Barça

Although the history between Barcelona and Athletic in the Spanish Super Cup is even, the current form of the two teams gives clear superiority and favoritism to the Catalans. Not in vain, **the Basques have gone almost two years without defeating Barça** (4-2 in extra time in the Copa quarterfinals).

Since then, they have only managed a goalless draw and have suffered four consecutive defeats, all against Hansi Flick's team. In Spanish competitions, the German coach has won all the titles so far and hopes to successfully defend the Super Cup crown, the first of the four titles the Catalans are aiming for this 2026.

Thus, Barça arrives as the strong favorite to retain its hegemony in the Super Cup, although the Blaugrana face the semifinal against Athletic with maximum concentration. In the other bracket, there will be a Madrid derby, with the clash between Real and Atlético on Thursday the 8th (8:00 PM). The final is scheduled for Sunday the 12th at the same time in Jeddah.

• 📌 Follow the match live FC Barcelona vs Athletic Club on FC Barcelona Noticias and find out everything don't miss a thing