FC Barcelona began 2026 with a valuable victory against Espanyol (0-2) in Cornellà, but the squad already has its sights set on the Spanish Super Cup. Hansi Flick gave his players a rest on Sunday after a full week of training at the Ciutat Esportiva and the Catalan derby of matchday 18 in LaLiga.
After the Christmas break, the team held an open training session on Monday, in addition to sessions at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper for the rest of the week, including New Year's Day. The only absentees during the week were the injured players Andreas Christensen and Pablo Gavi, while Ronald Araujo trained normally, although he was not included in the squad for the visit to Espanyol
Barça to land in Arabia on Monday afternoon
The 'charrúa', in principle, would be included in the squad for the Super Cup. The squad will return to training on Monday morning, with a recovery session starting at 09:30 am at the Ciutat Esportiva. Three hours later, **at 12:30 pm, the Barça delegation is scheduled to travel to Arabia**, landing in Jeddah around 6:00 pm CEST.
The players will conduct a pitch inspection and training session at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, the venue for the first semifinal against Athletic, on Tuesday at 4:00 PM, just over a day before the match against the Basques (Wednesday the 7th at 8:00 PM CEST).
Around 3:15 PM on Tuesday, the pre-match press conference is scheduled, where Hansi Flick and a Barça player (to be determined) will address the media. The second Super Cup semi-final will be played on Thursday, January 08 at 8:00 PM, featuring the Madrid derby between Real and Atlético.
Barcelona's Itinerary for the Spanish Super Cup
-
Training at the Ciutat Esportiva: Monday 05 at 09:30 h.
-
Return trip to Saudi Arabia: Monday 05 at 12:30 h.
-
Landing in Jeddah: Monday 05 at 18:30 h.
-
Pre-match press conference for Barça-Athletic: Tuesday 06 at 15:15 h.
-
First training session at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium: Tuesday 06 at 16:00 h.
-
First semifinal of the Spanish Super Cup, Barcelona vs Athletic: Wednesday 07 at 20:00 h at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium (Movistar+).
Barça arrives on a winning streak for the season's first title
Facing the Super Cup, Barça arrives at a great moment in the season to defend the crown obtained in the previous edition. Flick's team has **9 consecutive victories in LaLiga and 7 straight wins in all competitions**, 6 of them with a 2-goal advantage.
The only defeat for the Blaugrana in the last 13 matches was against Chelsea (3-0) and the Blaugrana team has now scored in 48 consecutive matches, at least 1 goal in domestic competitions (League, Cup, and Super Cup).
For their part, Athletic is coming off a draw in Pamplona on Saturday **against Osasuna (1-1) and has only won 1 of their last 5 matches** (0-1 against Ourense in the Copa). Ernesto Valverde's team is having a rather lackluster season, with only 24 points and an eighth-place finish in LaLiga, and a disappointing Champions League group stage, outside the TOP-24 with just 5 points.