Key Questions to Address Before the Spanish Super Cup
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Madrid, Jan 6 (NationPress) There are several important questions to address ahead of the Spanish Supercopa (Super Cup) taking place in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia). The tournament kicks off on Wednesday with Copa del Rey titleholders Athletic Club Bilbao facing FC Barcelona, followed by Real Madrid squaring off against cup runner-up Mallorca in the second semifinal on Thursday.
FC Barcelona has included Dani Olmo and Pau Victor in their traveling squad to Jeddah, despite lacking the necessary permissions to register them in their first-team lineup due to financial fair-play regulations. This indicates that, barring a 'miracle', the duo will likely spend their time exploring the sights of the Saudi Arabian city.
The pro-Barca media continues to assert that the club is persisting with its appeal process, despite the clear rules stating that a player cannot be registered with the same club twice within a single season. Additionally, Barcelona faces a significant fitness concern regarding Lamine Yamal, who concluded 2024 with an ankle injury and did not participate in the Copa del Rey match on Saturday.
Real Madrid faces a challenge as they have a Copa del Rey match against Deportiva Minera in Cartagena (southeast Spain), meaning they will depart for Jeddah on Tuesday. The primary issue for Madrid is with forward Vinicius Jr, who received a red card for hitting Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski during their 2-1 victory in La Liga last Friday, according to reports from Xinhua.
A suspension incurred in one competition in Spain typically only applies to that specific tournament. Thus, a ban from La Liga is generally served only in league matches. However, since Vinicius was sent off for a clear act of aggression, he faces a suspension ranging from 4 to 12 matches. Notably, bans of four games or longer are enforced in the following matches across all tournaments.
Given that the referee's report specified that Vinicius had to be 'restrained and taken to the dressing room'Spanish Football Federation will impose a suspension exceeding four games. If this occurs, Vinicius will miss the Supercup. However, Real Madrid is exerting considerable off-field influence to persuade the RFEF to impose a shorter ban, which would allow the winger to participate.
Athletic Club Bilbao head coach Ernesto Valverde has announced a 26-man squad for a tournament his team won in 2021, but doubts linger regarding the fitness of key players Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta, Yeray Alvarez, and top scorer Oihan Sancet, all of whom were absent from Saturday's match. Meanwhile, Mallorca also faces uncertainties following a 3-0 defeat in the Copa del Rey last Friday against Pontevedra, although they have a six-day advantage to prepare for the clash against Real Madrid.
