Real Madrid - Atlético Madrid live online: score, stats & updates | Spanish Super Cup semi-final

A final reminder of the starting XIs:

If you've just joined us, here's how the two sides are set to start!

REAL MADRID:

GK: Kepa

DEF: Carvajal - Rüdiger - Nacho - Mendy

MID: Tchouaméni - Modric - Camavinga - Bellingham

ATT: Rodrygo - Vini Jr

ATLÉTICO MADRID:

GK: Oblak

DEF: Llorente - Savic - Giménez - Hermoso - Lino

MID: Koke - Saúl - De Paul

ATT: Griezmann - Morata

Vini getting ready ahead of KO

Real Madrid's Brazilian ace has not, duetoinjuries, had quite the impact on the side that he would have liked to. No time like the present, I guess.

SPANISH SUPER CUP

Spanish Super Cup trophy: size, weight, worth and how it started

The Spanish Super Cup has a curious story, with the trophy undergoing various format changes across the years. The trophy itself, however, has remained the same for a long time. 

For more information on the history of one of Spain's domestic honours, feast on Cal's Super Cup trophy lowdown. Plus some extra goodies.

Real Madrid's recent results:

· 6 January 2024: Arandina 2-3 Real Madrid - WIN

· 3 January 2024: Real Madrid 1-0 Mallorca - WIN

· 21 December 2023: Deportivo Alavés 0-1 Real Madrid - WIN

· 17 December 2023: Real Madrid 4-1 Villarreal - WIN

· 12 December 2023: Union Berlin 2-3 Real Madrid - WIN

Have your say!

We've got a Twitter poll up and running where you can not only tell us who you think will win but also give us your score prediction - if you're feeling brave!

Real Madrid are on the pitch!

Los Blancos have started their pre-game warmups and they'll continue for around 15 more minutes before heading down the tunnel!

A reminder of the starting XIs:

REAL MADRID:

GK: Kepa

DEF: Carvajal - Rüdiger - Nacho - Mendy

MID: Tchouaméni - Modric - Valverde - Bellingham

ATT: Rodrygo - Vini Jr

ATLÉTICO MADRID:

GK: Oblak

DEF: Llorente - Savic - Giménez - Hermoso - Lino

MID: Koke - Saúl - De Paul

ATT: Griezmann - Morata

Mateu Lahoz, former RFEF referee:

On hearing VAR audio in the Spanish Super Cup:

"VAR is a tool for football, and the audio is going to be transparent, which is very important. 

It's a fantastic initiative for football, if there's nothing to hide, we should show it. This needs to be normalised."

Atlético Madrid last 5 Games:

· 6 January 2024: Lugo 1-3 Atlético Madrid

· 3 January 2024: Girona 4-3 Atlético Madrid

· 23 December 2024: Girona 4-3 Atlético Madrid

· 19 December: Atlético Madrid 3-3 Getafe

· 16 December 2023: Athletic Club 2-0 Atlético Madrid

Ancelotti pre-game:

It's tough to say why Kroos and Lunin aren't playing, they're small details. 

Making a starting XI is always tough. Kroos hasn't trained a lot in the last few days, and it's always about the small details.

If Kroos played, then you'd be asking why Modric didn't.

Tchouaméni and Camavinga are back, we have the energy so I chose those two players.

It will be a competitive game, we've learned from the experience of the previous game against them, especially in defence. We have to be solid, this could go to extra-time so we have to be clever and ready for anything.

SPANISH SUPER CUP

How many times have Real Madrid won the Spanish Super Cup?

Which team has won the most Super Cups?

Barcelona are the most successful team in the History of the Spanish Super Cup, winning it 14 times.

Real Madrid come second with 12 victories.

We’ve got to drop down in the tally chart quite a bit to get to the third place teams - AthleticClub and DeportivoLaCoruña - who’ve won it a total of 3 times.

Atleti have only won the Super Cup twice: once in 1985 and again in 2014, after that famous 2013-14 LaLiga win (the one with the Diego Godín header at Camp Nou).

Jorge Valdano pre-game:

"I'm so excited about hearing the VAR that I couldn't sleep last night."

Something tells me the former Real Madrid player is not a fan of the new addition to the refereeing technology.

The game's sold out tonight!

All 25,000 seats will be occupied for the derbi madrileño, which shows just how popular these two teams are in the Middle East, although I think it's safe to say that Carlo Ancelotti's side will have the majority of the crowd for the game.

Real Madrid arrive at the stadium!

We've got just under an hour to go before kick-off, and Los Blancos are in the house!

INJURY NEWS:

AtléticoMadrid have announced that Memphishas not made the cut due to an injury.

Atleti XI revealed!

Oblak is in between the sticks with Lino, Hermoso, Giménez, Savic and Llorente ahead of him. 

Koke, De Paul and Saúl make up the midfield three, with Morata and Grizi leading the line.

Carlo Ancelotti pre-game press conference:

How much are the teams getting for the Spanish Super Cup?

Surely moving the tournament to the Middle East brings with it a lucrative sum of money for those involved?

You'd be right: Saudi Arabia are paying the RFEF €40 million ($43.8 million) for hosting the tournament. Here's a full breakdown of the fees and prize money involved.

Both Real Madrid and Barça are expected to take home €6 million ($6.57 million) each, with Atlético picking up €3 million ($3.29 million) and Osasuna around €800,000 ($876,000).

VAR to be used differently in Super Cup

The President of the Refereeing Committee, Medina Cantalejo, explains how VAR audio will be heard in Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.

The Atleti dressing room is ready!

Los Rojiblancos are in their typical red and white stripes for tonight's Game. Presumably, Real Madrid will be in their all-white kit for the tie.

Why is the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia?

It was the Luis Rubiales-led Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) who decided to move the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia in 2019. I’ll leave that there.

The decision to move the games to the Middle East was met with plenty of concern from people on all points of the Spanish football spectrum, but it must be said that the shift in tournament format has indeed been a positive thing.

Much like the new format of the Copa del Rey, playing a final four instead of the typical two-legged pre-season affair we were used to has instilled a slight sense of competition to the trophy - something that was certain lacking during the pre-season days.

Xavi even called the Super Cup “a spectacular tournament”, but let’s not go that far just yet.

SPANISH SUPER CUP

Real Madrid - Atlético: times, how to watch on TV and stream online | Spanish Super Cup

Remember, dear reader, that you can watch today's action live if you're in the US. Here's all the information about how to get the game on your TV or streaming device.

And right on cue!

Here's Real Madrid's team:

Kepastarts for Los Blancos behind a back four of Carvajal, Rüdiger, Nacho and Mendy.

Valverde, Tchouaméni, Modric and Bellingham are in midfield with Rodrygo and Vini Jr up front.

SPANISH SUPER CUP

Possible Real Madrid starting lineup against Atlético Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final

Before we get Carlo Ancelotti's ludicrously early team news, here's the prediction of how, given the squad, we think Los Blancos will line upagainst their cross-city rivals in Saudi Arabia.

Who's the ref?

Javier Alberola Rojas is the lucky man with the whistle today and shock horror, Real Madrid aren’t happy about it.

Señor Alberola Rojas is, unfortunately, the referee who took charge of Real Madrid’s only loss of the season, which came against, ahem, Atlético Madrid (3-1). 

Maybe Real Madrid are just superstitious and that’s why they aren’t happy. Maybe it’s not about the fact that they aired an entire TV programme on the man, highlighting what they called errors from the derbi madrileño earlier in the season.

Here's how things look ahead of kick-off!

No, it’s not the Nuevo Mirandilla in Cádiz.

Riyadh’s Al-Awaal Park is the venue for all three games in the Spanish Super Cup this year.

The 25,000seater venue, also known as the King Saud University Stadium, opened in 2015 and is the home of Saudi club side Al-Nassr, who you may know as being Cristiano Ronaldo’s current team. 

Team news: Atlético Madrid

Simeone does not have many absences in his squad for the Game: Lemar is out for Atleti as he is overcoming an achilles injury and Reinildo is away at AFCON with Mozambique.

Apart from that, there’s nothing much to report with the rojiblancos, and the even better news comes in the shape of Pablo Barrios, the youngster who has broken through this season: he’s back training with the squad after suffering a meniscus injury.

Team news: Real Madrid

Green lights are appearing at the Real Madrid recovery room as the club digs their head into their chest and ploughs through the barrage of winter fixtures. Dani Carvajal is back and set to start, as is Ferland Mendy, who is back after 3 games.

Lucas Vázquez also failed to make the squad for the game.

Alaba is still out, as is Militão and Courtois, but the pair are indeed makinggoodprogress as the season goes on.

Hello, hello and welcome to the AS USAlivecoverage of the Spanish Super Cup.

We’re up and running with the feed that will guide you through the pre-match goings-on to the aftermath and everything in between.

We’ve got a cracker of a tie to begin with this year: Real Madrid take on Atlético Madrid in a derbi madrileño!

Kick-off is around 90 minutes away.

It’s Joe here today to take you through the action as it unfolds.