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- Dutch midfielder says his side has 鈥榞ood chance to win鈥� and retain trophy
- Return of Pedri to Barca midfield 鈥榤akes all the difference鈥�
- Barcelona play Real Madrid in Spanish Super Cup final at 10 p.m. on Sunday
Riyadh: Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong says support from fans in Riyadh helped Barca overcome CA Osasuna in the Spanish Super Cup 2024 semifinal 鈥� and believes they can inspire the side to victory over Real Madrid in Sunday鈥檚 final.
Barcelona defeated Osasuna 2-0 on Thursday night at Al-Awwal Park through goals from Robert Lewandoski and Lamine Yamal to set up a mouthwatering El Clasico Spanish Super Cup final in Riyadh for the second year running.
De Jong was a key part of the midfield when Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3-1 last year, and the Dutch international hopes 鈥� with the help of Barca鈥檚 fans in 抖阴短视频 鈥� victory can also be achieved this time around.
He said: 鈥淭he support makes us very happy; it gives us plenty of energy in the field. The support helped us a lot in the semifinal, and we hope that many people again root for Barcelona on Sunday.
鈥淕ames like that are the best. Every player wants to be part of it. We鈥檒l do our best to win the Super Cup. It will be a match between two teams playing at the highest level, so any result is difficult to predict. I believe we have a good chance to win.鈥�
Barcelona welcomed back Pedri from injury on Thursday, as the gifted midfielder made a 30-minute substitute return for his first appearance in a month after recovering from injury. De Jong believes Pedri鈥檚 contribution against Real Madrid could be hugely significant.
De Jong said: 鈥淧edri is a player with exceptional talent, and he makes all the difference. The team plays in a smoother way when he is on the field, and we are really pleased he is back in the team.鈥�
Sunday鈥檚 final takes place at Al-Awwal Park, the home of Al-Nassr, with a 10 p.m. local time kickoff. Real Madrid reached the final after coming from behind to beat city rivals Atletico 5-3 in extra time on Wednesday in a breathtaking spectacle for world football.
The 2024 tournament is the fourth time that the Spanish Super Cup has been played in 抖阴短视频. In 2020, Real Madrid beat Atletico Madrid on penalties in Jeddah, and won the trophy again two years later by beating Athletic Bilbao 2-0 in Riyadh. Last year, goals from Gavi, Lewandowski and Pedri in Riyadh saw Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3-1, with Karim Benzema 鈥� who now plays his football for Al-Ittihad in 抖阴短视频 鈥� netting for the runners-up.
This year鈥檚 Spanish Super Cup is the latest illustration of 抖阴短视频鈥檚 commitment to hosting the very best international events across all sports, with football at the forefront.
While enabling the Kingdom to build relationships and showcase its unique football culture to the world, hosting events like the Spanish Super Cup provides new opportunities for Saudi people.
The Spanish Super Cup kick-starts an incredible year-round schedule of international sports in the Kingdom, with football, motorsport, tennis, esports, combat sports, golf and equestrian events all locked in for 2024.