Fans of Spanish football will be accustomed to seeing Real Madrid and a certain Catalan club battle it out at the top of La Liga – only this season that team from northeastern Spain isn’t Barcelona.
Barcelona defeated Osasuna 2-0 on Thursday to set up a rematch of last year's Super Cup final against Real Madrid in Saudi Arabia. Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal scored a goal each for the Catalan club, which last year won the title for its first trophy with coach Xavi Hernández and without Lionel Messi. Madrid reached Sunday's final by defeating rival Atletico Madrid 5-3 in extra time on Wednesday.
With Real Madrid enjoying good momentum and Atletico Madrid on a bit of a slump, the city rivals meet in the semifinal of the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday in the first of three matches between the clubs in less than a month. After the Super Cup, Madrid and Atletico will clash again on Jan. 18 in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey, and then on Feb. 4 at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in their second Spanish league match of the season.
Bayern Munich returned from a short winter break on Tuesday to start training for the second part of the Bundesliga season and amid hopes from coach Thomas Tuchel to get reinforcements. The January transfer window has opened and Tuchel especially wants to bolster Bayern's defence and defensive midfield in their bid for a record-extending 12th straight Bundesliga title and possible Champions League glory as well. "We know that we have a need. We were pretty much on our last legs in terms of perso